Sprint Mechanics

Fast, forceful arm drive is used to support sprint power and acceleration. Aggressive arm drive helps accelerate the forward burst out of the transition. Bench press arching is not directly analogous to lumbar arching in sprinting. Many high school athletes and people returning from pain are observed to lack sufficient frontside mechanics. During the sprint, the arms should drive forward and upward. During the sprint, the arms should drive forward and out in front of the body near head height. Sprinting requires both backside mechanics and frontside mechanics rather than maximizing backside action. The sprint arm drive should reach approximately face height. The arm action should reach forward and out rather than pump vertically. The trail leg lifts during flight to mimic sprint mechanics. The lead arm rises to about head height and reaches forward during flight. The drill alternates right and left leg bounds in a sprint-like rhythm. During the sprint phase, the athlete should reach the arms forward and out before pumping them quickly. Excessive backside mechanics with a deep lumbar arch may act as a self-limiting braking strategy. Coaching arms forward and upward can indirectly i…