The steps between hurdles are where the race is won or lost. A world-class hurdler is essentially a world-class sprinter who seamlessly integrates a barrier into their running stride, maintaining velocity and rhythm. Developing a consistent, aggressive tempo between barriers is the key to maximizing performance.
1. The Core Principle: Running, Not Jumping
The biggest mistake a developing hurdler can make is converting the three steps between barriers into a bounding action. Each step should be a horizontal application of force, driving you forward, not upward.
- Lead Leg Snap: The moment your lead foot clears the hurdle, you must aggressively snap it down to the ground. This minimizes air time and ground contact time (GCT). A quick, active landing prevents deceleration.
- Trail Leg Drive: The trail leg must not hang. It should complete its "whipping" action and drive the knee forward and up toward the armpit. This rapid recovery ensures that the hip stays high and forward, setting up the immediate first sprint stride off the hurdle.
2. Training the Rhythm with Spacing
To train the rhythm (the famous "three-step" cycle), you must manipulate the spacing and height of the barriers. Drills over shortened distances teach the body to react quickly and maintain stride frequency.
Â
Key Rhythm Drills:
- The Quick Step (Cycle) Drill: Set 5-7 hurdles significantly closer than regulation distance (e.g.,11 to 15 apart for high school sprinters) and lower the height. The focus is on executing a fast, flat, three-step rhythm with maximum stride frequency and minimal ground contact time.
- The Cycle Ladder: This drill uses hurdles set at gradually increasing distances (e.g., 11 feet to 13 feet to 15 feet, etc.). This teaches the athlete to maintain the quick turnover of the first few steps while simultaneously extending the stride length as the distance opens up, mirroring the actual demands of a race as fatigue sets in.
Â
3. Product Suggestions from www.morleyathletic.com
Morley Athletic Supply Co. offers a range of training equipment ideal for working on speed and rhythm drills without the wear and tear of regulation hurdles.
| Product Name | Training Benefit for Speed/Rhythm | Why It Helps |
| Adjustable Training Hurdle | Variable Height & Safety | Easily adjusts from 6'' to 42'' high and collapses for safety when hit. This allows you to gradually increase height as confidence grows, and perform high-repetition drills at lower, safer heights to focus purely on the speed and rhythm of the steps between. |
| Mini Hurdles/Speed Hurdles | Foot Quickness & Frequency | Products like the 6'' or 12'' Mini Hurdles (or the Adjustable Hurdle Set which adjusts from 9'' to 12'') are perfect for the Quick Step Drill and plyometric training. Using many of these hurdles spaced closely together forces an extremely fast turnover and high knee lift, training the frequency needed in a race. |
| Cone Hurdle Set | Versatility in Agility Drills | This set (which includes cones and crossbars) is adjustable from 4'' to 18'' and is ideal for setting up versatile speed and agility courses that improve coordination and footwork, which directly translates to rhythm between the barriers. |
| First Place Split Bar Training Hurdle | Confidence and Aggression | While not explicitly for speed/rhythm, the Split Bar Hurdle is a key confidence builder. It helps beginner hurdlers attack the barrier without fear of hitting the crossbar, encouraging the aggressive, forward lean required to minimize flight time and maintain forward momentum. |
4. Integrating Sprint Speed
Remember: You can only run as fast over the hurdles as you can run on the flat. Dedicated sprint training is a non-negotiable component of improving hurdle speed.
- Acceleration and Top End Speed: Incorporate maximum velocity sprints and acceleration drills into your weekly plan. The strides between hurdles are executed at or near your top-end speed, so that speed must be developed separately.
- Stride Length Consistency: Practice your full race stride length on the flat to ensure you can consistently achieve the exact steps (e.g., 3-step, 5-step, or 7-step) required to perfectly hit your takeoff mark before each hurdle.