Track; drills to increase your speed;running a curve

                                                             Blog number 5


Drills: Butt kickers and the forward lean are my favorite drills in track. Butt kickers helps you with your form. This drill helps you with making sure you are always pumping your arms when you run and helps with strengthening your thigh muscles.



Running a curve: The strategy for running a curve is to lean into the curve. The closer you are to the inside, the sharper the turn and the more you have to lean. "Accelerating and sprinting on a curve is primarily characterized by a body lean...Athletes should try to run on the inside of the lane around the curve as this is the shortest distance"(191, Jeffreys). When running the 200m dash, everyone fights over lane 1. Lanes 1-3 are always the best lanes since those lanes you run the shortest distances.

What other strategies do you think will be helpful for running a curve?
Jeffreys, Ian. Developing Speed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2013. Print

Track; implications of speed

                                                           Blog number 4

 When you leave the blocks you accelerate and try to get to your maximum speed. "The success of the reaction phase is determined by the speed of reaction to the gun and the subsequent force exerted against the blocks. After leaving the blocks, the athlete enters the acceleration phase of the sprint(187, Jeffreys). Once you complete the acceleration phase, you should try to maintain your current speed you have and not try to keep accelerating.

"Athletes who have a longer acceleration phase to top speed have an advantage in this phase because they have been required to hold maximum speed for a shorter distance... In considering the 200 and 400 meter sprints, the acceleration stage is lengthened. Unlike the 100 meters, where in most case the athletes aim to accelerate maximally to achieve top speed as soon as possible (188, Jeffreys).  For shorter distances you try to make your acceleration  phase faster so you can get up to your maximum speed before the finish line. But for longer distances like the 200  meter your accelertaio phase typically ends once you turn the curve, so you have a little more time to reach maximum speed

How long do you think the acceleration phase is?

Jeffreys, Ian. Developing Speed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2013. Print.                         

Track speed; using blocks to increase acceleration

                                                                    Blog number 3

Unlike other sports where speed is just one of the components, in track sprinting is the main thing that you do consistently. In rack it is crucial that before a race you start in blocks. Blocks are used in track to hold the athletes feet at the start of a race so the athlete can push of and accelerate at a faster rate. Blocks can increase your time by 1/10th of a second. One tenth of a second might not seem like a lot, but when it comes to your time it can determine of you were 1st or 2nd in the race.





"Block clearance is the first component of the acceleration phase. in the response to the starter's pistol, athletes must clear the blocks to begin their acceleration. When in set position, an athlete's front knee should at least be 90 degrees, and rear knee angle should be at least 120 degrees."(187, Jeffreys)

If you were a track runner would you consider using blocks?

Jeffreys, Ian. Developing Speed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2013. Print.