Train for speed.
Running with speed means quicker turnover of the legs, plain and simple. Gaining speed is vital to win races, either on the track or a road race. Spending time on the track working on speed can make a huge difference. Speed training is also beneficial for many other sports that require sudden acceleration or quick action. Proper sprint technique requires a tall body, leaning slightly forward from the hips, chest up, with the weight on the balls of the feet.
Instructions
Proper technique
1. Proper sprint form
March down the track with your foot in a dorsi flex, or toe-up position, so that the foot strikes the track at mid-foot, not the heel. Arms go opposite of the foot, right arm-left foot.
Try the same drill at a quicker pace.
Power skip down the track, which is an explosive strength move. A power skip is skipping for height. The foot strike is the same, with a powerful arm drive up into the air.
2. Mark a specific distance on the track. The distance can range from 30 meters to 50 meters for short running drills. Run that distance using different levels of intensity, from about 75 percent to 95 percent. Run the distance about six to eight times, using the walk back to the start line for the resting period. Focus on proper running form: tall body, legs lifted high, up on the mid-foot.
Grass surfaces can also be used for drills. If the grass is free of debris, barefoot running is also an option. Running barefoot allows you to feel how your feet should be hitting the ground.
3. Speed drills
Mark off a long area, about 100 meters. Place check marks every 20 meters along the way. Start slowly and increase your speed at each check mark. By the time you hit the final check mark, be running full speed. At the last check mark, slow down to stop at the end.
You can do ins and outs on the same course. Designate certain sections of the course as full-speed areas, when you run through them increase your speed. When you run out of them, do not slow down; just cruise through the area.
4. Tempo training
Run the straight sides of the track quickly. Go slower on the curves. Always focus on proper technique; do not set back on the heels. Other types of tempo runs would be to reverse and run hard on the curves and easier on the straightaways of the track, or to run quickly from one marker to another, either on the track on on a road.
5. Strength training is important.
Focus on exercises for all parts of the body. General exercises such as squats and lunges strengthen the legs, hips and core area and also focus on balance. Upper-body exercises to include are push-ups, bench presses, shoulder presses, and bicep and triceps work. Time spent in the weight room is just as important as time spent on the track.
Tags: check mark, down track, either track, either track road, increase your, increase your speed, Proper sprint