Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

I have an athlete who looks great into and over the hurdle.  However, when he lands his hips sink, which causes him to lean backward and it seems as though he almost stops.  He looks great in all of the drills we do but as soon as he begins to run the hurdles this problem occurs.  Is it just a matter of strength or could it be a flaw in his take off?  I have been racking my brain trying to figure out the cause of this problem.  Are there any drills that can done to help with this?  What are some cues I can use to help him correct this problem?  Thank you in advance for your help.

Is his lead leg snapping down and landing under his center of mass?

Yes and when he does this his heal and his hips colapse.  Is this because he is not strong enough?

It is hard to tell without seeing him, but that certainly could be the problem. The forces generated at landing are VERY high. The fact that he is collapsing may be the result of another technical problem though.

His hips come forward with his knee at take off and he has good balance coming into the hurdle he isn’t crossing over or using excessive arm swing.  What other factors could be causing this problem?

Maybe takeoff problems - just a guess though. If he was clearing the hudles higher than he needed to, it would generate more force upon landing.
From your description, you are probabably right - a strength issue.

Thanks for your help Jed

Try and get him to come down on the ball of his foot and with a lean forward so that he doesn’t come down on his heel. Once on the ball of his foot, it will get him really for the next stride. Maybe that will help.

Thanks I will try that today!