The Hurdling Style of Orlando Ortega
by Steve McGill
Even though Omar McLeod is an outstanding hurdler who has clearly emerged as the best in the world with his phenomenal 2016 campaign that culminated in an Olympic gold medal, I would argue that Orlando Ortega is the most “teachable” hurdler. In other words, of all elite level 110 hurdlers who are competing today, he is the one whom I, as a coach, will encourage my athletes to study. The silver medalist at the Rio Games last year, the young Cuban who now competes internationally for Spain is the most efficient hurdler out there right now. His style is fluid, with minimal wasted motion. He doesn’t have the speed and power of McLeod, which is why McLeod usually gains the upper hand when they race. Still, speaking strictly from the point of view of a teacher of hurdle mechanics, Ortega is the one who reminds me of some of the all-time greats like Allen Johnson and Liu Xiang. In this article, I will take a close look at the strengths of Ortega’s hurdling style, while also pointing out the minor weaknesses that need to be addressed.
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What I like most about Ortega’s style is his lead arm. The lead arm is the most important limb when it comes to reducing air time over each hurdle and minimizing lateral movement in the lane. Many 110 hurdlers do a whole lot of extra stuff with their lead arm – which is understandable, as the 42’s require some inventiveness and creativity that isn’t required at any other hurdle height. But to me, simpler is always better – because it gives you less to think about, allowing you to run more freely, less burdened by the mind.
In the photo above, compare the lead arm of Ortega, in the middle, to that of LaGarde, on the left. Both lead arms are punching down. LaGarde’s is opening more widely, causing the trail leg to pull through on a flatter, more horizontal angle. I prefer the style of Ortega; the lead arm is tighter, closer to his body, allowing the trail leg to come through more tightly, with the knee raising, which will allow for a very powerful first stride off the hurdle. Meanwhile, also take a look at Bascou, on the right, who is a little behind the other two. Note how Bascou (who, in my opinion, is the next best technician after Ortega) raises his elbow to where it is slightly above the hand. Ortega’s elbow always stays below the hand, which is a slight but significant difference, as it effects the flight of the trail leg.
Ortega’s lead arm stays very close to a very natural running motion during hurdle clearance. In this sense, his lead arm very much reminds me of Liu’s. One key element is that the elbow stays below the hand. A lot of hurdlers will raise the elbow so that it is parallel to the hand, or even above the hand. To me, that’s extra. For smaller hurdlers, it may be a necessary extra, but any hurdler who is 6’1” or taller doesn’t need to do all that. Keep the elbow below the hand just like you do when you sprint without hurdles.
Also, the hand of Ortega’s lead arm never raises higher than the forehead. This is a modest and natural adjustment to the presence of the hurdle. In normal sprinting strides, the hand doesn’t get any higher than the cheek, or maybe the eyes. So the forehead is a good spot from which to punch the hand back down when clearing the hurdle. It’s high enough to allow for a forceful punchdown, but not too high that it keeps you in the air too long.
The punchdown is another important element in the Ortega’s lead arm. Because the hand punches up first, it keeps everything balanced. A lead arm that crosses the body or that goes up too high will cause balance issues in the hips and shoulders, making for a trail leg that legs behind, which leads to an ineffective, weak first step off the hurdle. By punching the hand straight up, he maintains exquisite balance, keeping all of his momentum moving forward. By punching the hand straight down during descent, he creates speed off the hurdle. The lead leg doesn’t have to “snap down” because the force of the lead arm causes it to attack the track and cycle back under the hip. Also, and perhaps more importantly (although all of it is important), punching the hand straight down enables for a tight, high trail leg knee. It’s like the two limbs are attached. The punchdown of the lead arm sort of helps to drive the knee of the trail leg to the front. And in the case of Ortega, because his elbow also stays tight – tucked in close to his body – the trail leg has no choice but to stay tight, since the lead arm is the “window” through which the trail leg comes to the front.
The only issue I see with Ortega’s lead arm is that it sometimes goes a little too far back as he touches down off the hurdle. Liu Xiang had the same issue, as well as the same strengths. I think the force of the punchdown motion causes the problem, so it’s a matter of controlling it a little better so that the arm doesn’t go past the back pocket before returning to the lower hand height between the hurdles. It’s not a major issue whatsoever, and the only reason it is an issue at all is because it opens up the hip on that trail leg side.
Moving on to other aspects of Ortega’s technique, he has a quality that is consistent with all great hurdlers: his head never moves. It doesn’t move up, it doesn’t move down, it doesn’t move side to side. How is he able to barely change his center of mass while clearing a 42-inch hurdle? It’s all in the lean. Ortega has a nice forward lean from the waist. His eyes are always looking forward, which lets us know that, yes, he is leaning from the waist, from the lower back, not from the upper back. This lean is another factor in creating speed and forward momentum through the hurdle. Without a deep lean that is well-timed – occurring right at take-off – the hips would have to twist to allow the trail leg room to come through. Understand, whenever the hips twists, they’re compensating for another flaw; the hips twisting isn’t a flaw unto itself.
Okay, what else? Well, let’s go down the checklist. At take-off, he gets a good push off the back leg that raises his hips while the hips themselves push forward. Hence, he creates the illusion that the hurdle is small. When he extends the foot of his lead leg, he does so at a slightly downward angle, enabling a cycle motion similar to that of the best female hurdlers (think Sally Pearson and Keni Harrison). This push off the back leg is so important. The push creates force, speed, power. It makes the hurdler taller. The push off the back leg, along with the raising of the knee of the front leg, allows the hurdler to “step” over the hurdle without adding any extra movements.
So, when you put it all together, what do you have? You have a fluid hurdler. And “fluid” in this sense equals powerful, fast, aggressive. Fluid doesn’t just mean pretty, artistic, aesthetically pleasing. Although it is a form of artistic expression, and although the aesthetic value provides the “wow” factor for the viewer, the beauty of the style lies in the fact that the artistic element does not undermine the competitive element.
The one thing about Ortega that I’m not sure about is his seven-step approach to the first hurdle. Though I’m a big proponent of taking seven steps if it works for you, I’m not a big proponent of it if it doesn’t. In the case of Ortega, it looks to me like he is upright too soon. I know that I like for my hurdlers to still be rising into full height when they get to the first hurdle. An eight-step approach would allow for an easier and more distinctive cut step into the first hurdle, and it wouldn’t require him to be upright so soon.
Obviously, Ortega is a great finisher. His technical expertise and his fluidity allow him to maintain his cadence between the hurdles with minimal deceleration. McLeod, meanwhile, is proving that an 8-step approach to hurdle one still works. The seven-step approach will always be a high-risk high-reward approach. If one step is too short, you’re screwed. In the case of Ortega, I personally think that a switch to 8-stepping would prove beneficial. But it’s not like his start sucks, so to each his own.
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