Letter from the Editor
Hello readers, and welcome to the July 2015 issue of The Hurdle Magazine. In this issue, I tried to provide something of value for hurdlers of all levels, from the beginners to the world-class stars. Whether you’re a coach, a fan, a parent, or a hurdler yourself, this issue will have something you can sink your teeth into.
Firstly, “World Championships Preview” is exactly that – a preview of the World Championships that will be held in Beijing in August. My analysis does have an American slant to it, but I tried to avoid too much of a bias. Truth is, America is looking very strong in the hurdling events this year, and could be dominant at Worlds in the women’s 100m hurdles and the men’s 400m hurdles. In this article, I take a look at all four hurdling events and make my predictions on the medal winners based on how the athletes stack up currently.
In “Longevity in the Hurdles,” I take a look at the fact that while there are often new hurdlers arriving on the scene every year, there are also those hurdlers who have the staying power to keep on keeping on even as they grow older. In the second half of the article, I offer some explanations as to what it takes to sustain a long career in the hurdles, and in the sport of Track & Field in general.
“Beware of Mimicking the Greats” is an article geared toward the high school or youth hurdlers who try to copy everything they see the elite hurdlers doing, even if they’re not capable of doing it. The thesis of the article is that studying the greats can be useful, but ultimately it’s better to study the hurdlers in your immediate surroundings (teammates and opponents) because they’re the ones who are on your level. The greats have athletic gifts that most of us aren’t blessed with, so modeling yourself after them can sometimes be unrealistic.
In “Training Hurdles: When to Use Them and How,” I make the observation that training hurdles are more commonly being used by hurdlers and hurdle coaches alike. I take a look at the two main types of training hurdles available at affordable prices, compare the pros and cons of each, and discuss the scenarios in which they would be used.
This month’s workout, “200 Hurdle Doubles,” is a workout for the 400 hurdler getting ready to peak for a championship level meet. It’s a high intensity workout that can serve as a good race predictor.
“The Run-in off the Last Hurdle” was inspired by watching my former athlete Johnny Dutch get walked down by living legend Bershawn Jackson at USA’s a couple weeks ago. The article gives suggestions for how to close strongly, and gives sample workouts that can be used to help the 400 hurdler improve in this area.
This issue was another solo effort, so I have no one to thank but you, the subscribers, for keeping me motivated to keep the articles coming. Happy hurdling!
Steve McGill
