Who wants to run the 200m faster?

I think the key to running in any race well is to stretch your leg muscles first, especially the front and back part of the thigh for sprinters. Then take a warm up jog around the track, focus on getting your legs to feel loose. On the back stretch of the track, while jogging, focus on lifting your knees in a comfortable jog, and as you come around the second curve, focus on pumping your arms around it.

If you want to be better than most sprinters then you must understand this concept, perfecting your technique in sprinting will improve your speed. To measure your progress, set your objective on bettering your best, not on beating someone in particular.

There are four phases to sprinting the 200m, they are; the start, the top of the curve, running down hill from the top of the curve and, running the flat 100m.

The Start:

Standing Starts: If you are taking a standing start do this.

1.) Place one leg out in front of the other.

2.) If your right foot is out front, hold your right hand and arm behind you and set your left arm and hand in front of you. Throw your right arm forward and left arm back to start.

3.) Do the reverse of 2, if your left foot is forward.

Starting Block Position: If you are down on one knee at the start, with or without starting blocks, do this.

1.) Set your starting block position down as close to the right hand side of your lane as possible.

2.) Get into the set position by placing both hands comfortably behind the starting line. Have your hands open and have your thumbs facing each other.

3.) When the starter says set, raise your hips to where it feels like it is shooting a straight line to the finish line. This is very important; never raise your hips all the way up.

4.) When you feel comfortable in this position, take a deep breath and hold it until the gun goes off. If you are in blocks, push out with both feet, not just one.

5.) Important! When the gun goes off which hand should come up first? If your right knee is up when you get into the starting block position, then your right hand comes up first and your left hand moves backwards.

6.) The reverse is true for number 4, if your left knee is up, then left hand is up first.

The Top of The Curve:

Your objective when leaving the blocks is to get to the top of the curve at top speed. There is not much thinking going on at this point.

Running Down Hill From The Top of The Curve: Leaning around the curve.

Once at the top of the curve, think of yourself as running down hill while leaning to your left.

If you are in lanes 1, 2 or, 3, leaning while running around the curve is quite difficult and will restrict your running speed and stride. There is a little known way to compensate for this restriction in speed by using a technique called the “T” torque. This is how it is done.

Stand and spread your arms and legs out as though you were doing the jumping jack exercise. Hold your arms and legs in that position. Twist your shoulders, from your waist up, to the left so your right shoulder is center in front of you. Next drop your elbows into a running position. This is your body position while running the curve in a “T” torque position. It will look like your legs will be running forward while your body is running sideways.

Your head is turned to the left and your hand position becomes extremely important. The hands must be open like a knife. Your right hand and arm is moving up and down towards the football field. The left hand must graze your bottom as your hand goes past it. This is because when you are running the curves very fast, the left heel of your left foot comes up very close to your bottom. It leaves just enough room for your open left hand to slip in and out of that space. If your left hand is too far out or in a closed fist position, it will hit your left foot and cause you to break stride. (Game Over)

To maximize your speed in lane 1, lean your right shoulder into the curve some. By doing this you will find that you can run easier and as fast as you want to in lane one. The torque in your waist causes your right leg rotation to easily follow the curve of the track in an almost natural way. Focus on bringing your left knee straight up and down while running the curve. If you are running in lane 2 or 3, do not twist your torque as hard to the left when running the curve. The twist in your stomach may feel strange at first, but in time you won’t even notice it.

In coming out of the curve in the “T” torque position, as you are approaching the straight away, you must begin to twist your shoulders back to the right into the standard way of sprinting on the straight away. Think of yourself as bringing your plane around to land it.

The Last 100m:

This is where the good separate from the not as good. Holding top speed past this point takes technique. If you are beginning to feel stiff and start to jerk at this point, you have not been relax