Barrier spacing for Steeple Training

Intervals over barriers are excellent training.

But it's best to not control the spacing closely.

Counting steps is useless over spacings that long (80 meters or so), especially due to fatigue's effects on stride length during a race. The athletes should learn to eyeball the approaching barriers and let the subconscious figure out an acceleration, which leg to use, and a step pattern. This ability is best gained if the spacing varies somewhat between barriers and from one workout to the next.

Pure hurdling form is a different skill. It should be practiced over a series of evenly-spaced practice hurdles.

It's about 80 meters between hurdles, but like the guy above me said, developing a feel for proper approach to the barrier is more important than worrying about steps or anything. That's why the exact spacing is not so critical.

Just make sure some are on straights and some are on turns. Different tracks have them in different places anyhow so it doesn't really matter.

Chick Hislop is possibly the best hurdle coach ever and he used to just throw hurdles down randomly so his guys would be able to jump whenever they needed to. The only big thing is that hurdling on a curve is different than on a straight so a good plan would be one on each straight and one on each turn. Also, if you have actual barriers, it is a good idea to set one up on the long jump runway and have your athletes practice their barrier form and landing. Too many coaches ignore barrier practice during workouts. The best don't ignore this.

Newbie Steeple Coach wrote:

please help an old mid-distance runner that has never run the steeple!

I agree with random positions.

Reps over barriers are way more tiring than you think, often leading to groin strains the next day. Always make them do lots of hip mobility during the warmup. If time permits, have a few sessions of classic hurdling in the warmup and get that to an OK standard before you add fatigue into the mix.

We want people to run over steeple barriers economically, not like sprinters. Start with the hurdles a bit LOWER than they will be in competition, and build up progressively from, say, 16 hurdle crossings up to the 30-odd they will need. Make them run in packs at times so they get used to it. Make them run a lot slower than they need to and learn to do it relaxed.

With four hurdles per lap, you could ask them to do a mile at (say) six-minute pace as part of a warmup before a regular interval session. Then, the next week, add another lap. If you can train people to do 8 laps economically at sub-race-paces, you will help them far more than if they learn to run hard at the hurdles, and they will have enough brain cells active to actually adjust and improve technique as they go.

For water jump, put a barrier over the long jump pit and have them do a few of those into sand.

Hard sessions over barriers are dangerous and the icing on the cake for people who can't get enough development races.