What do you teach your sprinters with the usage of hands.
1. Whatever feels most comfortable.
2. Hands Clinched.
3. Open Hands.
Please explain.
Posted In: Sprints
I teach open hands for the short sprints 100 & 200. For the 400 whatever feels comfortable. I find myself when running anything over 200 meters my hands are relaxed not clinched but def. noot wiiiiiide open until the homestretch.
I teach closed hands, but relax like you're holding at or potato chip between your fingers. I think it's pretty close to what Quik does. Definitely not clinched but not wide open like Carl Lewis.
i run hands open, when my coach first saw me running he compare me to carl lewis bc of the really open hands.
i feel like i can generate more power when my hands are open during the drive phase and clinched but relaxed during max speed and onward to avoid tensing up and to conserve energy. i run the 100 and 200
i tend to "hold chips" in my hands when i long/triple jump but i use open hands for the sprints (which arent really sprints when ur only running 11.0 lol
but 7.26 is a good jump, i can't jump that far.
I like to cue holding an egg but really the only things I don't like to see are floppy wrists and fully extended (like a knife) hands.
ELITETRACK Founder
Some cues I was taught or use in the 100m are:
Closed fist for the early part of the race (drive phase), think about driving arms back and hammering the drum (can't hammer with a limp wrist). Then as your stride opens up, gradually open up the hands as well and hold the hands open threw the finish.
whats wrong with floppy wrists?
i see it all the time with some of our 400/800+ guys
It's fairly common at the high school level. In my opinion it's an attempt to keep the upperbody relaxed. In reality though I think it's overkill and it often backfires. When I see athletes running with floppy wrists I almost always see postural problems, especially in the thoracic vertebrae. I haven't pinpointed the reason but I believe it may be because of the fascial communication of all parts of the body. Have you ever seen an elite runner with floppy wrists? I haven't. I've seen cupped hands, clenched fists, extended fingers, but NEVER floppy wrists.
ELITETRACK Founder
[quote author="flight05" date="1163091984"]
whats wrong with floppy wrists?i see it all the time with some of our 400/800+ guys
It's fairly common at the high school level. In my opinion it's an attempt to keep the upperbody relaxed. In reality though I think it's overkill and it often backfires. When I see athletes running with floppy wrists I almost always see postural problems, especially in the thoracic vertebrae. I haven't pinpointed the reason but I believe it may be because of the fascial communication of all parts of the body. Have you ever seen an elite runner with floppy wrists? I haven't. I've seen cupped hands, clenched fists, extended fingers, but NEVER floppy wrists.
[/quote]
I believe Dan Pfaff noticed that with floppy hands you get floppy feet. Which is not good.
If there's a problem with floppy wrists I just have them imagine they're holding an egg….with only the thumb and forefinger touching. Too much pressure and they crush the egg, too little pressure and they drop the egg. It seems to accomplish the goal of being relaxed but eliminating floppy wrists.
ELITETRACK Founder
Never tried it but it could work in the same way that taping the ankles works as proprioceptive feedback. In fact, I've got a guy who I might try that with.
ELITETRACK Founder