Drive Phase?

The horrible truth is that the "drive phase" is complete bulls***. It really doesn't even exist; it's an artificial concept and an arbitrarily divided segment of the race. "Staying low" is a meaningless technical cue, and keeping the head down confers no biomechanical advantage whatsoever. I know that many of the top sprinters use the "drive phase" (or at least say they do) but frankly you should never look to elite sprinters for guidance. The eight finalists in the last Olympic 100m don't have eight brain cells among them.

Said like a true distance runner. Don't listen to this dips**t. Go to www.usatf.org and you'll find some information there.

I think the "drive phase" is the acceleration phase of the race. You stay low to the ground in order to "drive" your legs harder and stronger, and then bringing you up to speed where you slowly rise up. If you try to get up as soon as you get off the blocks you will lose a lot of time.

32 wrote:

Said like a true distance runner. Don't listen to this dips**t. Go to

http://www.usatf.org

and you'll find some information there.

Insufficient. Please explain why the "drive phase" is valid without referring to the fact that so many elite sprinters supposedly use it (which is not a valid defense).

The "drive phase" requires a specialized mechanic because the athlete is coming out of blocks and rapidly accelerating. This is a very different process than what is happening when the athlete is at full speed and in his/her full upright sprinting position.

Clearly, what happens during the initial 30 meters of a sprint is significantly different than what happens afterwards.

The drive phase is needed in order to achieve the longest and fastest top speed phase in the 100m. Its like if you are shooting a rubber band and dont pull it back first. The drive phase is when your pull back your rubber band and getting ready to fly.

I am sorry but i have trained with and ran againist some of the best runners on the east coast and some international athletes. All of them use the drive phase and athlete like them will beat you every time if you dont have a drive phase.

so if you want to drop your time by at least .5 develop a drive phase in your race.

Post college sprinter wrote:

I am sorry but i have trained with and ran againist some of the best runners on the east coast and some international athletes. All of them use the drive phase and athlete like them will beat you every time if you dont have a drive phase.

Why are you sorry and what are you sorry about?

Saying that every sprinter uses a drive phase is not proof that the drive phase works or is necessary. It's like saying positive splits are best for the 800 because every 800m runner runs that way.

The "Drive Phase" is an interesting pursuit, mainly because there is little or no scientific study on force application during the initial steps of acceleration.

Dr. Peter Weyand, SMU, is in the process of studying force application during acceleration. This much I have gleaned from the initial trials:

1. Body position has more to do with applying horizontal force in the initial steps than at any other point during the sprint.

2. Ground contact times are longer and horizontal force application are greater.

3. The spine should remain neutral during acceleration. Positioning the head has no effect on acceleration.

4. Once beyond horizontal acceleration, force application becomes vertical to overcome the bounds of gravity. Horizontal force is negligible.

Refer to Weyand & Bundle studies on faster running speeds. Any acceleration application that you read or see on the internet is purely anecdotal.

Dr. Ralph Mann has been the Director of the Elite Sprint and Hurdle Program at USATF for 25 years and has done EXTENSIVE research on all phases of sprinting, including force application. His work has been used to optimize the performance of almost every American sprinter. By comparison, Peter Weyand is a web wannabe that practically no real sprint coach pays any attention to.

http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=157&do=videos&video_id=77931

The above is why no real sprinter should pay any attention to any of the know-it-all losers that populate this piece of trash website. If you don't know anything, keep your f--king mouth shut.

Drive phase was not invented by but popularized by John Smith when Mo Greene and Ato Boldon were on top. People copied it because it was "in", but kept using it because it works.

Max Velocity is terminal acceleration. It is not something you can train, but something you get when you run out of acceleration. ATP production from creatine phosphate tops in TWO seconds. You reach 80% of your max velocity in 10 meters, and 90% of your max velocity in 4 seconds. Bolt reached his absolute max velocity in his WR race at 48 meters...and all this time your energy supply from creating phosphate is going down. You have to maximize the velocity you can reach before your energy source plateaus, and after that point, you can't get any faster (but you can get slower). Keeping your head down and driving as far and fast as your strength level allows is how you reach your highest top speed. After that point, it is all about speed maintenance--speed endurance and special endurance.

Op is looking for practical advice on his drive phase, not a meaningless debate about whether the drive phase is helpful (he already has accepted that it is).

OP: do you already know how to set up you're blocks correctly and how to correctly position yourself in them? If not,start with that.

Then post a picture and we can give you meaningful feedback on that first step.

Then, get out athletic tape. Measure two feet (your feet) from the start line and mark it with tape. This is where your first step should land. Then measure 4.5 of your feet past that. This is your 2nd step. 4.5 feet past that is your 3rd step. Then about 5 feet is your 4th step.

Those are good starting points for where your feet should be landing. Video it. Most beginners will initially either take way too small of steps out of the blocks, lacking power, but the inability to make it to each tape mark will make this obvious.

After realizing they are taking tiny steps, most beginners will "reach" for that first piece of tape. This causes them to pop up on the next step.

Then slowly after a few starts you will be able to drive out while staying low and driving through these much bigger steps. Post some video and we'll give you feedback.

This technique isn't as good as a proper coach in person, but it will allow you to start to feel the drive. Then understand that the drive phase isn't exactly 30m, followed by a maxv phase. Rather, it starts out from the blocks, then over the next 30 to 40m, you are transitioning from this driving/acceleration style of running into upright maximum velocity running. It is a continuum.

Another thing beginners often do is have too high of heel return out of the blocks. The first few steps should be low.

Basically you start low, with low heel return, huge arm movements, long ground contact time, then gradually transition into tall, with high heel return, less huge of arm movements, and shorter ground contact time. It should be a seamless transition over that 30 to 40m.

That should be a good start.

Some people also try "falling starts" as a way to teach the feeling of staying low. They're can be useful, but nothing beats having your steps measured out to compare against.

Oh and one last thing: 3 pt starts can help you to cue big arm movements, since you are starting with that left (assuming left leg forward) arm already back in a large movement.

Call it whatever you want... Drive phase, acceleration phase or whatever. The first 30 meters of the race is about getting up to full speed. If you don't think that is a "necessary" part of a 100 meter race I am not sure why you are posting here.

HS coaches use cues to "stay low" because they have a tendency to step out of the blocks, not drive out of them. The first three steps are vital to success in the sprints.

The above is why no real sprinter should pay any attention to any of the know-it-all losers that populate this piece of trash website. If you don't know anything, keep your f--king mouth shut.

Self-fulfilled post, but you probably already knew that, too.

Runnernerd's detailed response above is good practical advice. Try it out and see if it works for you.

Implement runnernerd's advice.

You really need a coach in person to iron out the technical aspects of sprinting.

The point is acceleration--like a car shifting from first to fifth in order to get to max speed as quickly as possible, you have to shift your body's gears to get up to full speed. It doesn't matter what you call this and it lasts until you're in full flight.

You don't want to be upright and you don't want to be too bunched up, doubled over. You need power, and angles help. Watch some videos--I'm sure there are some good tutorials but I don't have any to link; just watching great sprinters is better than nothing.

We would work on falling into our acceleration--this gets you low and focusing on forward motion (eliminating heel lift referenced by runnernerd). You just lean forward until you think you're going to fall (like when someone tests your front leg in blocks), then focus on hip drive, low feet, arm pump.

Video is very helpful, and necessary if you don't have a great coach with you at practice.

It's all about the toe drag baby

"no real sprinter should pay any attention to any of the know-it-all losers that populate this piece of trash website. If you don't know anything, keep your f--king mouth shut."

Oh. the irony!!