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Leuk stukje over sprinten

Elliott Oti -- 2004.04.13

Van David Reid, op de Australische Trackstars forum (geen idee wie hij is, maar leuk geschreven):

More thoughts (very long)
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My contribution is a bit late and way too long for the kiddies, but I think that some of the earlier comments need a bit of further explanation. I have been waiting for some in-depth coaching input but for some reason they never seem to contribute to this forum. Too many trade secrets to protect, I suppose.(forum athlete/coaches notwithstanding)

There are three primary elements to the problem, the biomechanical requirements for efficient stride at different speeds, the physiological conditioning to support the biomechanics and the mental modelling that allows you to translate the biomechanical understanding into real movement. Although these factors are interrelated and have many possible positive or negative feedback loops, I will focus on the mental modelling as the first two have received the majority of useful comment.

Developing and Using an effective mental model is crucial to achieving your desired outcomes in any event. Sadly, this is also the area in which coaches and athletes are weakest in my experience. This is probably because you can't just fall back on formulaic answers and have to really address the individual, so it takes a lot of effort.

The mental model is not just logically understanding a biomechanical model in your head, it is translating that model into concepts and cues that allow your brain to cause your body to match the biomechanical model. This may require you to do some things that are counterintuitive or use words or concepts that don't accurately describe the physical model, so it can be hard work. A lot of coaches, and biomechanists trying to be coaches, fail badly because they tend to just minutely and tediously accurately describe the biomechanical model when a particular athlete needs something else.

The way you think about running (or any technique) will either help or hinder your development, so it's worth understanding how people develop their movement skills. The simple reality is that most people find the first groove that works (ie not falling on your arse) and stick with it, despite any inherent limitations. This is clearly demonstrated by sitting in any shopping centre and watching the crowd walk past. The shambling masses aren't all walking as elegantly as a supermodel, are they? There is no natural progression towards the most efficient movements. This is human (and sub-human) nature but we do have the tools to progress past it. Sadly, most people stick with what they know which is why there is so much @#%$ technique in the world and so many stagnant performers.

You need to help your brain to think in new ways so that it stops your body repeating the same errors.To do this you first need to understand where you are now. The first step is to evaluate your internal model of running. This will help you work out why you are running with a particular style. You will need to think about what words come into your mind to describe running. These words will set the parameters for your thinking and consequently your actions. You don't have to go to the extremes of wholesale acceptance of Neoro-Linguistic Programming to achieve this(unless you're slightly unhinged). Hmmm, should be perfect for Lonsy, then. Anyway, you can still use the basic ideas so you can make great strides(sorry).

The basic premise of NLP and similar, is that the words you use have a particular meaning and/or emotional context which guides or limits your body's responses. An example would be the great Aussie exchange: "How ya goin", "Not bad". Just what is "not bad"? It's certainly not "good", "great" or "on top of the world" but it does place a subtle limit on how positive you can feel.

You can apply this process to your running by asking "What do I think running is? Is it floating over the ground, pounding the ground, clawing the ground, dragging yourself along, bouncing off the ground? In Runner's case, I would hazard a guess at "clawing" or "dragging", as this is what usually produces the style described. It produces lowered hips, overextended leg, arched back and because it is inefficient, a very rapid descent into lactic hell. If the good stylists on this forum run while thinking "claw" or "reach and claw", they will probably look pretty much like Runner. So if thinking this way can turn a good runner bad(there's a reality show in there somewhere) it can also work the other way.

Once you understand the way you think about running, you can start using different words and concepts to move to a different style. Some of the guys have touched on this aspect and have offered the image of running "tall". This is frequently used by athletes and coaches because it works for a lot of people but is completely useless for some, apparently including Runner. So we need to look further afield. My first offering would be "bounce" for anyone up to short middle distance as it links to short contact time and a more vertical emphasis. This is not an accurate description of a model running technique but it is an effective antidote to someone who overemphasises horizontal movement by reaching forward and then clawing back. This may not work but if you spend time exploring it, you will be able to find something that works for you.

You said your coach has been prompting you to land with a straighter leg or something like that. If this is the only cue that you have been given over a period of time when it was clear that it didn't work, then that is bad coaching. A coach should be able to work through different options and not just hand out stock phrases. If your coach can't do this,do some sessions with other coaches or in squads with a different focus. If you run middle distance train with sprinters. Talk to different athletes. The process of examining others views, even if you dismiss them, is beneficial to your progress.

You can also use physical experiment, in the dark if your easily embarrassed, by trying different styles. Try to run like different athletes and see how it feels, one rep Zatopek, next rep De Castella, then Tergat, then Runner etc. It doesn't matter whether it is a style that you want to particularly employ because it is about challenging your brain and exploring new options. It is breaking out of the groove. It is learning about the process of learning. Deep huh? Sounds like something Lonsy would say! Although it is also something that he could usefully employ with the disc as well.

You may think some of this is bizarre but is it really in comparison to an athlete that doesn't change a troublesome technique for years thus undermining potential? These sorts of things look at the big picture and can produce dramatic changes within a short time frame thus avoiding entirely the Anton v Brad argument about technical development priority and timeframes.

The other unexplored and very useful point was the mention of gravity. Running is essentially continuous recovery from overbalance. The point of overbalance is determined by body lean (also mentioned). The degree of lean is dependent on the speed and acceleration required. Gravity is your friend so learn how to use it. Obviously the more you lean the faster you accelerate up to your physical limit. This is one of the critical issues in sprinting in the recent "keeping top speed" thread. Finding and maintaining this balance point gives you the least effort.

Some athletes are aware of this balance point naturally, some occasionally find it and some have no idea at all. You can develop your awareness of this balance point by varying body lean (from the hips, not the ground). Start by standing and lean forward until you need to step forward to recover. Simple. Now do it slower and slower until you can find the point of balance. It might be better to replace "point of balance" with "knife edge" as it directs you to the need for a very fine degree of awareness. See if you can stop just before then move forward slightly. Did you overbalance or is there a smaller degree of movement you can find in between? Follow this process until you have the knife edge.

Remember this has just been a single step so now it is time to graduate to two steps and then more. Practise moving backwards and forwards aroung that knife edge. Go, stop, go stop, faster slower, stop. Mix it up and refine your sense of the point of balance. You might be thinking that " I know how to walk, Ive been doing it for 20 years" Well if things were as simple as just doing it, every sprinter would be as great to watch as Carl Lewis, wouldn't they?

The next thing you can do is apply the same process to running. Vary the lean to accelerate (great for a mid-race surge) and then slow down etc. You will be surprise after a time how easy it is to accelerate and maintain your optimal speed by utilising this simple kinaesthetic tool.

Now keep in mind that this may not be strictly accurate biomechanically and I'll leave it up to the passive aggressive contributors to point out why, but it is a usable approach for the athlete to achieve outcomes. Hope this makes some sort of sense as it is hard to write about these topics - much easier to do it in person.