HURDLING
One motion, named steps, and the shapes inside it
The hurdle is one smooth motion from the cut step to the getaway. Every step has a name that tells it what to do.
- 1HURDLING Is One Motion2 screensAnalyze the parts to understand them; execute them as one contiguous motion.
- 2INTENT and the Named Steps3 screensThrough, Punch, Getaway, Sprint. Each step is named for what it must do, and each one sets up the next hurdle.
- 3The Cut Step3 screensAt hurdle speed there is no time for a full cycle. The cut step is an abbreviated, stiff strike from the hip.
- 4The Lead Leg2 screensThigh to chest, bent knee, heel under the hamstring. Then punch down and back out of the angle.
- 5The Trail Leg4 screensHeel to butt in the Chicken Wing, toe to the side in the Chicken Paw, then down the moment it clears.
- 6Forward Lean, the North Pole4 screensForward lean is the one positive target that organizes the trail leg, the core, stiffness and the torso at once.
- 7up-DOWN and Straight Lines4 screensThe fastest way from A to B is a straight line. Up, then DOWN, with the emphasis on down.
- 8Stiffness, Pop and Bounce4 screensStiffness is the hurdler's superpower. Pop is good, jump is bad, and the bounce goes forward down the track.
- 9Hitting the Track3 screensHit the track before you hit the track. The effective strike lands slightly behind you and sends you down the track.
- 10What Kills Speed4 screensPole Vault, the Braking Step, back kick, Upward Jumping, swirling. Each one adds time.
- 11The Cue Set and left-left2 screensThree lower-body shapes and one upper-body action, organized around one measured interval.
HURDLING Is One Motion
Analyze the parts to understand them; execute them as one contiguous motion.
One Motion
HURDLING is one smooth, contiguous, clean motion.From entering the cut step to exiting the getaway step.Visible segmentation means the athlete is doing the wrong things.
The Toe Takes Care of Itself
Asked when the toe should turn forward, the founder answered: "Never, if avoidable."As soon as the trail heel clears, push it down.Any forward turn of the foot happens on its own.
Coach notes
- Enough airborne time to arrange the foot forward on purpose is a sign the athlete stayed in flight too long. The founder's statement that this would mean more than half a second in the air is his assertion, pending measurement.
- In small drills the foot may strike while still pointing to the side.
- This is elite hurdling, not beginner hurdling.
INTENT and the Named Steps
Through, Punch, Getaway, Sprint. Each step is named for what it must do, and each one sets up the next hurdle.
The Name Is the Command
INTENT governs the step.Each step's name is the response it must produce.
“Through Step gets through, Punch Step punches the track, and Getaway Step gets away.”
The Loop
Through. Punch. Getaway. Sprint.Then the next Through Step.
- Response
- Send yourself through the hurdle
- Meaning
- Through Step, the intent name for the cut step
- Response
- Stiff, bent lead leg strikes hard
- Meaning
- Punch Step
+1 more cue in notes (N)
Coach notes
- Punch, Getaway and Sprint are not isolated contacts. Their accumulated intent puts the athlete close enough to the next hurdle that the abbreviated Through Step can solve it.
- The founder's illustration: about an inch from the first contact, four inches from the Getaway Step, five from the Sprint Step. Nine inches of deliberate proximity creates the next hurdle problem. These are explanatory numbers, not prescriptions.
More cues
- Response
- Strike down and back and leave the hurdle
- Meaning
- Getaway Step
When the Sprint Step Fails
The Sprint Step is the only step allowed to open into a full sprint cycle.A lackluster Sprint Step leaves the athlete too far from the next hurdle.Then the cut step has to cover ground, and stops being a cut step.
The Cut Step
At hurdle speed there is no time for a full cycle. The cut step is an abbreviated, stiff strike from the hip.
Abbreviated and Stiff
Swing from the hip. Dorsiflex immediately.A very slight knee bend. Brace the whole leg.Punch down hard through a stiff hip, knee and ankle.
Coach notes
- At approach speed the athlete is too fast to complete a full sprint cycle as the last contact before clearance. In full front-side sprint mechanics the heel traces up near the opposite ankle, calf and knee in a bicycle-like cycle; the cut step instead swings more from the hip.
- The founder estimates the cut step uses perhaps 25 percent of a full cycle and may take less than half the time. Those are estimates, not verified thresholds.
The Last Step Shortens
The final step into the hurdle normally shortens compared with the step before it.The illustration: steps grow from about 3 feet to about 6.5 feet, then the cut step comes back to about 6 feet.
Coach notes
- Even when the last two steps are equal, more approach speed forces the cut step to cycle faster. Shortening is a useful indicator, not the only criterion.
- In the pop-through drill the cut step is set about 4 feet from the hurdle.
KU-015KStick the Cut Step Back
Installed without a hurdle: jog, stiff trail leg whacks back, lead leg comes up but stays light.Installed over a hurdle: the pop-through, cut step punched back from about 4 feet.
The Lead Leg
Thigh to chest, bent knee, heel under the hamstring. Then punch down and back out of the angle.
Thigh to Chest
Thigh to chest.Bent lead knee. Heel under the hamstring.Be above the lead knee, on top of it.
- Response
- Lead knee drives high and stays bent
- Meaning
- Lead-leg shape
- Response
- Get above the lead knee
- Meaning
- Position that lets the athlete step down over the hurdle
Punch Step
Bend the knee and punch the track with a stiff lead leg.Do not swing it from the hip with a straight knee.Do not let it drop passively.
Wanted
- bent at the knee
- punches down and back
- punches out of the angle toward the next hurdle
Rejected
- kicks out, then swings down from the hip
- straight knee
- passive drop
Coach notes
- A hard punch does not come from the shoulder alone with a locked elbow. The analogy keeps the whole body in the strike.
- At the 14s the founder watches for the lead leg striking down and back on every one-step, punching out of the angle that sends the athlete to the next hurdle.
The Trail Leg
Heel to butt in the Chicken Wing, toe to the side in the Chicken Paw, then down the moment it clears.
Chicken Wing, Chicken Paw
Chicken Wing: the trail leg folded tight, heel to butt.Chicken Paw: the trail toe points straight to the side, heel-to-toe line level with the ground.
- Response
- Fold the trail leg tight
- Meaning
- Chicken Wing
- Response
- Toe to the side, foot level
- Meaning
- Trail-foot orientation
Down the Moment It Clears
The moment the trail foot clears, with its toe still to the side, it starts dropping.Do not march it all the way to the front.Push the heel down.
- Response
- Start the descent immediately
- Meaning
- Trail-foot drop at clearance
Coach notes
- After clearance, continued rise or travel on a level plane is poor technique in the founder's model.
- Many coaches teach beginners to return to sprint form after the trail leg clears because beginners struggle to three-step. Stay Dangerous diverges here on purpose. The contrast is a methodological disagreement, recorded as such.
Speed Brings It Forward
Swinging the foot to the front, then pushing it down, costs an extra beat.Push it down. Momentum brings it to the right place.This speeds up the trail hip.
“While you are trying to just push your foot down as fast as you can as you come over the hurdle, the momentum is going to bring that foot to the proper position anyway.”
WALK · b5Getaway
Lower the maximally bent trail knee.Release the coil and push the ball of the foot down and back, behind the center of mass.Strike stiff and get away from the hurdle. Bounce down the track.
Forward Lean, the North Pole
Forward lean is the one positive target that organizes the trail leg, the core, stiffness and the torso at once.
The North Pole of Hurdling
Go north.The traveler does not need separate instructions to avoid Australia or Texas.
“The forward lean is the North Pole of hurdling. Go north, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Coach notes
- A well-chosen positive destination organizes direction, preparation and exclusions together. The coach names the North Pole instead of listing every wrong destination.
- "Forward lean" can carry more leverage than separate commands against opening the shoulders, lateral sway, backward rocking, a loose core and slow trail-leg recovery.
KU-015FWhat the Lean Buys
Hips tilted forward: the trail leg gets to the ground faster.Faster trail leg: less flight time.The lean braces the abs and lower back, and bracing makes the whole body stiffer.
Coach notes
- Once a hurdler has enough skill, the objective is to reduce flight time. Forward lean reduces flight time.
- Stair Analogy: a returning foot lands sooner on a stair 1.5 to 2 feet above the lower floor because it travels less distance. The lean makes the track meet the foot sooner, as if it were the higher stair. It is a teaching analogy, not biomechanical proof.
KU-015EFeel It at the Fence
Lean against a fence and cycle the trail leg over a hurdle.Stand upright and do it again.Feel the difference before hearing the explanation.
Coach notes
- This direct contrast is the founder's primary teaching demonstration for forward lean.
KU-015EDon't Be a Slinky
An upright, unbraced hurdler is a slinky shaken from the bottom.The torso rotates, sways side to side, sways front to back, or circles.The lean and the braced core constrain it.
- Response
- Tilt forward from the hips
- Meaning
- The North Pole target
- Response
- Tighten abs and lower back
- Meaning
- Bracing raises whole-body stiffness
+1 more cue in notes (N)
up-DOWN and Straight Lines
The fastest way from A to B is a straight line. Up, then DOWN, with the emphasis on down.
DOWN Is in Capitals
up-DOWN.Up and then down. Down is the emphasis.
“Down is in all caps. You can put up in lowercase, but it's up and then down, up and then down, down is emphasized.”
Coach notes
- The founder nominated up-down as a capitalized concept of his own and specified the typography: up in lowercase, DOWN in capitals.
- At the ABCs, "down" becomes the only cue.
WALK · b7The up-DOWN Shape
Wrist in line with the elbow.Knee in line with the ankle.Good forward lean. Straight lines.
Coach notes
- Going over the hurdle the foot is not curled to the inside or swung wide to the outside. The whole action is attempted in a straight line.
Open
- Ambiguity The transcript reads "Your wrists aren't together, and your elbows are poking out" inside the list of what the shape is; whether that describes the fault or the form is not clear from the wording.
WALK · b7Not Swirling, Not Twirling
The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line.Make straight lines with the body: up-down-up-down-up-down.
“We're not swirling, we're not twirling, and we're not hurtling.”
Discipline
Discipline is the up-DOWN shape.The athlete is not allowed to lose it, at any speed.
- Response
- Hold the shape while going faster
- Meaning
- Shape integrity under speed
Coach notes
- Discipline is the founder's name for shape integrity held under rising speed. It is how a shape survives the trip into the race.
WALK · b7Stiffness, Pop and Bounce
Stiffness is the hurdler's superpower. Pop is good, jump is bad, and the bounce goes forward down the track.
The Hurdler Superpower
Stiffness is the hurdler's superpower.Replace big effortful motions with micro-steps and micro-motions.Same task, less time on the ground.
- Response
- Brace and spring off the ground
- Meaning
- First invariant set
Pop Is Good. Jump Is Bad.
Pop: short, quick, efficient ground contacts.Upward Jumping: run, plant, launch, big motions to clear the hurdle.Jump is a bad word.
- Response
- Short, quick, efficient contact
- Meaning
- Positive word for the contact the method wants
Wanted
- Pop
- stiff micro-steps
- minimal ground time
- forward bounce
Rejected
- plant
- countermovement
- launch
- broad arm swing
- torque
Keep the Foot Dorsiflexed
Arrive dorsiflexed, not toe-down.Toe-down landings are squishy: the heel has to travel to neutral before push-off.That rolling contact costs time.
Smaller Motion, Faster Rhythm
More speed comes from smaller motion and more stiffness.
- Kindergarten ropeone and two and three and four extra bounce between counts
- Double Dutchone, two, three, four no extra count
- Boxer ropesmall wrist action replaces broad arm motion
- Advanced Double Dutch0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 half-count rhythm
Coach notes
- This is a rhythm and stiffness analogy, not a timing protocol or a literal hurdle cadence.
KU-015XHitting the Track
Hit the track before you hit the track. The effective strike lands slightly behind you and sends you down the track.
Hit the Track Before You Hit the Track
Act as if the track were an inch or two higher than it is.Maximum-force intent starts above the ground.Gravity does none of the work.
“I tell my athletes to hit the track before they hit the track.”
Coach notes
- Fast hurdling and sprinting have a distinct sound because the athlete forces the ball of the foot into the track. The heel does not touch. The foot punches back with intent.
- The founder listens for that sound. Sound alone does not prove the mechanism; super slow-motion film shows intent, approach, shin orientation and force direction better than stills.
- The one-to-two-inch target is coaching imagery, not a measured displacement.
KU-015GWhack the Track Back
During acceleration, especially after hurdle one, do not just strike down beneath the body.Whack the track back. Hit behind you.The effective strike lands slightly behind you, at the proper angles.
- Response
- Drive the strike backward
- Meaning
- Backward strike direction during acceleration
- Response
- Land the force behind the body
- Meaning
- Felt target that organizes a real down-and-back strike
Real versus Feel
Some instructions are felt, not literal."Screw your feet into the ground" on a deadlift: the feet do not literally screw in, but the action organizes.Judge the cue by the real movement it produces.
What Kills Speed
Pole Vault, the Braking Step, back kick, Upward Jumping, swirling. Each one adds time.
The Pole Vault
The cut step starts too far from the hurdle.The hip swing expands into a full or reaching step, landing ahead of the center of mass.The planted leg vaults the athlete over.
The Braking Step
A contact ahead of the center of mass slows the athlete like a car brake.It is the cardinal sin.Through hurdles one to three, every ground contact belongs behind the center of mass.
More Ways to Lose Time
Back kick kills speed.Jump is a bad word.No swirling, no twirling.Arms flying out to the sides like a T, like an airplane, bleed forward momentum.
Wanted
- frontside mechanics
- Pop
- straight lines
- arms tucked, sprint arms
Rejected
- back kick kills speed
- Upward Jumping
- swirling, twirling
- arms out to the sides like an airplane
The Scorecard
Total flight time across the hurdles.Total ground-contact time across the race.
Coach notes
- The founder proposes these two cumulative measures as the race's scorecard and the way to expose Pole Vault cost. Definitions, instruments and reliability still need to be set.
- The claim that inaccurate takeoff doubles or more than doubles clearance-related contact time is unverified.
Open
- Unresolved How accumulated flight and ground-contact time are to be measured.
KU-015ABThe Cue Set and left-left
Three lower-body shapes and one upper-body action, organized around one measured interval.
The Whole Cue Set
Thigh to chest. Heel to butt. Forward lean.The Mike Tyson for the arms.All measured as left-left.
| Part | Cue |
|---|---|
| Lead leg | thigh to chest, bent knee, heel under the hamstring |
| Trail leg | heel to butt, chicken paw toe pointing to the side |
| Posture | forward lean |
| Upper body at H1 | the Mike Tyson |
| Measured unit | left-left |
left-left
The flight runs trail leg, cut step, lead leg, touchdown.What gets measured is left-left.Make it violent, powerful and fast, with good form.
“The Mike Tyson is the arm action that goes along with the left-left action.”
Coach notes
- left-left appears to name the interval between consecutive contacts of the same foot across the clearance. The founder has not yet defined which foot "left" denotes for a given athlete.
Open
- Needs the founder Definition of left-left for athletes who lead with the other leg, and the measuring method.