HOW TO IMPROVE SPRINT TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS
Learn and follow these 3 steps to help improve your sprinting technique, which ultimately help you sprint faster which is the ultimate goal.
No one just wants to look pretty while they sprint and have good "technique"...
But you want the result of having good sprinting technique which is sprinting faster for your sport.
Whether you want the best sprinting technique or just want to learn proper sprinting form.
Follow these 3 proven principles for proper sprint form.
Improve Sprinting Technique | Posture
Improve this part of your sprinting technique first.
This is the "pillar" to sprinting faster and always fix posture first because it can be the CAUSE of EFFECTS you see in sprinting technique issues.
What I mean is a common issue is athlete having too much "backside mechanics" which means their legs are lagging behind so they can't get their legs up or in front to sprint with proper form.
How to correct this to improve your sprinting technique would be 2 options:
1) Tell the athlete to "pick their knees up"
2) Fix the athletes posture and have their "chest up"
When you improve your posture (CAUSE) it automatically fixes the poor sprinting mechanics (EFFECT), especially downstream easy to spot errors with the arms and legs.
See How Fixing Posture Improved This Athletes Sprinting Technique & Speed
Having the proper posture while sprinting also allows you to use your power more efficiently.
You'll notice you'll be sprint faster for longer with better efficiency and power in each stride for your sprints.
Improve Sprinting Technique | arm action
Once you dial in proper posture while sprinting move on to improving arm action technique.
The arms during acceleration will be longer levers to generate more force and momentum since you're on the ground the longest time during your acceleration.
Learning to pump your arms powerfully during acceleration will get your body moving horizontally (forward) faster during this sprinting phase.
As your body and posture naturally rise as all good sprinting form should, the arm action will change to more of a "short lever" for maximal velocity upright sprinting.
The arm action will also direct from front to back in acceleration to more up and down for max velocity - this is normal and should occur naturally while sprinting fast.
Improve Sprinting Technique | leg action
Keeping this simple short and to the point to improve sprinting technique fast for beginners.
The legs will follow the arms.
With your leg action, the simplest thing to engrain to improve sprinting technique is punching your knee "up".
"Up" has 2 different meanings based the phase of your sprint.
Acceleration "Up" = more forward as if you are busting through a sheet of glass (because body's natural lean angle).
Max Velocity "Up" = more up because your posture is actually upright and you are sprinting tall
Regardless of the phase of sprinting the technique is quite similar because you want more "frontside" action while sprinting.
You want to keep your knee punch in front of you rather than behind and you HAVE TO SPRINT AGGRESSIVELY!
Want To Sprint Faster By Improving Your Technique?
Download our FREE Sprint Technique Cheatsheet that gives you proven and effective coaching cues we use with athletes in our gym to help them sprint faster with better technique.
