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Teaching Low Heel Recovery (sprinting error)

Les Spellman

18K subscribers • 7 videos on Filmroom

YouTube

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SprintsHurdlesAccelerationRunning form

Les Spellman explains how to teach low heel recovery by focusing on projecting the body forward with the hips.

Teaching Low Heel Recovery (sprinting error) What's up #speedcity ? This week I walk through what an athlete should focus on to CAUSE low heel recovery --- I do not want to TEACH low heel recovery as a technique, but rather as the result of an athlete projecting their body forward with their hip as the driver. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below! FREE PDF: How To Build A Speed Training System train.lesspellman.com/speedsystem I just released my NEW course "Art Of Acceleration: Coach's Guide To Programming For Speed"! The purpose of this course is to share my step-by-step speed development process to profile, study, analyze, program, and give feedback to your athletes. Check it out here: train.lesspellman.com/artofacceleration

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3 people recommend this

What commenters say. Highly recommended as an essential resource for understanding acceleration mechanics, shin angles, and low heel recovery drills.

@SprintingModsin r/Sprinting • Recommends

FAQ | RESOURCE LIST | S-TIER POSTS Hello! Welcome to the new and improved FAQ/Resource List/S-Tier Post list. This has been created with the idea that if you look into, read, listen, and watch all of the resources that are listed, you will have a foundational level of knowledge that makes up the majority of what you need to understand as it comes to physical development and theoretical application in programming for sprinting. Every single resource on this list I (BDD) have personally gone through probably several times over. Watching, reading, listening, studying, I still reference them regularly. I have to admit, the most complete resources on this list and the most helpful (In my opinio…
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@BigDickerDaddyin r/Sprinting • Recommends

Resource List Below are a list of resources that are going to be linked in the Sprint\_Bot comments so that it doesn't post such a wall of text every time. Any suggestions leave it in the comments and the list will be updated appropriately ​ * Athlete Symposium Presentation Materials - Coaching Philosophies, look here first Programming Setup * Solo-Speed training, feed the cats - BIGINNERS/DEVELOPING START HERE * Classifying Sprint Training Methods * Weekly Programming Setup - ATHLETE.X * How to Build an 8 Week Speed Program * How to Train for 100m Dash * How to Train for 200m Dash * How to Train for 40y Dash * Wickets Spacing (VMAX.doc) Podcast Shows and Good Episodes * Pac…
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@waytoexcelin r/Sprinting • Recommends

On “How would you critique and rate my start”

[video I think you are talking about this video I just watched this video after reading your reply and it's really good. Thank you for the video, I like it. the drill at 0:40 is pretty much same as what I've been trying to do lately except I was doing it from a 3pt stance, and I haven't learned to use both feet to push off. I noticed in my bad start videos, that my knees extend too early to near straight leg before the hips extend, which causes my body to be launched too upwards, and not forwards. I see that the premature knee extension goes along with that high shin angle problem I have, and I've been trying to force myself to start with lower shin angle, maintaining some knee bend f…
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@waytoexcelin r/Sprinting • Recommends

On “Any form or technique advice?”

…succeeded in fixing my shin angled either, still working on it. I'm using some prowler pushing to try and strengthen my ability to push with low shin angle and maintaining knee bent until the very end before the foot leaves the ground. My body is not strong in that position, so it wants to avoid it by making shin angle high and pushing upwards. [video the drill at 0:40 I think can be a good way to learn how to start the first step with low shin angle. It helped me improve my first step, though my 2-3rd steps still suck, and my first step is hit or miss. I have very little experience with blocks, so hopefully others with more experience can provide their advice; I'm inclined to think tha…
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@waytoexcelin r/Sprinting • Recommends

On “Start/acceleration critique?”

[video I think this kind of drill helps, as well as prowler pushing focusing on low shin angle and keeping your knees bent (flexed) until your hips are extended. on a good day, I can have good shin angle when I push off (even that's hit or miss), but I still can't land with low shin, even on a good day. I wish I could figure it out. [video this is meant to help land with low shin. the cue here is to keep your hamstring and calf together, and not let the knee open up. what he is teaching is right. it's just extremely difficult to do, because for me, my body is too uncomfortable with falling forward, that it wants to reflexively catch myself with my foot. I just haven't figured out how t…
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@--buddhistboy--in r/trackandfield • Mentions

On “How does my start look?”

Your starting stance is a bit off. Both feet should be farther back, the front one moreso. When you're in the set position, you should be getting your hips above your shoulders, while keeping the back fairly straight. Your shoulders can fall slightly in front of your hands. You should feel like you're going to fall face forward. Then explode out by trying to drive or project your hips forward. The start motion is in the hips. This video explains it too. He's a great resource if you want to look at his other stuff too. Your arms are good coming out, and your legs are alright, your first couple steps could use work on recovering the heel lower, but focus on hip projection first as that hel…
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@--buddhistboy--in r/Sprinting • Mentions

On “Start critique”

The good: High hips in the set position, good arm spacing, block settings look alright, you're hitting *consistent* angles, meaning that your shin angles in the blocks are similar to the angles of your first few steps which is good. Your triple extension looks mostly alright except for the very start. Knee angles are good, arms are good. Dorsiflexion is there too. All of that's really important and you have it down which is good. The not so good: You cycle very early. 1st step isn't awful, but after that you're cycling through your whole acceleration, not good. Cycling means high heel recovery, not what we want. Your hips are kinda left behind on the first step or two, you miss the triple e…
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@adam_uchibrahin r/trackandfield • Mentions

On “I’m not sure if people remember but I posted a video asking for advice on my block starts”

Hey, so good work try to shoot out of the blocks. I can see you’re starting to think about that. Here’s a picture of a good block set up. Compare that to yours and see what the differences are. blocks In that post is also a video reviewing your start. The key takeaways should be to think about striking back behind your hip with that drive leg instead of straight down. Remember that the beginning of a sprint starts of with horizontal forces so you need to be pushing that way. The second thing is “switching” legs quickly and forcefully. You let your back leg hang back too long instead of hitting a drive position then switching legs. Here’s a good video that goes over the idea of switchin…
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@waytoexcelin r/Sprinting • Mentions

On “how to project forward during block starts”

unfortunately, I haven't succeeded in getting it right either, though I was able to nudge towards that direction a little. you need to take videos from the side and try to have low shin angle. doing maybe prowler pushing can emulate that shin angle at lower speed so that you can at least develop some strength in that angle, though adding speed to it without the prowler will be something else. [video Les Spellman is very strong at emphasizing good angles.
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@HumbleProdigyin r/Sprinting • Mentions

On “[deleted by user]”

I am NOT a track professional by any means, but from what I see you're not as explosive as you can be per the size of your frame. I'd suggest adding plyometric training to increase your speed. (YouTube plyometric sprint training) Another thing I notice is you do NOT have low heel recovery. Your first 4 steps, you're picking your heels way off the ground. That is time wasted for the next step to take. (YouTube Low Heel Recovery) I like this video for low heel recovery link to this video link to this video
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