Is this true about sprinting faster? and tips on sprinting?

Question

i heard that running with your fists tightened, arms not crossing into your chest, and running more on your toes and not heels make you go faster while sprinting? is that true? does any one have tips on sprinting faster?

Answer 1

usually sprinting with an open hand is best because you cut the air in the most aerodynamic way. you arms should cut in a straight line as well and not cross your body. sometimes when people concentrate on that they stiffen up in their shoulders which is bad. lower your shoulders and relax as much as possible. when you stiffen up you cant get the best stride lengths and top speeds. and it is true that running on you toes is best but you have to remember to flex your feet and attack the ground.

im a track athlete who used to be a gymnast and have a bad tendancy to point my toes after the turnover in my stride. so my track coaches use harnesses with bungees attached to help improve that and i do a lot of A's and B's and C's to focus on the different parts of a stride.

hope that helps.

Answer 2

Watch the Olympic sprinters - all open hands.  You want to push off at the end of you foot strike but just running on your toes would not give you the power to move forward quickly.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The only thing that matters with sprinting is what happens at ground contact. The fastest runners have the most muscle support force so they don't collapse at the ankle/knee at ground contact resulting in shorter contact times. Try isometric leg press where you lift the weight with both legs but hold with one leg, on ball of foot, knee slightly bent. Hold as much weight as possible for 10-20 seconds. Do 3-6 reps/holds a few times a week.

Relax while sprinting and land on ball of foot. Do NOT push off or force foot into the ground. That just slows you down.