I am currently a freshman who is going out for track and I really have a strong passion for the 400m, the 800m, and hurdles. I decided I want to try the 400m hurdles even though I haven't even jumped a hurdle for about 2 years now because COVID caused our season to get cancelled. The head coach really wants me to do 400m hurdles because our team needs more and I really want to do them as well, but I am super nervous I will freeze up and not be able to do them, or that I won't be good at it especially because I am pretty injury prone. Does anyone have any tips on how to not freeze up in case I end up having "The fear of hurdles" again. Also, I would really like some tips for the 400m hurdles (if you do any extra training that helps, stretches that could help, anything will do). Please let me know what you all may have found works for you or people you know so I have some things that I could turn to for help.
400 meter Hurdles
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The best way to avoid the "fear of hurdles" freezing up is to prepare. Talk to your coach about this and work together to make a plan. Your coach probably already intends to include plenty of hurdle-specific movement drills where you practice knee drive, lifting your leg, trail leg work, and various skipping/bounding plyometric type running drills. Repeated 40-80m strides that include 1-3 hurdles can help too, starting with low height setting and over time increasing to event height.
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Thank you so much.
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Sub-8 Mile wrote:
The best way to avoid the "fear of hurdles" freezing up is to prepare. Talk to your coach about this and work together to make a plan. Your coach probably already intends to include plenty of hurdle-specific movement drills where you practice knee drive, lifting your leg, trail leg work, and various skipping/bounding plyometric type running drills. Repeated 40-80m strides that include 1-3 hurdles can help too, starting with low height setting and over time increasing to event height.
Oh, great advice!
One small thing that my students have found really helpful: When you're at a meet, make your initial warmup of the day a full hurdles warmup, even if you'll actually be doing other events before the hurdles race.
Once the meet begins and you start competing in your first event(s) it can sometimes be impossible to get your hurdling warmup in--there may only be time for a start or two, if that. But if you take care of it at the beginning of the meet, you should be okay when the hurdles race is finally called. -
I will tell you from my personal experience. I never did any hurdles work out, but I made sure my pre season was set on endurance training. Once I hit 1.50 in indoor 800m. I just jumped the hurdles during wormup before the race.
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However bad you fear you might be, I can assure you that 1) there has been worse and 2) nobody will think negatively of you. So just go out there, work hard, and give it your best. I can pretty much guarantee your first race will be really rough, because high school kids running the 400m hurdles IS really rough. But you won't be alone. And your friends are going to think you're tough for trying an event many are afraid to try, no matter how well you do.
In other words, you have nothing to lose, and can only surprise people in a good way. -
Sub-8 Mile wrote:
.Repeated 40-80m strides that include 1-3 hurdles can help too, starting with low height setting and over time increasing to event height.
Girls 400m hurdles is already the lowest setting for the hurdles most high schools have, so they'll be "full height" from the start, probably. But most people don't find it that high unless they're under 5 feet tall.
You have good advice though, IMO. -
I will for sure try this thank you so much for the advice!
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Thank you so much I really needed this because I've been getting a lot of doubt from other hurdlers and track runners on whether or not I'll be able to do 400m Hurdles, or they say things that make me nervous about it. This really did put things into perspective. It's nice to feel support about my decision to do it.
