Originally posted by p-towns-finest
even though im new to this i train at higher than competion height so when the time comes to compete in meets it feels as if i just fly over the hurdles
I really wouldn't recommend doing this as it can cause serious problems with rhythm, and both sprint and hurdle clearance mechanics. I think the hurdles are perhaps the one event where this form of overload is not a good thing. The reason for that is because unlike any other event in track and field (or any other activity for that matter), the hurdles are an event where success is determined by the strict adherence to the confines and constraints created by the nature of the event itself. As a result, it's quite possible to have too much hurdle clearance or to be so fast that their actually isn't enough space between hurdles (as is the case for most elite hurdlers). I personally think that if the hurdle setup is to be modified in any way it's better and safer to keep the hurdles lower and closer together than would be seen in competition because an athlete can't possibly match the speed that they'd have in a meet in practice and as a result shouldn't be expected to run under the same constraints. For this reason, I think that for practice purposes, competition heights and spacing can be better simulated by actually placing the hurdles lower and closer than regulation height and spacing because of the decreased velocity that an athlete will have in a practice situation. High hurdles also creates a situation of "skying over" the hurdles because your clearance has to be extra high. The greater change in COM path that it takes to clear higher hurdles results in greater decelerations prior to takeoff and also upon landing.
Having said all that, I think for very advanced hurdlers, very small spacing changes could be of value in some extremely limited situations as well as larger spacing changes to allow for variations in rhythm (5 and 7 steps between hurdles).
