Hurdles Notes
Races with hurdles as obstacles were first popularised in the 19th century in England.
The first known event, held in 1830, was a variation of the 100-yard dash that included
heavy wooden barriers as obstacles. A competition between the Oxford and Cambridge
Athletic Clubs in 1864 refined this, holding a 109.72 m race with ten hurdles of 1.06 m in
height (each placed 9.14 m apart), with the first and final hurdles 15 yards from the start
and finish, respectively. French organisers adapted the race into metric (adding 28 cm)
and the basics of this race, the men's 110 metres hurdles, has remained largely
unchanged.
The origin of the 400 metres hurdles also lies in Oxford, around 1860 a competition was
held over 440 yards. Twelve 1.06 m high wooden barriers were placed along the course.
The modern regulations stem from the 1900 Summer Olympics: the distance was fixed to
400 m while ten (91.44 cm) hurdles were placed 35 m apart on the track, with the first
and final hurdles being 45 m and 40 m away from the start and finish, respectively.
Women's hurdles are slightly lower at 84 cm for the 100 m event and 76 cm for the 400m
events.
By far the most common events are the 100 metres hurdles for women, 110 m hurdles for
men and 400 m hurdles for both sexes. The men's 110 m has been featured at every
modern Summer Olympics while the men's 400 m was introduced in the second edition
of the Games. Women's initially competed in the 80 metres hurdles event, which entered
the Olympic programme in 1932. This was extended to the 100 m hurdles at the 1972
Olympics, but it was not until 1984 that a women's 400 m hurdles event took place at the
Olympics (having been introduced at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics the
previous year).
Men traversing the water jump in a steeplechase competition
Outside of the hurdles events, the steeplechase race is the other track and field event with
obstacles. Just like the hurdling events, the steeplechase finds its origin in student
competition in Oxford, England. However, this event was born as a human variation on
the original steeplechase competition found in horse racing. A steeplechase event was
held on a track for the 1879 English championships and the 1900 Summer Olympics
featured men's 2500 m and 4000 m steeplechase races. The event was held over various
distances until the 1920 Summer Olympics marked the rise of the 3000 metres
steeplechase as the standard event. The IAAF set the standards of the event in 1954, and
the event is held on a 400 m circuit that includes a water jump on each lap.
Olympic Event Number of hurdles Hurdle Height Distance between
hurdles
Women’s 100 m Hurdles 10 84.0 cm 8.50 m
Men’s 110 m Hurdles 10 106.7 cm 9.14 m
Women’s 400 m Hurdles 10 76.2 cm 35.0 m
Men’s 400 m Hurdles 10 91.44 cm 35.0 m
Olympic Event Number of obstacles Barrier Height
Women’s 3000 m Steeplechase 28 barriers and 7 water jumps 76.2 cm
Men’s 3000 m Steeplechase 28 barriers and 7 water jumps 91.4 cm
Hurdles Technique
Hurdling is an exciting and challenging event because of its technical and energy
demands. The technical component of hurdling is much higher than in sprinting, yet the
concept of the hurdles race must be one of a sprint, with adjustments for each hurdle. The
stride pattern for sprint hurdling is a 7 to 8 stride pattern to the first hurdle followed by a
3-stride pattern between the hurdles.
Sprint Hurdling Technique
The Start and Approach
In sprint hurdling, the first hurdle is only some seven or eight strides away, so the athlete
must come upright at the 3rd or 4th stride, much earlier than the sprinter. The block
spacings will have to be slightly altered to enable this to happen. The takeoff foot is
placed in the front block using an eight-stride approach.
Hurdle Clearance
The athlete must attack the hurdle and aim to clear it by approx. 17 to 18 cm, as quickly
and efficiently as possible, raising their centre of gravity slightly more than in a usual
sprint.
Leg Action
The last stride of the approach to the first hurdle is shortened to allow the takeoff leg to
move rapidly under the hips. It ensures that a fast-effective drive can be made across the
hurdle. [1] The takeoff distance from the hurdle is 1.98 metres to 2.29 metres (6½ to 7½
feet). The body's centre of gravity is ahead of the foot on takeoff. [1]
The action of the leading leg:
● The knee must be picked up fast [1]
● The knee is driven at the hurdle [1] & [2]
● The lower part of the leg is left low and extends once the knee reaches the height
of the barrier [1] & [2]
● The knee must be picked up in line with the vertical centre line of the body.
● There should be no tendency for the knee to be pulled across the body or for the
lower leg to go out and round.
● The foot of the lead leg reaches its highest point some 15 to 30 centimetres (6 to 8
inches) in front of the hurdle rail.
● As the heel of the lead leg passes the barrier, it must be pulled down and back to
land under the body [3] & [4]
● There is no necessity for the lead leg to be straight over the top of the hurdle [3].
● The leg straightens as it descends towards the ground [4]
● The foot of the lead leg grounds at 114 to 137 centimetres (3¾ to 4½ feet) beyond
the hurdle.
The action of the trailing leg:
● The trailing leg drives the body at the hurdle as the lead leg rises.
● The recovery of the trail leg must begin from well behind the body if the drive is
to be completed
● The athlete should feel the trailing knee sweeping wide and flat over the hurdle.
● As the leg crosses the hurdle, the foot must be cocked at the ankle so that the foot
does not hit the barrier.
● After crossing the barrier, the knee continues to rise and comes around in front of
the body.
Many young athletes tend to drop the trail leg off to the side after it has crossed the
barrier. This has the effect of making the first stride short and pulling the athlete off
balance. The trail leg must be pulled through high and fast so that the first stride is fast 5
& 6.
Arm Action
As in sprinting, the arms act to balance the body and counter the rotations produced by
the legs. The arm opposite to the lead leg leads the action into the hurdle and
pushes/dives forwards as the lead leg rises. The other arm should be taken back in normal
sprinting action. As the trail leg comes around the leading arm swings back and wide to
counter the rotation of the trail leg.
Running Between Hurdles
Three strides are used to cover the ground between the hurdles. To achieve this, the
athlete has to modify his sprinting technique to make it fit the gap. A fast leg cadence and
a shorter stride length are needed. The athlete may have to use a lower knee lift than in
normal sprinting with an emphasis on leg speed.
Key Hurdling Points
The athlete is leaning towards the hurdle and driving the
right knee at the hurdle. The leading arm is pushed forward
and up (ideally to forehead height).
The athlete is leaning towards the hurdle and has now
lifted the leading (right) foot to clear the hurdle.
The leading (right) foot is now being pushed down to the
track.
The knee and foot of the trailing (left) leg are pointing out
to the side (towards the camera) to clear the hurdle.
The left knee is driven forward and up once the foot has
cleared the hurdle and the toes of the left foot are
dorsiflexed.
The right leg is straight with the foot's ball contacting the
track underneath the hip, the left arm is driven back, and
the athlete is still leaning forward.
The left knee is quickly pulled high into the stride away
from the hurdle.
The right leg remains straight, the hips stay high, and the
right foot heel does not touch the track, allowing the
athlete to sprint away from the hurdle.
The ratio of the distances from the hurdle for the takeoff point and landing point is
approx. 3:1. e.g. the athlete takes off 3 metres from the hurdle and lands 1 metre past the
hurdle.
Look at the Sprint Hurdles Photo Sequence of a young Colin Jackson and see if you can
see the same key points.
https://www.brianmac.co.uk/hurdles/index.htm