Training with Mini Hurdles

by Melinda Burris Willms

This article discusses the numerous ways you can do sprint drills with mini or banana hurdles to improve your speed while strengthening and increasing the proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers you have to improve your high-intensity exercise endurance level.

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Miniature hurdles are only six inches in height and are utilized in training to assist athletes who necessitate work on quickness, agility, and lifting their feet and knees properly when sprinting. Because they are lower to the ground than standard 12-inch hurdles, mini hurdles are excellent for learning proper form without adapting over-exaggerated movements. These smaller hurdles are excellent for learning to side-step more quickly, with increased agility while receiving instruction in proper footwork technique.¹

Incorporating mini hurdles into your daily training routing is essential for your speed development. Doing these types of high-intensity workouts are beneficial because they can improve your tolerance for anaerobic exercise by increasing your percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers in comparison to slow-twitch fibers. This is important to sprinters and other athletes who depend on the quick, high energy movements these fast-twitch fibers perform to compete in their chosen sport.²

SPEED EXERCISES WITH MINI HURDLES:

1. Hurdle Acceleration Drill: Use 4-6 mini hurdles and two cones to mark your start and finish lines.³

Put the first hurdle the distance of one of your feet from your designated start line. The second hurdle should then be placed two-foot lengths away from the beginning hurdle. Likewise, the third hurdle should be placed at three-foot lengths distance from the second and so on. Once you have placed the last hurdle, measure a distance of 20 yards to find your finish line.³

Stand at the start line and assume your proper stance and starting position. As you perform the sprint, be sure to land on one foot between each set of hurdles. Upon clearing the last hurdle, sprint to your finish line. If you fail to clear a hurdle, do 20 flutter kicks before attempting the drill again.³

This drill focuses on lengthening the stride at the start of your sprint and it’s also effective at teaching you to lift your feet and knees properly.. This drill should be done 3-5 times.³

2. Stride Length Drill: Use 6-10 hurdles and three cones as markers.

The first cone is used to mark your start line. You should put the second one 20 yards in front of the start line. Your first hurdle also goes 20 yards ahead of your start line. Measure off four of your foot lengths from the first hurdle and put the second hurdle there. To place the third hurdle, measure off five of your foot lengths from the second hurdle and put the hurdle there. All hurdles after the third should be placed six-foot lengths from one another (no farther). The last cone should be placed 10 yards away from the final hurdle to mark your finish line.³

Stand at the start line and assume your proper stance and starting position. Sprint as quickly as possible in your approach to the first hurdle, bearing in mind that you must have momentum to clear the first hurdle. As you perform the sprint, be sure to land on one foot between each set of hurdles.³

Upon clearing the last hurdle, sprint to your finish line. If you fail to clear all of the hurdles, do 20 flutter kicks.³

This drill focuses on lengthening your stride which will enable you to reach your highest speed capacity. The exercise emphasizes the necessity of lifting your knees and feet while simultaneously instructing you in how to remain calm as you run as fast as you possibly can. This drill should be done 3-5x in an effort to increase maximum velocity.³

2. Two Step Laterals: The mini hurdles should be placed at a distance of 1 yard apart, so that you can move from side to side. The goal is to take two steps to get over each hurdle, concentrating so that you push off using your trail leg rather than your lead leg. Hips should remain low, in a defensive stance, and you should keep your shoulders parallel, toward the movement of your feet as you move from side to side.¹
3. Lengthened Four Step: The hurdles should be placed at a distance of 2 yards so that you can move from side to side just as you did when completing the Two Step Laterals. This time, you will need to take 4 steps to cross each hurdle and concentrate on using your trailing leg to push off, rather than the lead leg. Hips should remain low, in a defensive stance, and you should keep your shoulders parallel, toward the movement of your feet as you move from side to side. The point of this drill is to increase your lateral speed, so that it’s at least within 10-15 yards. (Do not use more than 4 mini hurdles for this exercise.)¹
4. Mirror: Two lines of hurdles should be set up at a distance of 10 yards between each, with the hurdles facing each other in parallel rows. Two athletes should stand parallel to one another in the center of the hurdles. A coach should instruct the two athletes when it is time to begin moving laterally, and then blow a whistle when the coach is ready to see the athletes sprint forward toward one another. Once the athletes are within an estimated 2 yards of one another, the coach should have them either: a) mirror one another’s lateral side step, b.) move quickly, mirroring one another’s movements from the left or the right or, c)charge forward at one another, and mirror each other’s movements as they recover a ball their coach rapidly throws to them from all directions.¹

References

1. VSAthlethics.com. (n.d.). Hurdle Training Manual.
2. Track Coach. (2018). Marauder Championship Hurdle Sprinter.
3. Cissick, J. (2015, August 19). Mini Hurdle Drills to Improve Speed Athletic Speed.

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