Archives for March 2021

March 18, 2021

What: Zoom Call with hurdling legend Renaldo Nehemiah
When: Sunday April 11^th from 3 pm – 4:30 pm.
Cost: $15
To Register: Click here to pay with debit/credit via PayPal, or you can send payment directly or via Cash App to $StevenMcGill. Upon receipt of payment, I will send the Zoom call link to the email address you used to pay. (If I don’t send it until later in the day, that’s because I’m probably teaching or coaching. If you don’t receive the link within 24 hours of payment, then email me at smcgill@hurdlesfirst.com).

Who is Renaldo Nehemiah?
Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah, arguably the greatest high hurdler in history, broke the world record twice in 1979 as a sophomore at the University of Maryland, running 13.16 and then 13.00. Two years later, in 1981, he became the first hurdler to break the 13.00 barrier with a 12.93 in Zurich, Switzerland. After not being able to compete in the 1980 Olympic Games due to the American boycott, Nehemiah turned to professional football, where he played four years with the San Francisco 49ers, and was on their 1984 Super Bowl team. He returned to track in 1986 and remained one of the best hurdlers in the world, although injuries sustained during his football career prevented him from returning to his previous level of dominance. In his post-athletic career, Nehemiah has gone on to have an equally impressive career as an athlete agent who has represented some of track and field’s greatest performers, including hurdlers Allen Johnson, Mark Crear, Perdita Felicien, and sprinter Justin Gatlin. read more

March 16, 2021

From 1978-1982, Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah single-handedly pushed the 110m high hurdles into a new era, setting new standards that are still difficult for even the world’s best hurdlers to achieve. When Nehemiah entered the University of Maryland at the age of 18, the world record in the 110’s was 13.21, set by Alejandro Casanas of Cuba in 1977. By the time Nehemiah left track and field to play professional football in 1982, he had broken the world record three times, bringing it all the way down under the magical 13.00 mark, to 12.93 in August of 1981, at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland.

I began working on a biography of Nehemiah in 2019, and am about two-thirds of the way through the first draft. In gathering research for the book, I was able to reconnect with a track fanatic who lives in England, named George Matthews, who helped me before, when I was writing a biography on 1972 Olympic champion Rodney Milburn. So I reached out to George again, and he was able to put together a collage of Nehemiah’s races that he had recorded that spanned Nehemiah’s glory years of 1978-82. Besides the outdoor world records, Nehemiah also broke indoor records of multiple distances (55 yards, 60 yards, 50 yards, 55 meters) multiple times. In his battles with rival Greg Foster of UCLA, Nehemiah brought an electricity and excitement to the event that it has not seen since. With those two going at it, the 110 hurdles were the marquee event in track and field for four years. Unfortunately, however, due to the 1980 Olympic Boycott led by US President Jimmy Carter, Nehemiah never had the opportunity to show his skills on the world’s biggest stage. read more

Below are the topics I will cover in tomorrow’s Zoom clinic for hurdle coaches. This is my first time doing one of these, so if we don’t get to everything, I can always do another one. Most time will be dedicated to explaining (and demonstrating via videos) hurdling mechanics and how to properly do the drills that teach efficient mechanics. There’s still time to sign up if you want to join the call. Check my post from last month for registration info.

–Principles of Downhill Hurdling
–Hurdling Mechanics
–Hurdle Drills
–Preparing to Race
–Bread & Butter 400H Workouts
–Alternating drills for 400H
–Rhythm Development for 400H
–Conducting a Hurdle Practice Session
–Bread & Butter 100/110H Workouts
–Coach’s Role on Race Day
–Frequently Asked Questions