Establishing an effective start is important for any sprint track race and the 400H is no different. However, the one lap hurdles event can pose some additional challenges in that the athlete’s start must place them in a position to smoothly clear the first hurdle – after 45m - whilst still developing their speed and establishing their cadence / stride rhythm for the first part of the race. To some extent one of the main challenges of the 400H is to manage stride length into and between the hurdles without sharp adjustments, but the start can perhaps cause more issues with this than the rhythm in between.
The 400m hurdler will seek to not only arrive at the 1st hurdle ‘on stride’ - that is without having to overly stretch or conversely stutter on their last few approach strides, both of which slow the momentum of the athlete - but the athlete also wants to arrive at the hurdle with the desired lead leg.
Ideally 400m hurdlers will be proficient on both lead sides and able to take the first hurdle on the left lead leg , enabling them to run closer to the inside of the lane without risking potential trailing of the trail leg inside the barrier. Obviously athletes with an odd number of strides between the hurdles as they start out [13; 15; 17 etc,] can, if left lead dominant or proficient, continue all around the first bend closer to the inside of the lane, but here care is again needed for hurdlers who have a tendency to drive the lead leg slightly to the outside, that they don’t pick up their lead leg inside the hurdle if running close to the inside of the lane.
In reality, however, there are many right leg lead 400m hurdlers and thus - especially at novice level - the ability to hurdle effectively with a weaker left lead leg at the 1st hurdle may not be sufficiently developed, nor indeed desirable even for established internationals, who may well benefit from negotiating the first hurdle on their more proficient lead side as they seek to develop speed and rhythm smoothly in the early part of the race.
There are therefore the following considerations and potential adjustments that the 400m hurdler must make to ensure that the clearance of the first hurdle is done smoothly and effectively.
- Does the athletes ‘normal’ stride length develop over the 45m approach to position them well to clear hurdle 1 ‘on stride’?
- Which foot forward in the block setting allied to the number of strides the athlete takes into the 1st hurdle positions them to take hurdle 1 on the desired lead leg?
If the athlete is not on stride in getting to the 1st hurdle, there are a number of strategies that can be looked at to ensure arrival at the correct take off distance for a smooth take off and clearance.
There is scope for the initial strides to be either pushed slightly longer out of the blocks or turned over rapidly at a slightly shorter stride length to cover a little more or little less distance respectively, depending on if the athletes find themselves a bit too far from the first hurdle for a good clearance or a bit too close.
The concept here is that there is greater flexibility in stride length during the initial 5 to 9 or so strides out of the blocks before establishing a strong running cadence to take the athlete through the first part of the race. Of course stride length adjustments could be emphasized for more than nine strides, however it could well be that if such adjustment is required over such a prolonged distance, reversing the athletes starting leg may be a more effective change to make.
For example athletes who typically find themselves half a stride short of a optimal take off place, could experiment with putting in long driving strides as they start for the first 5 to 9 strides to cover the additional distance needed whilst still accelerating, rather than making late, over-striding adjustments just before the hurdle which then kills some speed into and away from the hurdle clearance. In the same way athletes who find themselves slightly too close can do the opposite by shortening the initial acceleration strides away from the blocks.
There is another possible option to explore when an athlete is a little too close to the 1st hurdle. Effective use of the lane width when starting can mean that the athlete can run slightly further distance by running wider in the lane but still benefit by being on stride and in rhythm rather than having to chop stride if arriving slightly too close to the 1st hurdle.
If in actual distance terms, an athlete starts some 7 metres away from the athlete in the lane outside, which means an average of 3.5m per bend given that for the outside lanes the distance of the second bend is markedly greater than the first. [and notwithstanding the tightness and total length of bends can vary from track to track] an athlete could run approx just over 1.5 metres further if running on the extreme outside of their lane over the 45m into the 1st hurdle compared to the extreme inside of the lane. In practical terms an additional distance of around 1m should be achievable by running wide from the blocks, if the additional distance helps put the athlete on stride for the 1st hurdle.
Whilst my own preference would be for the athlete to manipulate stride length into the 1st hurdle, it is worth 400H coaches and athletes having an awareness of using the lane width on the bends, possibly more so when more fully into full stride rhythm if adjustments need to be made. This can be especially useful when athletes change down between hurdles; whether adding one stride or two [significantly used by David Hemery when changing from 13 to 15 strides in winning the Mexico Olympics] athletes need to discipline their stride length so as not to leave them too close to the next hurdle.
It has to be stressed that the skill of starting needs to be practised and refined [as of course with every other event] but in developing the start and consistancy therein, it has to be recognized that both athlete and environmental factors can make stride length differ and thus the approach to the first hurdle a changeable skill to master.
Athletes will typically [and desirably!] get faster as they develop race sharpness through the early part of the season – it is common to find an athlete making their race stride pattern with considerable more ease later in the season than at the start of it. Therefore an athlete who may in early races have struggled to make for example 23 strides to hurdle one may do so much more comfortably mid season [though, of course, if on stride to start with they may find the additional speed and stride length takes them too close later on].
Of course a strong following or head wind can also markedly affect stride length and thus, 400H starts can be a continually changing challenge which for the athlete and coach require understanding of how they can approach adapting to developing form and conditions.
In addition the 400H start requires discipline in that the athlete must avoid getting pulled into the rhythm of a faster starting athlete, if they are to ensure that they produce the rehearsed strategy/cadence that works best for them.
The variable nature of both athlete and environmental factors make the athletes ability to practice their start out of blocks in the stadium before a race very important, in knowing what adjustments in their starting strategy might be needed and therefore such starts should be programmed into an athletes warm up for competition.
To conclude, in addressing a smooth approach to the first hurdle, the ability of the 400m hurdler to reduce or add a full or partial stride by using any, or combination, of the following strategies can be of great benefit in starting effectively:
- Being able to start of either leg to place themselves on stride at the 1st hurdle on the desired lead leg.
- Being able to successfully cover more or less ground by emphasizing different stride lengths especially within the initial nine strides from the blocks.
- Appreciating the use of lane width on the bend to their advantage.
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