Some Trail Leg Thoughts
by Steve McGill
In this article I’d like to address some thoughts about the function and motion of the trail leg in regards to how to avoid hitting hurdles with that leg, and how to create speed off the hurdle with that leg. I have always emphasized the importance of the lead leg and trail leg acting as a single unit, as opposed to thinking of them as separate entities with separate functions. Overall, we want one leg to follow right behind the other in a continuous flow, leading with the knee with both legs. When that doesn’t happen, imbalances occur, and a loss of velocity occurs as a result of the balance issues.
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The most common cause of hitting hurdles with the trail leg, based on my observations over the years, is losing dorsiflexion with the ankle, aka pointing the toe down after pushing off the ground. I have noticed that even some hurdlers who do sprint with the ankles dorsiflexed, and who do maintain dorsiflexion with the lead leg foot throughout hurdle clearance and touchdown, will keep the toe of the trail leg pointing down after the foot pushes off. When that happens, the worst kind of fall is possible; if the toe of the trail leg foot catches the cross bar, the athlete will fall forward, not sideways. As the lead leg actions get faster — through the course of a race and through the course of a season — the trail leg needs to speed up too in order to match the lead leg’s speed. Often, because it’s coming from behind, the trail leg wants to maintain the same speed that it’s already used to. So, sometimes, the foot or toe of the trail leg catches the crossbar because the trail leg foot would return to dorsiflexion after pointing down immediately after take-off, but it doesn’t have time to. That’s why it’s so important to keep the foot dorsiflexed — so that you don’t have to re-dorsiflex it after you take off.
Another way to avoid hitting hurdles with the trail leg is to place an emphasis on raising the knee of that leg instead of just focusing on opening the groin. If you’re keeping the ankle dorsiflexed and raising the knee, the action of raising the knee will shorten the distance that the trail leg has to travel compared to if the emphasis were solely on opening the groin. Therefore, because the leg has a shorter distance to travel, there is less chance that it will lag and fall behind; instead, it will drive to the front, knee-first, like we want it to.
If you watch most of the professional female hurdlers today, you’ll see what I mean. Watch a few videos of modern-day female hurdlers and compare their technique to that of female hurdlers from past eras. Legends like Gail Devers and Joanna Hayes from back in the day hurdled in two separate motions — lead leg, then trail leg. The lead leg straightened out, locking at the knee. And while it was doing so, the trail leg paused until the lead leg snapped down. Then the trail leg drove to the front. So, sprint speed and the snapdown of the lead leg were the key factors to fast races. The trail leg was just along for the ride. Compare that to modern hurdlers like Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Masai Russell, my girl Keni Harrison, and many others. You don’t see the lead leg lock at the knee; therefore, there is no snapdown, but a continuous cycle motion. The continuous cycle motion of the lead leg allows for a continuous cycle motion of the trail leg. These women today have high and tight trail legs, and when you put it all together it largely explains why the times are getting so much faster. It also helps to explain why they run so many clean races.
Even among the male elite hurdlers you’ll largely see the same things. Grant Holloway’s legs cycle. Trey Cunningham’s legs cycle. The difference with the male hurdlers is that the groin does have to open much more widely. But the principle of driving the trail leg upward in a knee-first action remains. The key, especially for males, is to make sure the heel of the trail leg stays tucked under the hamstring from immediately after take-off until the knee is facing the front and the foot of the lead leg has touched down. If the heel strays away from the hamstring too soon, then the trail leg will swing to the side and then plop when it lands instead of attacking the ground with force.
Another point I want to discuss has to do with the question I’ve received a few times: “how do I fix my trail leg if it’s coming to the front too soon?” That question always bewilders me because, in the world I live in, there’s no such thing as the trail leg coming to the front too soon. As discussed in this article and in many past articles, I contend that the trail leg should begin driving to the front as soon as it pushes off the ground. I do understand, however, why people ask this question. They’re thinking in terms of the assumption that the lead leg will lock at the knee and then snap down. With that style of hurdle — what I call the kick/snap style, yes, the trail leg needs to wait. It must wait for the snapdown action to occur before it can begin its movement to the front. If it starts moving to the front while the lead leg knee is still locked horizontally, you’ll feel yourself hanging in the air. Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment is an example of a modern-day hurdler who has that old-school style down pat. His trail leg lags and then whips. He’s got the timing of it down, so it works for him.
For anyone I’m coaching though, there will be no kick and there will be no snap. There will be continuous cycling, with the ankles dorsiflexed at all times.
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