Some elites slap their quads on the start line, why is this?

So, it works. Gotta activate them quads.

Because they've seen other people do the same thing.

Falls into the category of: "why do tennis players ask for three identical balls and then immediately give one back?"

they give the ball back that has the most/least fluff (can't remember) left on it because it flies through the air better on the serve.

I think it's just a habit to get them hyped up for the race.

What is that supposed to mean?

To activate them - kinda like the way The Clapper Light works.

It basically gives you a little bit of a shock/adrenaline rush, heightens your alert level and can really help some athletes lock in for the start.

Try slapping the thighs of the guy next to you next time. Get in their head a little bit

Haha. Gave me a good laugh on my way to work. Needed that.

Doesn't Femke Bol always slap her face before a race?

You know how car salespeople do the roof slap to let you know it’s a good deal?

‘Lotta miles on this baby, but she’s still going strong.’

Lmao this made me chuckle. Thx

How much fluffing is involved in tennis?

I think it started after Warholm started setting world records in the 400m hurdles. He would beat himself up at the starting line. Soon I noticed a lot of runners started slapping and hitting themselves before the race started.

That's hot

Northern euros and their faceslapping 😹

Whose quads do you want them to slap?

Most likely, a rumor started in the past saying that studies had shown that getting slapped increases blood flow and/or gives you a boost of adrenaline, or something along those lines. Some people tried it, including some athletes who did well. Other athletes witnessed this, and, using typical human reasoning, assumed that the a major contributing factor to why those athletes did well was the pre-race slapping. And thus a trend was started.

Of course, getting slapped, at least in certain situations (e.g. getting randomly slapped by a stranger), surely does give you a massive burst of adrenaline. I personally doubt slapping would make any difference at the start line of a race, when you're already pretty psyched up, and especially since you know the slap is coming, but either way, it would be extremely difficult to convincingly prove that it doesn't help.