Coaching the Double Hurdler
In last month’s issue I wrote an article discussing the rarity of the double hurdler, particularly at the elite level. Here I want to follow up by discussing the coach’s role in helping the double hurdler to succeed in both events. Though it’s true that double hurdlers are almost non-existent at the elite level, they are quite common at the collegiate, high school, and youth levels. As a high school coach who also has coached many hurdlers in youth track, I actually have coached very few hurdlers who haven’t doubled. The fact of the matter is, most teams don’t have enough hurdlers to the point where coaches can afford to have hurdlers specialize in one event or the other. For me, and I’m sure for other coaches as well, there have been cases where a 100/110m hurdler didn’t compete in the long hurdles, but instead ran the 100 meter dash, the 4×100 relay, and either long-jumped or ran the 200 for a full slate of four events. But because hurdlers are the only athletes on the team who know how to hurdle, they’re generally needed for both hurdling events.
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With that thought in mind, the aim of this article is to provide some suggestions for developing the double hurdler so that he or she can excel in both hurdling events, regardless of whether or not he or she prefers one hurdling event over the other. I’ve always preached to my hurdlers that running both events helps them in both. The 110/100m hurdles helps you to develop your speed and aggression, which carries over to the 300/400m hurdles, and the 300/400m hurdles helps you to improve your late-race strength, which carries over to the 100/110m hurdles.
Let’s start with youth track first, as more and more kids these days are starting earlier and earlier. In youth track, the soonest an athlete can double in the hurdles is the 13-14-year-old age group. The races are 100 meters and 200 meters, with the 200h race consisting of the last half of the 400h race. Even before kids turn 13, if they have already been hurdling in the previous age group over the 80 meter distance, they should also run the open 200 and/or 400 in preparation for the long hurdles when they get older. Beginning youth hurdlers have to spend more time than experienced hurdlers on developing technique and rhythm, as the early stages are when they must establish sound mechanics and an aggressive, attack-mode mindset. So while specific workouts designed for long hurdling aren’t yet necessary, it is necessary that they do a lot of workouts that involve over-distance so that they aren’t shocked by the longer race when the time comes.
At the 13-14 age group, workouts designed specifically for the 200 meter hurdles should be incorporated regularly. Specifically, getting the block start down and figuring out how many steps to take to the first hurdle on the curve, as well as rhythm workouts to work on stride pattern between the hurdles.
At the high school level, athletes who are new to hurdling should learn both events at the same time. The earlier a hurdler learns to train for both, and to compete in both in meets, the less of challenge it is. You want doubling to be a routine thing, something they grow used to and even look forward to. While almost all hurdlers prefer one event over the other, it’s often hard to predict which one they’ll ultimately excel in the most. So to pigeonhole the athlete in one event or the other can often be a mistake. And for those who have the talent and the drive to compete in college, it’s important to be as versatile as possible. College teams, for the most part, need point scorers, not specialists. And it’s also worth noting, particularly for males, that if they don’t grow tall enough to succeed over the 42’s, then having them specialize in the 110’s in high school is setting them up for failure.
In terms of setting up a weekly plan for the double hurdler, there needs to be a balance of sprinting without hurdles, doing 100/110 hurdle work, and doing 300/400 hurdle work. In some cases, the running workouts can include hurdles so that a separate day for 300/400h training isn’t necessary. For example, if the quarter-milers are doing speed work that consists of 6x200m sprints. The hurdlers can do 5×200 over the last five hurdles. Such is not really the case for the 100/110 hurdles, as the technical demands of that event are so much more significant.
A typical off-season week for my double hurdlers will look something like this:
Monday: 110 technique work
Tuesday: 400h conditioning work
Wednesday: Conditioning work with quarter-milers
Thursday: Speed work with sprinters
Friday: Off day from running
Saturday: 110 conditioning work
Sunday: Off day from running
The Monday technique work will consist primarily of drills – one-step drills, three-step marching popovers, and specific drills designed to address technical issues of each individual athlete. I don’t usually put a set number on the amount of reps of any drill, as this is an instructional, teaching day for me. I like to put this work early in the week when the legs are most fresh so we can get maximum quality out of it. Usually I’ll add a little sprinting at the end of the workout. Maybe something like 6×120.
The Tuesday workout will usually consist of 100 meter back & forths over five hurdles in each direction. We start with 4 reps, 3 minutes rest, and build up to 6 reps.
The Wednesday workout will usually consist of 600s or 800s. Something like 4×600 with 4 minutes rest, or 3×800 with 6 minutes rest.
The Thursday workout will consist of short distances to work on speed and turnover. Something like 3 sets of 6×60, with walk-back recoveries between reps and 3 minutes between sets.
The Saturday workout is the heavy volume workout for the 100/110 hurdles. I’ll usually use the quick-step workout, working on technique, rhythm, and hurdle endurance. I like to do this workout before and after a day off, because it is very demanding on the hurdling muscles, and I use it as a gauge of the athletes’ progress.
A typical mid-season week for my double hurdlers will look something like this:
Monday: 110 work
Tuesday: 300/400 work
Wednesday: Block work, relay work
Thursday: Compete (use as a workout)
Friday: Hurdle drill work
Saturday: Compete
Sunday: Rest
The Monday workout will usually consist of fast reps over 4-7 hurdles from a three-point or four-point start, but without blocks, working on speed between, efficiency over the top, and technique.
The Tuesday workout will usually consist of something like 5×200 over the first five 300/400m hurdles, out of the blocks, timed for speed. Hurdlers are also working on stride pattern and rhythm.
Assuming that the week-day meet is on Thursday, Wednesday is the day to work specifically on the start, so I’ll have the hurdlers do starts – alone and against each other – over the first, the first two, and the first three hurdles, working on mastering the first phase of the race.
The meet day on Thursday serves as a speed day, so I like for my hurdlers to do both hurdling events and at least one relay, preferably the 4×400, but also maybe the 4×100 or 4×200.
Friday serves as a recovery day (from the Thursday meet) and preparation day (for the Saturday meet). So, more starts, and specific technique work based on mistakes that need to be addressed from the Thursday meet.
With a schedule like this, the hurdlers have a good balance between the short hurdles and the long hurdles. By learning to go back and forth between events during the week, it becomes easier to go back and forth during the meets. Toward the end of the year, during championship season, I’ll include short and long hurdle work in the same workout, seeking to mimic the schedule of the upcoming meet.
What I have found is that hurdlers who are equally proficient in both hurdling events end up becoming multi-dimensional athletes who can be called upon to help the team in relays, open sprints, and field events such as the horizontal jumps when the team needs them to. And as I said before, competing in both hurdling events makes you better in both.
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