Last night, did anyone else notice that all of the Ethiopian runners have very high back-kicks with very long strides? It makes them look so effortless, and I wonder if they don't practice their form extensively to be able to look so smooth.
Last night, did anyone else notice that all of the Ethiopian runners have very high back-kicks with very long strides? It makes them look so effortless, and I wonder if they don't practice their form extensively to be able to look so smooth.
the ethiopian's do extensive form and active stretching drills in their training. They do it almost daily throughout most of the year.
I suspect they do LOTS of speedwork. They essentually look like sprinters out there which makes me beleive that they do a lot of long and easy running coupled with tons of work at 200, 400, speed but with short recoverey.
I really think that the club systems are the ones that teach the drills. They do it like choreography.
even when warming down.
If you got to see the 5km, there is a huge difference in form from Dibaba and the other Ethiopians from the Westerners.
It's also worth mentioning that a lot of them are shorter and stockier than the typical Kenyan. Having shorter legs means you have to run more like a sprinter to keep up, assuming the same turn over, but you also can run like a sprinter with less effort than a tall skinny guy.
A lot of tall runners will land more or less flat on their whole foot and then pull back, while shorter guys start pulling their foot backwards well before it hits the ground. That seems to be what I've generally seen anyways.
the jackass wrote:
I suspect they do LOTS of speedwork. They essentually look like sprinters out there which makes me beleive that they do a lot of long and easy running coupled with tons of work at 200, 400, speed but with short recoverey.
The form is often described in physics terms as using the "shortest" lever which you can zing through faster than a long lever.
Shortening the lever of the leg subsequently makes the dorsiflexed foot crooked up towards the buttocks and the stride length is as a result very long (Komen is a good example).
As for the way they obtain this form, it is surely not by "lots of 400s." If that was the case, nearly every American high schooler would be turning out fantastic times, because American high schoolers surely do plenty of 200s and 400s.
The Ethiopians have the style before they begin the hard anaerobic training, and it is developed through strong lower legs (barefoot travel in youth), a large lifetime base, and plenty of alactic drilling of the correct mechanics for sprinting.
Where can i read about mechanics.. can you recommend books. What type of college program will turn me into a running geek..
Please help.. i am stuck in an accounting job and i want to quit and start coaching.. in my home town (Bahr Dar, Ethioipia)
trackhead wrote:
If you got to see the 5km, there is a huge difference in form from Dibaba and the other Ethiopians from the Westerners.
That was precisely where I noticed it.
But just watching the mens 3k you can see that bekele has a much higher back kick than everyone else, he gets a lot more out of his stride and there is no force stopping him, he is always moving forwards.
They do so much work on strength and form -- in addition to their rearing -- that's why they're a cut above everyone else.