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Friday, 25 February 2011

Speedendurance.com

Track and Field News: 60 meter USA Videos

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 01:00 AM PST

In all fairness to the last post on the three recent 60 meter European races, here are the two races on American soil.

Last year, Nesta Carter made huge improvements in the 100 meters by lowering his PB in the 100 m from 9.91 to 9.78 in Rieti. (see the Video of 2010 Rieti here). Only ~~five~~ three men have run faster than 9.79, and we know which three usual suspects they are. So it's no surprise to see Carter open up his indoor season with a 6.52.

One of the biggest mistakes coaches make, and in particular high school coaches, is telling the sprinters to "keep the elbows locked at 90 degrees". Take a look at the 2 videos below. With the amount of force being generated on the backswing, there is no way the elbows can remain locked or bent. The arm opens up, some more than others, especially during the drive phase.

Another good study is the Boston race below. Look at the head-on camera shot of Trell Kimmons and Chris Davis in slo-mo. Kimmons' arms are just pumping up and down like pistons on a straight plane, whereas Davis' arms cross at midline with hands towards his face. I prefer coaching the latter.

SIDENOTE: My apologies to Mario Forsythe of Jamaica who ran 9.95 last year in Rieti, for excluding him on the list of the top 6 Jamaican sprinters in Wednesday's article. Jamaica will have its hands full for the 4×100m selection.