Sprinting for Better Technique

Sprinting might seem like a natural movement which we learn as kids, but when we want to perform to the best of our potential there is a little more to it. Having proper sprinting technique will enable the most efficient movement and transfer of energy from your body into forward momentum. Having bad technique will result in unnatural stresses in your muscles and joints which could cause injury, as well as a general inefficiency and braking forces which slow you the sprinter and stop you from achieving your potential.

Ever heard of the saying 'you have to learn how to walk before you can run'? Of course you have. Now as I said earlier we might all think we know how to run, but there are a lot of subtle things which we mightn't do naturally which really make a difference when it come to sprinting technique used in competition against other trained athletes. If you haven't got the basic mechanics right, it doesn't matter how trained you are in other areas, someone who is less fit but more efficient can still have an edge over you and win.

That said, let's look at the fundamental aspects of good sprinting technique:

1. Keep your Head Up and your Upper Body Aligned

You need to keep your head up and looking directly ahead at where you are going. Any other direction will slow you down. Keep the whole body aligned with a strong core so that a line from the head to the ball of the foot will intersect the neck, the abdomen and the hips.

2. Drive Forward with your Hips

Having a forward lean is an essential part of running fast. The lean needs to be a leaning of the whole body from the feet to the head, the best way to do this is by ensuring the hips are forward. This ensures that you maintain forward momentum - gravity will want you to fall forward but your feet keep landing under the body and you just keep going. Of course the lean shouldn't be too great, only slight enough to carry that momentum.

3. Drive those Knees Up

Bringing the knees up ensures maximum stride length. However, you must ensure the foot moves back and lands under the body rather than in front of the body. Landing in front of the body will cause you to land behind the balls of the feet and create a braking force, slowing you down. If you bring the foot backwards from its forward position then it will have backwards speed when it hits the ground, ensuring there is no forward or slowing friction as the foot speed catches up to the ground speed.

4. Ensure the feet land under the body and on the balls of the feet

This is key for good sprinting technique. Landing with your feet under your body ensures that you can maintain that forward lean and that no energy is lost through braking forces because your foot is in front of your body. Also, landing on the ball of the foot, while not a part of slower running, is critical to sprinting as it minimizes the foot's contact time with the ground and enables you to quickly land on and then spring off the ball of the foot.

5. Feet should thrust back and up to the buttocks

This is important to enable you to lengthen your stride. Your feet should always land under your body to enable efficient conservation of speed so that any extra effort you put in goes into accelerating you forward. Therefore to lengthen your stride, you must focus on lifting your heels backwards and up to the buttocks.

6. Arms should drive forward and up to face height in time with stride

Driving the arms forward and up will enable you to get greater knee lift and again assist you in a longer stride. To practice this movement try doing a skipping type technique, where you jump off and land on the right foot, driving up with the right knee and at the same time driving the left hand forward and up with 90 degree bend at the elbow. Then skip to the left leg and do the same motion. This will get you used to the exaggerated motion you should have when sprinting.

7. Body should be relaxed and move fluidly

Having a relaxed body enables the most fluid and efficient movement. Relax the lower legs and ankles so that your foot flexes on impact and then springs off again. The upper body should be relaxed and fluid as well, from the shoulders down to the fingers. Using a fluid movement means no wasted energy fighting natural forces and momentum and no wasted energy tensing muscles which aren't doing any work in driving you forward.

Take each of these points and make note of them, take them with you to your next track / technique session. Try focusing a little time on each one until your body gets used to the movement. As you practice and become able to incorporate them into your natural sprinting technique, you will find yourself moving effortlessly faster and wondering how you did it!