Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

On my way back from Sarasota today I came up with a list of the top ten myths I hear about sprinting mechanics. Check it out and let me know what I left off. The elbow angle must stay at 90 degrees. Who came up with this? What’s the rationale? What’s the benefit? Ask someone to provide answers to those questions next time you hear that ridiculous idea. Not only is it not beneficial, it


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Some of this is quick and dirty over cueing by coaches who are looking for a positive result.

Yeah that's always the case but at least half of them don't fall in to this category. I think any good coach makes cues that are "wrong" but are necessary to achieve the desired result but some of these points listed could not possibly fall in to this category under any circumstance....like the 90 degree elbow angle. 

Thoughts and questions.....

1st....I have heard you say that the "90" degree arm cue is basically terrible.  I have still not been able to figure out how telling children, who are trying to learn how to run efficietly, that a 90 degree arm action is incorrect.  I understand that it is impossible to keep it at 90 degrees but as a semi-cue and learning point, i cant see how it at all could be negative.  Please let me know your thoughts on why it is so bad.

2nd...on arms controlling the body.. I have heard this from many people and I have no idea the truth.  You say that everyone can move their arms as fast as an elite sprinter.  But would that also mean that anyone could move their legs as fast too?  If i am correct, when you run, your legs and arms have to go at the same speed otherwise you would end up having your same leg and same arm going at the same time.  It would throw everythign off if arms and legs went at diffrent speeds.  So doesn't one have to affect the other????

thanks

Just because your legs are moving as fast as an elite runner, it doesn't mean your body is covering the same amount of distance.

your legs move as fast as an elite runners until they hit the ground…

Regarding the 90 degree issue. Please tell me why you think it will work? I can give a couple reasons why it makes no sense at all. I've never met anyone who could rationally explain why 90 degrees is the best. No other joint in the body stays at a fixed angle during running...what makes the elbow joint so different? The reality is that to counterbalance the dynamic movements of the leg action, the elbow angle must open and close throughout the running stride.

Secondly, the arms and legs don't move at the same speed. The arms wait for the legs at the end points of their upward swing. This indicates that the arm swing speed is not limiting speed. Also, as Mortac said, it's primarily what happens on the ground that matters. 

So how would you cue what the arms should do,  to a young athlete?  Like I have said, I work with young athletes and I would think the reason people cue with 90 degrees is because it is the easiest way(that i know of)to explain to a younger athlete how to run with proper form within their own abilities.  They dont have enough control of their limbs to be able to "open and close throughout" without really messing up their running form.  So to prevent that from happening, you make an arbitrary number that a lot of people can relate to and understand and have them stick to that and learn how to control their arms.  Later on in training once they have full control of their body, through having them cognitively think about where their arms should be, you can start to have them advance.  I understand that in elite athletes you can have them run like but do you think it is bad to teach a young athlete to start that his arms to be at 'about' 90 degrees. 

I know its ELITEtrack.com but not everyone here trains just the elite. 

I have coached a few dozen sprinters many very low level and I don't think I've ever used a cue about arm angles.  For the most part it seems kids know how to run until someone / some sport mucks it up. 

The only thing I really use with the arms (really the shoulders) but is to relax...I don't want them shrugging their shoulders up to their ears.  I think that the arm swing tends to take care of itself.

i agree...the more u try to keep ur arms at 90 the more tense you get..just dont be non-efficient with them.

coaching the arms is about stiffness and looseness....loose elbows and we have drummer boy

tcnj28 - 27 July 2007 12:21 AM

So how would you cue what the arms should do,  to a young athlete?  Like I have said, I work with young athletes and I would think the reason people cue with 90 degrees is because it is the easiest way(that i know of)to explain to a younger athlete how to run with proper form within their own abilities.  They dont have enough control of their limbs to be able to "open and close throughout" without really messing up their running form.  So to prevent that from happening, you make an arbitrary number that a lot of people can relate to and understand and have them stick to that and learn how to control their arms.  Later on in training once they have full control of their body, through having them cognitively think about where their arms should be, you can start to have them advance.  I understand that in elite athletes you can have them run like but do you think it is bad to teach a young athlete to start that his arms to be at 'about' 90 degrees. 

I know its ELITEtrack.com but not everyone here trains just the elite.

There's a time and a place for practically every cue. If this works for you that's great, as long as you know that once the arm swing problems have 'cleared up' that you aren't actually trying to have the athlete keep their elbow angle at 90 degrees.

Shouldn't a problem with arm swing likely result from something else being done wrong down the kinetic chain say at the hips?

danimal9 - 06 December 2007 10:12 PM

Shouldn't a problem with arm swing likely result from something else being done wrong down the kinetic chain say at the hips?

That could very well be the case...but I think there are cases where movement patterns can move down the chain as well as up.