5 KEY POINTS TO ACCELERATION
Acceleration is exceptionally significant to an athletes performance in both track and field. Within a sprint, a poor acceleration can lead to losing the race, just like Bolt did at the last World Championships (2017). There should also be no surprise that the athletes in the NFL combine, who have the best 40 yard dash times, get the most significant contracts and tend to be the players who go on to succeed the most within the sport. We could argue that acceleration is a key performance indicator in many sports. In this short article, I will be sharing my five key points required for excellent acceleration performance.
1-Great Set Position
The sprint starts from a set position before at the beginning of a race. With a good base, the athlete starts from a point which allows them to project their hip and torso forward. Factors that influence set position include the dominant side, strength levels, mobility and stability.
Patience and progression are crucial when setting up an athlete's set position; it doesn't have to be fancy; it just has to work. It can be as simple as moving from a high standing 2-point start position through to blocks (if a sprinter). Remember, this may all depend on the aim of the session and the intensity required to execute it. Is it an acceleration session, a max velocity session, race modelling or fly-ins with a build-up?
2-Forward Hip Projection
The hip or centre of mass should be moving forward. Way too many athletes wheel spin in the first 20m. They mistake striking behind or under the hip as small and short steps, and this leads to over-rotation and lack of stride length. Project the hip forward, cover some ground by driving the knee forward, strike back and push away from the track. If you are covering 5m in 6 steps and your competitors are doing it in 4 steps (while striking backwards), then they probably have you beat.
I want to note that I am not talking about "striding out", all this cue leads to is overstriding and breaking forces being produced. Do not mistake quickness for speed. Quickness is limbs moving fast, and speed is the rate of getting from point A to point B in as little time as possible (fast).
"Quickness is limbs moving fast, and speed is the rate of getting from point A to point B in as little time as possible (fast)."
3-Lower Heel Recovery
Heel recovery is the point at which the recovering foot drives through the stance leg during the stance phase of a sprint. Throughout the first three steps, we are looking for a low (calf and under) heel recovery, slowly rising as the acceleration progresses.
We do not want to see a loopy, heel to but action, because too much time would be wasted when repositioning the limbs. High heel recovery usually takes place because the athlete is attempting to create force by winding up the leg from an elevated position before whacking the ground hard. The problem is the time constraints imposed on an athlete during acceleration; it does not allow a lot of time for limb repositioning. Instead, we want to switch our legs and spend less time in the air, allowing us to press the go button and get moving.
However, I would like to clarify that a low heel recovery does not mean a toe drag. Avoid the toe dray as it may cause other problems to manifest in our sprinting, one being hamstring injury.
Therefore, it is crucial during acceleration to find the correct balance between heel recovery, force production and forward hip projection.
4-Climb the Ladder
From step one, you could imagine climbing a ladder, transitioning smoothly from an acceleration position to an upright max velocity position. You could explain this concept, as moving from a low body; head down; position scanning into an upright; heads up; shape, where the athlete is facing towards the end of the track.
The athlete should transition from striking back and behind the hip to striking down and under the hip, from low heel recovery to a high heel recovery and from "lower knees" to "higher knees". Ensure that emphasis is placed on the smoothness of transition and explain to them that they must not rush the acceleration process.
5-Horsepower
The athlete's strength levels (force production capabilities) and how comfortable they feel when creating force will govern the body position (forward trunk lean) demonstrated during acceleration. The forward rotation decreases the time available to produce force, and therefore the athlete is required to create larges forces while attempting to switch their limbs at a faster rate.
Not all athletes have the strength qualities (force and rate of force capabilities), to hold these positions, create a forward projection of the body, and switch the limbs at a high rate. Weaker athletes demonstrate this by not being able to hold low positions and attempt to do so by hinging at the hip, while their legs flick behind the hips.
Therefore, the cue of "stay low" when accelerating is incorrect and should not be used. Instead, the athlete should be encouraged to extend and create lines at an angle that is suitable to their current strength or force capabilities.
If we cue athletes incorrectly and get them hinging at the hip, all we are doing is setting them up to be slower and putting them at higher risk of injury.
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