CORE STRENGTH AND THE SPRINTS

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CORE STRENGTH AND THE SPRINTS

• Natasha Kaiser-BrownDrake University

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Sprint Mechanics

• Lower Body
• Knee Drive
• Touchdown
• Leg Recovery

• Upper Body
• Torso (slight forward lean)
• Shoulders (low and relaxed)
• Arms Closed Angle (in front of shoulder)
• Open Angle (at hip)

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Sprint Mechanics

• Cues
• Knee Up-Toe Up
• Stay Tall
• Relax your Shoulders
• Dont Run Side to Side
• Use your Arms
• Weaker athletes are not capable of getting into
  or
• maintaining these positions due to underdeveloped
  core.

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Sprint Mechanics

• All movements of limbs hinge on the strength of
  the torso. Abdominal muscles, traps, pecs, back.
• Quad Muscles/Hip Flexors- attach to the front of
  the torso
• Hamstrings/Glutes-attach to back side

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How to Identify Core Problems

• Watch from the side and directly in front
• Carrying extra weight
• Does the athlete run side to side?
• Do they have excessive forward lean (center of
  gravity is pushed)
• Do they lean too far back (center of gravity is
  pulled)
• Do they over rotate (face and torso can be seen
  from the sidelines)

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Examples of Training Core

• Crunches
• Reverse Crunches
• Dynamic Flexibility Lead leg pick-ups, Eagles
  front and back, Inverted anything
• Walking over Hurdle Drills-Balance, flexibility,
  ISOLATE the core
• Pilates during their off season 2x week (dvds,
  classes, written exercises)
• Leg lowers, Supermans, V-Sits with rotation,
  bicycles, planks,

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How to Incorporate Core Work into the Workout

• Continuous Warm-up
• Proprioceptor Work (barefoot, knee up, arm
  crossed, eyes closed for 30 sec hold)
• Jogging
• 50-100 Crunches (variety)
• Dyn. Flex.
• Sprint Drills
• Striders
• Sprints

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Workouts (Early Season)

• Hurdle Drill Circuit (4x drill, run, abs)
• Walking or Running Stadiums
• Running Hills (form, power, speed, endurance)
• 10x Pit Jumps
• Plyos (box jumps-keep an eye on upper body as
  arms swing through)

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Strength Training

• Squats (low weight-high reps)
• Single leg squats (low weight low reps)
• Hang Cleans (total body lift)
• Box step-ups
• End weights with ab circuit
• Physio Ball work (abs, feet on ball-hip raises,
  feet on the ball push-ups or planks, 5lb plate,
  held with both hands above head, rotate)