Discount the Spacing Workout

In dealing with crowding in races, many drills and workouts are available for sprint hurdlers. Most of them involve discounting the spacing, but usually with an equal distribution. All hurdles are moved in one, or two, or three feet. But for most hurdlers, the real danger zone comes around the fourth or fifth hurdle, when touchdown times are at their quickest. So this workout is designed to specifically address that issue.

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The Workout:

Set up six hurdles at race height. The first hurdle should be on the race mark. Then:

• Discount hurdle two by 1 foot.
• Discount hurdle three by 1 foot.
• Discount hurdle four by 2 feet.
• Discount hurdle five by 2 feet.
• Discount hurdle six by 3 feet.

The challenge here, obviously, is to negotiate the three steps between the hurdles as the space between them decreases as you go down the track. This type of spacing is designed to mimic the feeling of the hurdles rushing up at you in the middle part of the race. The hurdler must trust his or her instincts. He or she cannot allow him or herself to subconsciously slow down in preparation of the lack of space. The hurdler must get his or her feet down between the hurdles and be quick up and off each hurdle. Any floating, any technical mistakes, can prove costly.

This is a high quality workout ( as opposed to a high quantity workout), so five reps should be the max, with three being a good number. Rest should be in the range of 5 to 7 minutes between reps. If doing five, it would be a good idea to do the first two at a height one click below race height so the athlete can get a feel for the rhythm of the workout before facing the race-height barriers.

This workout should be done out of starting blocks. I wouldn’t suggest doing this workout beside a teammate. Each athlete should go separately, so that the focus can be on dealing with the spacing issues as opposed to focusing on competing. As a late-season championship workout, then the competitive element would be appropriate.

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