Electric Hurdles
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7-14-21

Three phases, three themes. One-step overs for power, electric overs for speed.

Founder method
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01Teach from here

Where the 7 Comes From

Seven of the founder's own foot lengths, heel to toe.About 8 feet between hurdles.He dropped a cone every seven, about ten cones down the track.

Coach notes
  • The counts use the founder's own feet, so they are not literal universal measurements. Seven founder paces translate to roughly eight feet.
  • In this block the founder also says "each 7 ft." The governing reading from canon is seven paces, roughly eight feet.

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  • Ambiguity "About 8 ft apart" and "each 7 ft" both appear in the 7 description.
SourcesWALK · b7; KU-015AO; KU-015AE
02Teach from here

The 7: up-DOWN

Wrist in line with elbow. Knee in line with ankle.Good forward lean. Straight lines.Do not curl the foot inside or swing it wide.

“The whole point of the 7 is up-down.”
SourcesWALK · b7
Coach notes
  • Two passes: one-step overs at the sevens, then electric overs at the sevens.
  • To make a one-step happen, get on and off the ground as fast as possible with good force heading into it.
  • Hurdle height at the 7s depends on the time of year. "That's not as important as what we're trying to get out of it."
SourcesWALK · b7
03Teach from here

The 14: Lead Leg

Lead leg strikes down and back on every one-step.Bent at the knee, then punch down and out of the angle.That angle sends you to the next hurdle.

“14s are all about lead leg. I want to see that lead leg strike down and back on every one-step descending into the next hurdle.”
SourcesWALK · b8
Coach notes
  • Rejected: the lead leg kicking out and swinging down from the hip.
  • Four contacts over four hurdles at 14-step spacing, roughly 16 feet.
  • The founder started to say trail leg and corrected himself in the same breath: the 14s are about the lead leg.
  • On the one-steps you go for power; on the electrics you go for speed.
SourcesWALK · b8
04Teach from here

The 21: Pop-Throughs and left-left

The pop-through: the founder's best drill.Punch the cut step back from about 4 feet, cycle over fast, hit hard on the far side.The theme of the 21s is left-left.

“It's called the pop-through. ... what I feel is the best drill in our arsenal, and the drill we need to focus on more than any other drill.”
SourcesWALK · b9
Coach notes
  • Jogging pop-through: twinkle-toe up to the hurdle, not fast. Cut step set at about 4 feet from the hurdle. Punch it back, cycle over as fast as possible, hit really hard on the other side; with the proper angles it propels you to the next hurdle. The rep ends when the trail leg has hit hard. Run up on the next hurdle, stop, back it up, jog in again, one hurdle at a time.
  • Marching pop-through, harder because there is no momentum: start about 7 feet from the hurdle, march the lead leg; lead-trail-lead, so on the fourth contact the trail is the cut step, and that cut step from 4 feet sends you through. Stiff cut step; watch the up-downs.
  • left-left: the flight runs trail leg, cut step, to lead leg, touchdown; what is measured is left-left, made as violent, powerful and fast as possible with good form.

Open on this screen

  • Unresolved The 21 spacing in feet was not stated.
  • Needs the founder Which foot "left" denotes, whether the term flips for the other lead leg, and how left-left is measured.
SourcesWALK · b9
05Teach from here

The 7-14-21 at a Glance

7: up-DOWN. 14: lead leg. 21: left-left.

PhaseSpacingThemePasses
7about 8 ft (seven founder paces)up-DOWNone-step overs, then electric overs
14about 16 ftLead legone-step (power), then electric (speed)
21not statedleft-leftjogging and marching pop-throughs
7-14-21
Coach notes
  • The 14 doubles the 7 cleanly: seven founder paces at about 8 feet, fourteen at about 16. If the 21 follows the same pattern it would be about 24 feet; that is arithmetic, not a founder statement.
SourcesWALK · b7; WALK · b8; WALK · b9

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