I’m in my high school’s track team and my main events are Sprints (100m, 200m, 4x100m) but this year, I was also placed in Long Jump and 100m Hurdles.
I’ve been doing well in hurdling but I can’t really bend my trail leg when clearing that much. But my biggest concern is when I’m asked to race alongside other hurdlers. I don’t know if it’s because of the adrenaline or what, but I lose concentration if it’s an actual race. Like, I lose my rythmn and I can’t even jump over the first hurdle without tripping on it.
In a race, my mind goes blank like when I do in sprints, and that doesn’t work in hurdling. In that event, I have to focus on the number of steps I make.
My coaches told me that I should pick between hurdles or sprints because they are two entirely different disciplines with different techniques. And, some muscles I train for sprinting is counterproductive in hurdling.
I really enjoy training for hurdles but I don’t know anymore. Can anyone give me tips to how to focus when hurdling? Like, how do I get my rythmn? Or should I stop training for hurdles altogether?