Electric Hurdles
Hub / HURDLING / 5

The Trail Leg

Heel to butt in the Chicken Wing, toe to the side in the Chicken Paw, then down the moment it clears.

Founder method
Teach this lesson T Trackside cues
01Teach from here

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.

Heel to butt.
Response
Fold the trail leg tight
Meaning
Chicken Wing
SourcesWALK · b9
Chicken paw.
Response
Toe to the side, foot level
Meaning
Trail-foot orientation
SourcesKU-015Q; WALK · b5
Coach notes
  • The deliberately silly names burn the shapes into memory.
  • The founder proposes that a level, sideways foot allows a lower clearance than a toe pointing down. The clearance effect is unmeasured.
SourcesKU-015Q; GLOSS
02Teach from here

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.

Push the heel down.
Response
Start the descent immediately
Meaning
Trail-foot drop at clearance
SourcesKU-015I
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.
SourcesKU-015H; KU-015I
03Teach from here

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.”
SourcesWALK · b5
SourcesWALK · b5
04Teach from here

Getaway

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.

Coach notes
  • A passive leg drop and straight-down sprint mechanics are incorrect in the founder's model. Clean exit is active down-and-back propulsion, completed in a flash.
SourcesKU-015M; KU-015R

Related

  • Fence Hurdle Drills -- Three essential trail-leg drills, a conditional lead-leg drill, and two cues: heel to butt and thigh to chest.
  • HURDLING Is One Motion -- Analyze the parts to understand them; execute them as one contiguous motion.

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