I’m The Hurdles Coach, Now What?
Jeff Kline
Green Bay Preble High School
Preble Hornets Track Team
Who Are The Best Hurdlers?
Obviously, sprinters…
Height is not critical with female hurdlers.
Endurance
Long legs! 
Someone who wants to medal. (Always looking for hurdlers!)
• Disciplined (especially in terms of stretching)
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Where To Recruit?
• Dance Team (rhythm, disciplined, long legs)
• Volleyball
• Sprinters looking for medals but not fast enough for varsity
• Middle‐distance runners eager to compete in a sprint event.
• High Jumpers and triple jumpers. (Long legs and rhythm).
How To Set Up Your Program
• Make friends with your sprint coach and have an open dialogue all season long.
– Dovetail workouts.
– Share track space, starting blocks, etc. – Modify sprint workout to use hurdles.
• Get outdoors ASAP! – Get kids hurdling into the wind and practicing the 300m IH’s. Stretches
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Lead leg stretch
Trail leg stretch
Focus on hips
Arms and shoulders must be stretched as well. All stretches and warm‐up should take at least 20 minutes beyond that of what the team has already done.
Warm‐up Drills
• Walk‐Thru’s
– Video
• Scissors kicks
– Video
• Lead Leg Drill / Trail Leg Drill
– Okay to do off to the side of the hurdle
– Again, this is a stretch to simulate the hurdle gesture.
Starting Blocks
• 8 steps to the first hurdle! (Non‐negotiable)
• Lead leg starts back in the blocks
• Starting block position is critical: (From Techniques Magazine)
– Trail leg tibial tuberosity placed on starting line.
– Dorsiflex; that is location for first block.
– Knee cap of lead leg placed at middle of shin of trail leg.
– Plantar flex; that is location for second block.
– Adjust as needed.
Indoor Hurdling
• Avoid hurdling on curves on tracks less than 200 meters; especially with beginners or the very fast. • Waxed wooden gym floors are scary when even slightly wet.
• Very hard to get consistent data for seed times with races of varying lengths. 60 yards, 55 meters, 45 meters, etc. High Hurdles
• Three‐stepping is critical. The earlier you do it, the better it will be for good habits to form.
• It is encouraged to bring the hurdles up; just be consistent! (1st hurdle up one foot, 2nd
hurdle up two feet, etc.) Maintain even spacing!
• Pad the hurdles! Use foam blocks if kids are afraid. Other options…
300m Hurdles
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45 meters to the first hurdle.
Alternate? Same lead leg? Count steps?
Best conditioning? 400 open meters.
Have your 300m hurdlers run the 4x400!
Tricks around school…
– Have kids eyeball a spot on the floor 10 meters away and adjust their strides to get there by their lead leg.
• The race is won or lost over last 2 hurdles!!!
Walk‐Away Drill
• One of our hurdlers’ favorite drills
• Start at the 200m line.
• Put the hurdles on the 300m hurdle spots from the 200m start until the end.
• Have the athlete start at the first hurdle with their back facing the hurdle.
• Have them start walking away from the hurdle until you blow the whistle.
• Athlete turns, adjusts stride, goes over hurdle until the end of the race. 300m Hurdle Zone Drills
• Critical drill for working conditioning, but limiting hurdling. • Hurdles 1 and 2 placed on the track at proper spots. • Use cones or markers on hurdles 3, 4, 5, and 6.
• Place hurdles 7 and 8 on their normal spots.
• Can allow slow zones as well. • Last two hurdles are critical.
1‐3‐5‐7‐9 Hurdles
• High hurdling is about rhythm.
• This drill allows a hurdler to simulate a 10 hurdle race (three‐stepping the entire way) but only going over 5 hurdles. • If a large squad, go down and back with a break in the middle. (Headwind, tailwind)
• Monitor pulse rates (back to 120). Stretch in‐
between. 100m/110m High Hurdle Zone Drills
• Again, the goal is to train hard without going over too many hurdles.
• Can get imaginative with your order. Generally, it is nice to always do hurdle #1.
• 1H, 2H, 3H, 4C, 5C, 6C, 7C, 8H, 9H, 10H.
• Adjust heights of hurdles. • Try foam/padded hurdles at the end
Day Before A Meet
• Complete warm‐up with entire team.
– Dynamic Stretches
– Full warm‐up (accelerators, high knee, etc…)
• Jog laps.
• Full hurdle stretch and warm‐up routine
• Starting blocks to first or second hurdle; coast off until the end. Adjust hurdle form as needed.
• Finish with static stretching. Squad meeting about next day’s competition. Team‐within‐a‐Team
• Do not fear creating a team‐within‐a‐team.
• Work well with field events, relays. Learn to share. • Build leadership capacity within the squad. Especially if coaching large group of boys/girls/beginners/veterans.
• Squad t‐shirts, BBQ’s, etc. All good. • Academics have to come first. Be their LIFE coach.
Odds‐n‐Ends
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Resistance Bands/Parachutes
Weight room! Shoulders as critical as legs.
End of practice for more one‐on‐one time.
Do not over‐hurdle. Pay attention to aches; possible stress fractures.
Concussions!
“Open Gym” is tough; kids need direction.
End practice early and on a good note. “Be Done”
Long season; allow time to crescendo. Information
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Jeff Kline
Green Bay Preble High School
2222 Deckner Avenue, Green Bay, WI 54302
[email protected]
@PHSKline
@PrebleTrack
Feel free to contact me! 