3 Keys to More Stride Frequency with Mini Hurdles

King Sports

speed Published almost 4 years Ago

(Mini Hurdles set up at 4 foot spacing for 'spacial illusion drill.)

Stride frequency/Stride rate increases sprint speed

A jet engine does not become bigger at take off, it turns faster.  This rotation compresses air and then generates thrust to explode forward.

In the same way, your legs don’t get bigger to accelerate; they turn faster. Mini hurdles train you to have to do exactly this.

The 3 keys to stride frequency are:

1.   Knee Drive

2.   Foot contact

3.   Heel recovery

Knee Drive

There is a connection between the heel and the knee that is often lost in coaching.  When the heel comes up, the knee naturally rises to its proper position.

The mini hurdles train your foot to touch the ground quickly and cycle up, around and down.  You will find your knee in the proper position when your heal comes up and under the glute (not behind like a butt kick).

Foot Contact

The contact between your foot and the ground needs to be quick and light.  Remember to keep your arms at a 90-degree bend and use fairly short pumps to match the short strides through the mini hurdles.

Heel Recovery

The standard spacing for mini hurdle drills is 3 feet in between each one.  This spacing creates a tight space that requires heel recovery; otherwise, you will kick the hurdles.  As you pick up speed, you will require a great deal of balance to match this fast turnover.

For younger and/or developing athletes, this spacing will teach them to push and develop their stride and knee lift.

While doing a mini hurdle workout, it is important to do what we call “speed breaks”.  This is a sprint off the line for 20-30 yards (depending on what the workout calls for).

A speed break opens up the stride and links the stride frequency training to stride length.

Overall, mini hurdles are a great tool for training leg turnover and acceleration.

You have every day to prepare,

Coach King

Leave a Comment:

You need to log in or sign up to comment.

Recent Posts

Kids and Rhabdo

A news story out of Texas about an incident involving a high school football coach leading his team’s off-season training leads Coach King to discuss what can be learned from this situation and avoid making the same mistakes.

Injury Protocol

Does your program have protocols in place to handle minor to major injury scenarios? I want you to be confident on how to address these issues, regardless of the severity.

What Does it Take to Win a Championship?

This week, Coach King give his input on how a team can come out victorious this Sunday, Feb. 12th. HINT: Victory hinges on the big three. There’s also a simple, yet essential protocol for a championship week. Don’t make these training mistakes leading up to a big game. Finally, Coach King reflects on what makes football in the state of Texas so special.

The Importance of Lines, Lanes & Leaders

Lining up correctly and staying in lanes are something every group needs to be good at. Setting order and keeping it should be easy, but even the easy things must be taught. Every line needs a leader. Do you know who your leaders are? Let's discuss the 3 Ls.

Recommended Playbooks

In-Season Youth Football
Off-Season Elite Football
Fix My 40
Summer Elite Speed
Summer Speed Training
Off-Season Any Baseball