When to Raise the Hurdles in Practice
While it is common to lower the hurdles from the standard race height during practice sessions, it is a less common practice to raise them above race height. However, there are scenarios in which raising the hurdles can prove to be very beneficial to a hurdler’s development. This article will discuss the when and the why of raising the hurdles, and also provide some ideas for how to set up a raised-hurdles workout.
Before getting into the details of practice strategies, let me state up from that it’s not a good idea to raise the hurdles in practice on a regular basis. Doing so can create the habit of clearing hurdles too high and floating. It can also cause mechanical flaws instead of correcting them. Also, never do workouts over higher hurdles at full speed unless the hurdler’s technical mastery is at a very high level. Otherwise, you’re risking injury. If done in moderation and with specific aims in mind, raising the hurdles can be the type of physical and mental challenge that a hurdler needs to break through to a higher level of confidence and technical efficiency.
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Okay, so when to raise the hurdles? One good reason to raise the hurdles is to work on the trail leg. Especially for a taller hurdler who has been able to get away with a lazy trail leg that doesn’t rise high and doesn’t drive to the front. Such a hurdler can probably run faster times by improving the efficiency of the trail leg. But as long as the hurdles remain at race height, he or she can always cheat, can always compensate for a dysfunctional trail leg by being quick with the lead leg and running fast between the hurdles. A lot of times, for the taller hurdler, trying to address the trail leg issues at race height can be a struggle, to say the least. He or she is not hitting the hurdles with the trail leg, he or she is running clean, speedy races, so what’s the problem?
The problem is, no matter how fast the athlete’s times are, they could be faster. When facing an opponent with comparable speed and better technique, the lazy trail leg will prove to be a costly technical flaw. You don’t want it to get to that point – where it costs the athlete a race – before addressing it.
I coach a high school female who is 5’9″ and can clear the 33-inch hurdles with very little effort at all. Because of her speed, height, and athleticism, she has been able to run under 14.00 in the 100 meter hurdles. But her trail leg, up until very recently, has been terrible. While it does get off the ground quickly, the angle is way too wide and way too flat, and then she drops it on the other side of the hurdle instead of pulling it through. I had been trying to correct it over the past year, with limited success. Finally, I had a breakthrough last week when, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to have her do her drills over 36-inch hurdles. I set up four hurdles and spaced them a little further beyond the race marks so that she would have room to five-step in between without needing to stutter. When she first saw the set-up, she balked. “Is that lane for me,” she asked. “The hurdles are too high.” I smiled and assured her that they weren’t.
I didn’t tell her why I had raised them. I wanted to see how the drills would look without me providing an explanation. I told her to do four reps and then I’d tell her. To my joyous surprise, her trail leg looked better than ever at the very first hurdle of the very first rep. Over the years, she had smacked many a hurdle with her trail leg, to the point where her knee was scarred with several bumps, bruises, and closed wounds. So she knew she would have to get that knee up in order to clear the hurdles cleanly. It was the best her trail leg had ever looked. It rose up high and tight underneath the armpit, it drove to the front with the knee leading the way, and the knee was facing the front when the lead leg landed. So lovely.
After the fourth rep, I asked her if she felt like she was doing anything different. She said she felt like her trail leg was coming up higher. Music to my ears. She had felt it. I didn’t need to explain it. When we lowered the hurdles to race height, the mechanics stayed the same. I mentioned to her that taller hurdlers like herself are actually at somewhat of a disadvantage because they can easily fall into the trap of never truly learning how to hurdle. I know it will take a while to incorporate the changes when we try it at full speed, out of the blocks, but I also know that it will happen. I’ll continue to sprinkle in 36-inch work every now and then as deemed necessary. But even without doing that, I know that she already knows how the trail leg is supposed to feel, so I expect that progress will come rapidly from here on.
Another reason to raise the hurdles is to help smaller hurdlers who don’t push off the track with enough force during take-off. These hurdlers tend to hit a lot of hurdles with the lead leg foot and the trail leg ankle and knee. They line-drive themselves into the hurdle. For these hurdlers, raising the hurdles forces them to push off the back leg with more force, so that their hips are above the bar as they execute their dive. Again, when working on this over higher hurdles, space them far enough apart to allow for a comfortable five-step rhythm. I like starting with the five-step rhythm because it allows the athlete to think and run at the same time. Also, you don’t want a hurdler with this technical issue to rely on speed to get over the hurdle. That’s been the problem all along. You want him or her to rely on the push off the back leg instead. Just be sure that the hips push forward when the back leg pushes upward. If the hips rise during take-off, the hurdler’s take-off will be too vertical and he or she will sail over the hurdle.
Finally, smaller hurdlers who don’t lean deeply enough, or who don’t lean properly, are good candidates for raising the hurdles in practice. These types of hurdlers typically “sit” on hurdles with their hamstring or glute. Over the higher hurdle, they must lean more deeply, or they must adjust the angle of the lean. So again, the higher hurdle exposes the flaw, making it easier to correct.
Though the logic may sound a bit backwards, I think that raising the hurdles in practice can help a hurdler to get over the fear of the height. Usually, we lower the hurdles to help with the fear factor. But sometimes a little bit of reverse psychology can go a long way. Once they realize that they can clear the higher hurdles, then race height no longer seems so intimidating. The idea is to teach the athlete that the height of the hurdle doesn’t matter as much as their own mechanics. Focus on yourself, not the hurdle. Focus on what you’re doing, not where you’re going.
Male high school seniors who plan to run in college could also benefit from some work over higher hurdles in practice, in order to facilitate the transition they will soon be making from the 39’s to the 42’s. Again, it’s best to take a cautious, experimental approach. High school seniors are still racing over 39’s, so you don’t want to throw off their rhythm and timing by having them do too much 42 work. Nor do you want to inadvertently cause alterations to their technique, or risk injury. Many hamstrings have been strained and many shins have ached due to excessive work over higher hurdles.
Here’s the basic set-up I use for work over higher hurdles:
Set up four to seven hurdles moved out a foot or two from the marks, for a five-step rhythm at a warm-up pace. Have the hurdler do a series reps over the hurdles, focusing on addressing a particular mechanical flaw.
Once he or she has established a comfort level over the higher hurdles and seem to be correcting the flaw, lower the hurdles to race height, asking for the same mechanic – high knee drive of trail leg, deep lean from the waist, or whatever it is you may be working on.
Then raise the hurdles back up and move them in (about five feet from the marks) for a quicker three-step pace. Now the hurdler must react faster, get up and down faster, but employing the same mechanics as before.
Then lower the hurdles again to race height, keeping them at the same spacing, and again have the hurdler focus on maintaining the same mechanics.
Always follow higher hurdle reps with race height reps. Always end the workout with race height reps.
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