Help with imporving sprinting???? Tips Wanted?

Question

I am a 200m and 100m sprinter, im 16 and about to start my junior year... i live in chicago and right now my hope is to place or even win state this year ( the state divided the classes up so gives me a better chance... my fastest 100 time is a 10.78 and my 200 is a 22.65... i wanted to know if any one could give me tips (ones with great results helpful) to improve my times... thank you for your answers

Answer 1

im a sprinter too and this is what i had to do.... it improved my time by like 1.7 seconds. first run about 10 25m without any time in between them. then, run like 7 100m with like 5 minutes in between them. do this every day. like i said it made me inprove, A LOT!♥=]

Answer 2

run like a w***e running away frm a community policeman, ull  f*****g fly

Answer 3

Well, I'm a sprinter too, so here's what i know about sprinting, and some of it has actually helped me.  I'm sure you know good form helps ALOT, and in sprinting every tenth of a second counts. Sprinting 10s 20s 30s and 40s helps, by trying to improve your times everytime you do them.

Starts are really important too, the way you set your blocks might have an effect. And make sure you starting leg is always your stronger leg. Basically to get any better you just have to keep practicing because practice makes perfect. Don't be afraid to ask your coaches what you could do to improve, because it's better to know what you have to work on. Also technique is very important, but i'm sure you already know that.

  From the times you said that you have run, i would say you are really fast, your like only sixteen and your already running fast times like that, so just keep practicing =), don't forget to believe in yourself and have confidence, i'm sure you'll take state if you really want too. Good Luck

Answer 4

I assume you have a coach, there are dozens of tips to fast running, and someone would have to see you run to make specific adjustments.

Most of your speed comes from genetics, you're born fast or not.   You can improve what you have, but an average kid can train forever and never be faster than the "fastest kid in school".   That kid was born with a good body type, like a cheetah or thoroughbred horse.  

For a 16 yr. old, your times are quite good already, so keep at it.    

These are some tips that would help most young sprinter:

- get strong all over; remember that your strong arms drive backward as your legs drive forward so sprinters have great all-over bodies; be sure to work on your back, hamstrings, ankles, feet and toes too.  Everytime you do do weight training, work on keeping your flexibility, you're a sprinter not a body builder!

- focus on a running that is all forward; your feet and arms should be like fly wheels, eliminate any movements side to side (for instance, are your toes pointing straight back at the back of your stride, or do you rotate your feet?; (it's OK if your feet point slightly out when they touch down though), how do you hold your hands?  They can't flop.  Your head never moves.

- Speed is the result of quick steps, and long distance per step, so work on moving your body parts as fast as possible (like the movie Flashdance, how fast can you pump your knees and elbows?), then work on making the longest reaching strides (without bounding up and down instead of forward);  your ultimate foot speed and stride distance must be natural or it won't work, but you need to experiment to understand what is really fast but still natural for you.

- for short sprints, your best chance of improvement is better starts; practice exploding at the gun (both legs initially push off like a standing long jump), but within an instant the weak leg drives the knee forward, the strong leg drives the entire body forward, the back and head launch forward, the arm drives forward above the head like an uppercut punch (your body is at approximately a 35-degree angle from the ground, which is moving more forward than up; if your angle is greater than this, you need more body strength).  All parts of your body participate in the start.  Talk with the high jumpers, their jump step has a lot in common with the explosive first step of a sprinter, the importance of head and back lift, arm throw, continuous full power from the butt-leg-calf-foot-toe are all the same.

- a great exercise is putting a harness on, and towing a car tire across the grass.   This forces you to run in a semi-crouch, so you learn more about running with power.   This also is a good strenght developing exercise, since you're only working on the muscles that are need to power you body forward.

- I recommend that you try to calm your mind in the blocks, breathe shallow in you upper lungs only, your shoulders are over the starting line, don't try to anticipate the gun, let your reflexes explode on their own at the sound of the gun.  

- At the gun hold your breath, in your mind imagine a imagine a lion is on your ***, drive for all you're worth, if the hair is standing on end you're getting the idea, run for your life!   Your opponents want to kill you!

- each early step is a transition from "exploding" to "cruising", so picture how your body is going from a full crouch to an upright position.  You don't want to get upright too soon, but you don't want to be cruising with a bend head or body once you're up to speed.  A video of your starts is helpful.   Each of the first 12 steps or so is slightly different.  Count these steps as you run and know how they're different.   On one of these early steps you blow out the breath you're holding and start your normal sprint breathing.  Observe yourself on video to understand how you're transitioning at each early step.  Continue to work on getting the most power out of the early steps, then just "fly" after that.

- run right on through the tape, don't change your last stride, such as stomping on the finish line.  The only thing you do is bow your head (from the high upper back, never the lower back or waist) when you think you're at the tape.   Anything else you do your with your body will only slow you down.

Good luck.