This post is inspired by a blog follower. So if you see this post, this one is for you !

Often times as a hurdler you wonder of all the events to choose, you choose hurdling. Were you to slow to be a 100 runner? Maybe the 200 was too long to be sprinting? Don’t like jumping in the sand or the fact that once your a jumper sand ends up everywhere (In your hair, On your toothbrush, in your moms shoes, in your school backpack, ect.) ?  Whatever the reasoning as a hurdler you have some “main responsibilities”.

1. Accept the fact that you’re a bad A$$

Yea that’s right. You are the most confident athlete out there, outside of Pole vaulters (please explain to me how this life skill is relevant now? Maybe back then I could see the use of using sticks to catapult ourselves to different locations but now ?? eh just poking fun !! ). Pole vaulters are one bad mama jamamas. I didn’t have a pole vault pit in high school otherwise I would have done that too. The gymnast in me liked the fact that I would be able to fly over things, but back to the hurdlers. You are the only person confident enough to run at obstacles with super sonic speed and actually hurdle over them without falling, or falling because you negotiated the hurdle wrong, but the majority of the time NOT FALLING! You technically can hurdle anything.

2. You are responsible for your own hurdles

Yes. You have to set up and put away all of those hurdles you use during training. Unless you have an awesome coach who does this for you (this type of coach is extremely rare or just wants to get through hurdle practice quick so they can continue about their life). Unfortunately we are always confined to two lanes. A boys lane and a girls lane. Or at least that’s how it’s been at my practices.

3. Keep your arm close

You are responsible for your arms. I had a wild arm one time that smacked the mess out of some girl. I didn’t do it on purpose but she sure was angry after the race. 0_O. As a hurdler you have to understand you are either going to be the “smackee” or the “smacker”. It’s best to be neither, but at some phase of you learning how to hurdle this will happen. If you bypass the getting smacked part or smacking some good for you ! Here’s a metaphorical cookie and a pat on the back. A good reminder for yourself to control your arms is to think about short levers. Long levers = slow and short levers = fast. Since you are trying to get off the hurdle as quick as possible its best to have short levers.

4. Master Your drills

Technique couldn’t be more important. Master all of your drills and do them well. How you drill is how you hurdle. Sloppy Drills = Sloppy Hurdles = Higher Probability of Falling over hurdle. Mastering your drills will help you with negotiating hurdles and control. Those are easily the two most important things you should be thinking about when drilling. Also be focusing on  how your body feels during the drill and how you feel when you are going into it and off of it.

The last hurdle while drilling is either the best hurdle or the lazy hurdle. If it’s the best one, try to duplicate how you feel when you’re go into and off of the hurdle over ever hurdle in that drill set. If the last hurdle is the lazy hurdle remember that if you practice a lazy last hurdle in drills you are going to do a lazy last hurdle in a race.

5. Explain you don’t jump hurdles

We do not jump hurdles… we run them… Yes It does kind of look like we are jumping in the air, but we are not. It is more of a glorified exaggerate sprint stride. Anybody can jump a hurdle but it takes skill to run over a hurdle. Do you want to be know as the person who jumps hurdles (beginner lacking skill ) or someone who runs hurdles (person who uses proper techniques to efficiently run over obstacles without breaking stride). You decide.