(Mini Hurdles set up at 4 foot spacing for 'spacial illusion drill.)
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.
1. Knee Drive
2. Foot contact
3. Heel recovery
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).
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.
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
