Sprinting: The Block Start

If you are a track athlete and participate in short sprinting events, then perhaps the most frustrating element of the race to tie down for you will be the block start. For those of you just starting out, a block start involves using "blocks," a metal bar with two foot pads that one can adjust. Sprinters use these blocks in order to gain extra thrust during the starting moment of a race. If you push off of something angled in perpendicular to the direction you want to move in, then you will get much more force than if you push off of a surface parallel to the direction you want to move in (ie: the track surface). Remember Newton's famous law of motion that says for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction? Well, pushing hard against the foot pads on blocks will give you the reaction you want in sprinting: explosive speed.

Theoretically this is all well and good. We see olympic sprinters come perfectly out of their blocks with what seems to be rocket propulsion. Sadly, for the rest of us block starts are not that simple. Not only is there a certain technique that must be followed in order to get the right force in the right direction, one also must contend with the anxiety of the start of the race during setup in the blocks. In short sprinting events, plenty of things can go wrong during a race that only lasts between six and twenty-five seconds. However, most of these issues can be traced back to block starts and hopefully with this tutorial you will be able to improve your overall race time.

The first step is to recognize which is your dominant leg. Ask yourself what leg you push off of when you take a jump or a layup in basketball. This is going to be your "push" leg. This is the leg that will be positioned in the front when you set up your blocks and the opposite leg will be behind. So now that you know your push leg, you need to position the foot pads on the blocks comfortably and effectively. A good rule of thumb is to measure one foot (your foot, not the measurement rulers go by) from the tip of the front of the blocks to the front of the first pad. Make sure you adjust this pad to the correct side of the metal base (if your dominant leg is right, then on the right side or vice versa). The pad for the opposite leg is a little trickier and is mostly a matter of preference. The point is that you want to be able to remain in the two starting positions comfortably and get a maximum amount of thrust. Usually between two and two and a half feet (again, not ruler feet) from the front of the metal base to the pad of the trail foot is ideal.

Next, you want to get down in the first starting position and test out how your measurements work. The first position will take place when the official says "runners, take your marks." In order to get in the first position, you need to bring your newly adjusted blocks to the starting line (or any horizontal line) on the track. Since different sprinting events take place at different points on the track, you might want to take your block to where you will be running from. Place the front of the metal base around six inches behind the starting line to start. You will now how the opporunity to tweak your block adjustments based on the first position of the race start. The first position is a kneeling position. With the balls of your feet on the foot pads and the knee of your trail leg on the ground, support your body with your hands in such a way that the thumbs point inward and the fingers outward, parallel to the starting line. You want the fingers to be as close the the line without being on it or crossing it. Finally, your torso should be relatively parallel to the ground and your head down. Your head needs to be down or else in a race the official will tell you to do so. This is because a race is started by sound, not by sight, so no runner gets an unfair advantage over another.

Now that you're in this first position, you want to see how comfortable you are in it. If you feel that you are too close to the line or your body weight is drifting too far forward, then move the entire blocks back from the line an inch at a time. I really can't tell you the perfect way to position your blocks, it varies intensely from person to person. However, you need to feel comfortable in your blocks and be able to execute the next two phases of the start in order to be sprinting your best.

The next phase is the phase right before the gun goes off. In this particular phase, you will raise your butt up in the air and then hold that position. Your legs will straighten more than they were in the last phase, but make sure that your push leg is bent enough to comfortably push off of with explosive power. Your head should remain down during this phase.

Now that you're in the second phase, you will begin your actual block start. With your push leg, push hard off of the foot pedal and snap your trail leg forward. Note that most blocks will shoot backwards unless you have someone standing on them for your or placing their feet behind the pads. As you push off from the blocks, STAY LOW. The biggest mistake people can make in short sprinting starts is to move to an upright posture right after the gun goes off. In order to stop this, you need to keep your head down. Don't worry, you don't need to see the finish line and the lanes are clearly marked the entire way so you won't drift out when you're sprinting. Think of your head as a battering ram that you are trying to knock down a door with as you push off from the blocks. You want to hold this position for the first few strides for a number of reasons. The most important is that you want to keep the momentum you got from pushing off the blocks moving in a horizontal direction. If you stand up too soon then you're losing all that momentum and you might as well have started the race from a standing position. You will find that as you get further out from the blocks, your body will naturally begin to straighten to an upright position. By then you will have built up enough speed that you can use your regular running form to run the majority of the race. Remember, the name of the game in sprinting is explosive forward movement, so you want to maximize it as best you can.

What follows from here is tweaking things. You undoubtedly will need to shift the foot pedal positions, the positioning of the overall block apparatus, and also your hand position to get the most efficient setting for a good block start. The key is to practice with an eye for detail and to practice often. Also, don't HALF ASS THIS. If you jog out of the blocks or don't push off as hard as you would in a race then you're not really practicing for a sprinting race. Doing block starts will not only help shave time off your race results but will also help to develop your explosive leg and arm muscles. If you're even considering sprinting, you need a good block start to be successful. Best of luck!