Speed is dependent not only on the strength of the athlete but also their technique. Helping your sprinters to fine tune their mechanics will help them to maximize their speed.
In the clip below Latif Thomas from completetrackandfield.com demonstrates three very good drills to help your sprinters develop the muscle memory necessary to have the most efficient sprint mechanics. The drills are ones that many of you are already using, but coach does a great job of explaining how to teach the technique and common mistakes to look for. The video would be good to show your sprinters so they can see the proper technique.
Coach demonstrates a progression of A-March No Arms, A-March with Arms, A-Skip Single Leg In Place and A-Skip No Arms moving forward.
To learn more about coaching sprinters and other tack and field athletes click on the link above or checkout the Compete Track and Field YouTube Channel for other helpful videos.
This clip is from a complete speed training program by Coach Thomas. For more information about that program click the link: Latif Thomas Complete Speed Training 3 (CST3)
The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site.(Some schools block access to YouTube)
Learning the basics of the A-March with no arms is critical. You must teach them the proper leg action before progressing to the drills that have more components. The teaching points for the A-March are as follows:
1. Chin up, head up
2. Knee up, toe up. heel up
3. Recover the heel up under the butt
4. Step over the knee of the support leg
5. Drive the leg down into the ground so that it lands under the hip.
6. The ball of the foot should hit before the heel
Once the A-March no arms is mastered, add the arm action but still remain in place. Go slow and gradually increase intensity. From this drill progress to the single leg A-skip in place with no arms. After several reps switch to the other leg and then begin alternating legs while staying in one place. Finally have the athlete A-Skip with no arms moving forward. Not shown, but of course the next step would be the A-skip moving forward with arms.