OPPOSITE arm/foot forward at the starting line!

*hilarious

malmo wrote:

....only on Letsrun.... bravo, dumb thread of 2007 locked down in just a week.

It's hard to tell how many of these posts are serious, but seriously...

I think Paul Tergat lost a 10,000 race by a tenth of a second or so once. If only he'd run his first lap a couple of seconds quicker, he'd have been well clear.

I just do that automatically if I have to do a standing start - right leg forward, balancing on left, left arm forward, right arm back - can't imagine how to do it another way... would be weird.

Robert Smith wrote:

It's hard to tell how many of these posts are serious, but seriously...

I think Paul Tergat lost a 10,000 race by a tenth of a second or so once. If only he'd run his first lap a couple of seconds quicker, he'd have been well clear.

PLEASE tell me you're kidding. Please?

tullawho wrote:

How is this thread dumb? My favorite example of this technique was watching Sam Burley's start at my conference championships his senior year. He did it correctly, whereas probably over half the other guys in the field did it incorrectly. Yeah, it may seem trivial and dumb, but just a few weeks later, Burley won NCAA's in a dead heat. The distance he won by was certainly less than the distance he gained by making his first step with his rear foot and not the '15-incher' with his front foot.

It speaks for itself.

Races aren't won or lost in the first fraction of a second, they're won/lost over the entire distance, and in close races, they're won in the LAST fraction of a second. If your thesis was true, the only thing that matters is to get the lead in the first 10 meters. Races are won from every position in the pack.

For a high school cross country team, probably one of the best things a coach could have his team do at the gun is simply stand up, count one-Mississippi, then start running.

Running, and standing are such natural motions, it doesn't matter what pose the runner makes at a starting line, and it only distracts from what really matters to successful racing - maintaining composure and focus.

malmo wrote:

It speaks for itself.

Races aren't won or lost in the first fraction of a second, they're won/lost over the entire distance, and in close races, they're won in the LAST fraction of a second. If your thesis was true, the only thing that matters is to get the lead in the first 10 meters. Races are won from every position in the pack.

For a high school cross country team, probably one of the best things a coach could have his team do at the gun is simply stand up, count one-Mississippi, then start running.

Running, and standing are such natural motions, it doesn't matter what pose the runner makes at a starting line, and it only distracts from what really matters to successful racing - maintaining composure and focus.

A race against the clock CAN be won or lost in the first fraction of the race. If you are going for time or postion, using the proper starting position can be the difference.

And there is no way this would distract from anything, certainly not focus. How can anyone claim to be focused while having their body in an unnatural running position?

Surprise! wrote:

Robert Smith wrote:

It's hard to tell how many of these posts are serious, but seriously...

I think Paul Tergat lost a 10,000 race by a tenth of a second or so once. If only he'd run his first lap a couple of seconds quicker, he'd have been well clear.

PLEASE tell me you're kidding. Please?

Uhh, yes.

But how many others on this thread are? I have a feeling a lot of these posters are serious.

Don't sprinter come out of the blocks sameside arm swings forward to create momentum as the back block leg moves forward and transition into left leg right arm as the build up speed??

Why would that not hold true for a two count start afterall they are the same last two commands- set-BANG!? The moment of inertia must be overcome and more mass moving forward would increase the force acting to break inertia.

Boarsoff wrote:

Don't sprinter come out of the blocks sameside arm swings forward to create momentum as the back block leg moves forward and transition into left leg right arm as the build up speed??

Why would that not hold true for a two count start afterall they are the same last two commands- set-BANG!? The moment of inertia must be overcome and more mass moving forward would increase the force acting to break inertia.

I don't think so!

Driving out of blocks is initiated by front foot drive in sync with opposite arm going back. Raised front foot start becomes an issue mainly for indoor races to the first turn, as runner's start is delayed by leaning back before moving forward. Just take a look at the next meet and see how 800-mile runners get "pinched" at start if they don't drive off their front foot at gun.

Top Gunn wrote:

A race against the clock CAN be won or lost in the first fraction of the race. If you are going for time or postion, using the proper starting position can be the difference.

It might make a difference in any race that is essentially a time trial, which is the case for 400 and shorter, and maybe sometimes the 800. For anything longer where there is a change of pace or any kind of tactics involved, it is irrelavent.

When does the chip start in the 800? At the line or the gun?

Actually, if you start with your left foot and your left arm forward, you just have to bring your right foot forward at the start and leave your arms where they are.

You then synch your arms and legs with the next stride and save energy by having less arm motion at the beginning of the race.

That gives you a good start and more energy to lean at the finish.

dukerdog wrote:

It might make a difference in any race that is essentially a time trial, which is the case for 400 and shorter, and maybe sometimes the 800. For anything longer where there is a change of pace or any kind of tactics involved, it is irrelavent.

It's not irrelevent if you desire a front running, or unobstructed, position for the first part of the race.

malmo wrote:

It speaks for itself.

Races aren't won or lost in the first fraction of a second, they're won/lost over the entire distance, and in close races, they're won in the LAST fraction of a second. If your thesis was true, the only thing that matters is to get the lead in the first 10 meters. Races are won from every position in the pack.

True, but like I said before, the possition that you get out in can make a big difference. Getting out a fraction of a second slower and being boxed in at mid pack for the first 200 meters translates into a few seconds in the end. If I can blow off the line and put myself in the top 5 or so I'm going to run a much better time than if I'm trying to fight through slower runners all race just because they got out better than me and then died.

X Runner wrote:

Actually, if you start with your left foot and your left arm forward, you just have to bring your right foot forward at the start and leave your arms where they are.

You then synch your arms and legs with the next stride and save energy by having less arm motion at the beginning of the race.

That gives you a good start and more energy to lean at the finish.

This is exactly what I do --left foot and left arm forward, first step with the right foot, leave the arms static at that first step, and away you go.

Very good point Think about it.

No wonder so many starts look and feel akward. I'm guilty of the 'right leg , right arm foward' which makes no sense. IF you do opposites regardless of which foot goes forward it can only help those first 20 meters.

Thanks!

Mandingo wrote:

Very good point Think about it.

No wonder so many starts look and feel akward. I'm guilty of the 'right leg , right arm foward' which makes no sense. IF you do opposites regardless of which foot goes forward it can only help those first 20 meters.

Thanks!

You're welcome. Glad to help.

So I take it we are now ALL in agreement with the OP.

OPPOSITE arm/foot forward at the starting line....correct?

At a meet this weekend when I pointed this out to an interested parent. We watched the start of the 300 hurdles. Most of the slower heats did not use blocks. Of the 12 kids who started with the right foot forward, 11 took the first step backwards. I can only guess that the 12th was lefthanded.