On a long drive recently, my mind was wandering. One of the stops was: do the drills runners do accomplish anything? Is there actual evidence they offer an improvement in performance?
On a long drive recently, my mind was wandering. One of the stops was: do the drills runners do accomplish anything? Is there actual evidence they offer an improvement in performance?
Some drills do work. Various sorts of bounding function as plyometrics. And sprint drills (Mach drills, etc.) can improve form, especially during the final kick. Even in a marathon, at the end of a race, everybody's a sprinter. I like to incorporate drills at the end of aerobic runs, much like strides.
I think the more important part of his question was "is there any evidence?"
Yes, drills are one important element.
If you are going to use quotes, at least use them properly - "Is there actual evidence...".
me also wrote:
If you are going to use quotes, at least use them properly - "Is there actual evidence...".
No
I've seen plenty, if not all, of elite runners doing drills either in articles, at races or at practice. I've also known of plenty of runners with crappy form, shuffles, who struggle to run a quality 5k despite excessive amounts of strength and quality performances at other distances who never did any type of drills or stretching. There is probably plenty of anecdotal evidence like this although I don't think any of it would qualify as scientific.
A better question is assuming the drills improve mechanics, why wouldn't better running mechanics actually help with running? Or even better, given the minimal amount of time, effort and risk involved why wouldn't an aspiring runner do drills? OR the best yet, have drills ever made anyone slower?
By many sprint coaches it's pretty well regarded that sprint drills do NOT improve running form, but they do help with other things such as dynamic flexibility, coordination, and strength.
Distance coaches generally try and use them as an easy way to improve mechanics, which doesn't really work.
There are some good discussions with some sprint coaches on elitetrack.com.
There distinction could be more categorical. I was using "mechanics", improperly, as a catch all for anything other than fitness i.e. the maxs, capacities, and thresholds. Whereas the sprint coaches are referring to the mechanics within my mechanics category...
Drills work. That is why you should not do them.
I have my kids do them as part of their warm up. I avoid static stretching and instead have them do drills to warm up and work on flexibility and coordination. I don't think most drills mimic running mechanics and they shouldn't be used for that purpose.
If drills don't improve running form, then why the heck do sprinters have FABULOUS running form and economy, while distance runners who neglect sprint drills shuffle around the track with arms and legs flapping every which-way?
Also:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2822391&page=1
The Bramble and the Rose = John Kellogg
I thought he was CoachK?
777 wrote:
If drills don't improve running form, then why the heck do sprinters have FABULOUS running form and economy, while distance runners who neglect sprint drills shuffle around the track with arms and legs flapping every which-way?
Because they work on perfecting their form while running. All those block starts, strides, short sprints, etc. are done with emphasis on proper form.
If after every 100m or every rep in a workout distance runners had their form broken down by their coach or by video and then corrected it, they'd have great form too, but they don't.
Drills...aka Plyometrics ....evidence:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12627298
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12580657
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17149987
Alan
See, I think of plyometrics as jumping exercises. I could definitely see how those would improve power, reduce contact time, etc.
I think of drills more as high knees, butt kicks, etc. It's less intuitive to me how those would have any effect.
Most sprint drills aren't plyos. I mean, technically they are because running itself is technically a plyometric activity, but simple A skips, B skips, butt kicks, etc. aren't what are being studied in these plyo studies. Most are studying actual hops, jumps, etc.
i am dead serious: I think of drills more as high knees, butt kicks, etc. It's less intuitive to me how those would have any effect.
I have nothing approaching proof, but since you mention intuition, mine says that one thing drills accomplish is enhancing your awareness of what your body's doing. We can all run miles and miles virtually in our sleep, but after some drills I'm far more aware of my stride - and inclined to make it decent if it's not already.
It also seems likely they may help strength and flexibility a bit, but for me, it seems like that focusing of awareness might be the main thing.
Drills are worthless. The only way to invoke the motions involved in running is to actually run. The motions performed during drills have no semblance whatsoever to actaul running.
The concept of drills is based on a faulty mechanical model of human locomotion, i.e. the outdated idea that speed is determined by the nuances of how you move your limbs through space. In reality, all that really matters is what happens when your foot is in contact with the ground. Thus, drills that focus on swing phase movements, i.e. "high knees", "butt kicks", "quick feet," "form walk," etc. have little or no value. You might as well practice doing the crip walk.