Teaching Beginners to 3-Step Part Three: Hurdling Mechanics

In this third of four videos on teaching beginners to 3-step, I discuss the role that hurdle technique plays in this endeavor, and I show the drills I use to develop efficient technique in my hurdlers.

[@cindyregnante9280]

Hi Coach. Just bought your book, and love these videos. What are your recommendations for dealing with the realities of limited time before competitions in high school seasons? We aren't allowed to coach out of season (and many of our indoor athletes do other fall sports anyway), so by the time we get the kids for indoor at the end of November, we usually only have 2 or 3 weeks before the first meet.

[@stevemcgillhurdles]

Yeah that’s a constant struggle Cindy. You have to develop everything at the same time - sprint mechanics, hurdle mechanics, and full-speed hurdling from the start line. And each session is a constant juggling act as to which of those three to focus on the most. Ideally, beginning hurdlers can compete in other events during the indoor season while still working on their hurdling in practice. That gives them time to develop and build confidence before racing.

[@cindyregnante9280]

@@stevemcgillhurdles - Agreed. I find it's always much harder with the boys, given the height of the hurdles combined with their typically smaller size when coming in as freshmen! Focus on the sprinting and sprint mechanics for sure.

[@stevemcgillhurdles]

@@cindyregnante9280 yes, the biggest mistake we can make is having them race too soon. The 39’s present a huge challenge to freshman.

[@thomashoeger1615]

Love your coaching videos but have a question. When do you start having the athletes open up the trail leg, the trail knee coming outside the trunk, at quick steps? The videos show them bring the trail leg under the body, knee not swinging out, during the marching popovers and cycle drill.

[@stevemcgillhurdles]

That’s an excellent question. I teach opening the trail leg in the side walk-overs and in the fence drill. But in the other drills, I don’t teach it at all actually. The logic is, if I tell the athletes to open up the trail leg, they’ll open it too much. But if they just focus on bringing it to the front high and tight, it’ll open up just enough - because instincts will kick in; the athlete doesn’t want to hit the hurdle. But this approach only works if I’ve already made it clear that the trail leg SHOULD open up when the height of the hurdle requires it to do so. That’s also why I place so much emphasis on dorsiflexion. Because if the foot isn’t dorsiflexed, the toe of the trail leg will hit the hurdle and the athlete will end up on the ground.