Having a good knee drive during sprinting can help increase your speed as well as prevent injuries caused by poor posture. A knee drive is propelling yourself forward using your knee. Proper knee drives aren't just important to competitive sprinters; they are also helpful to casual sprinters and those who sprint for exercise.
Identification
Sprinting is a competitive athletic run that includes all distances under 400 meters. In addition to competitive sprinting, many people sprint for weight loss or other health-related reasons such as cardiovascular strengthening and bone strengthening. Although sprinting seems easy enough, sprinting incorrectly can increase your risk of foot or leg injuries. However, simple techniques you can incorporate into your sprinting can reduce these risks.
Sprinting Technique
When sprinting competitively, a coach will look for four actions: tall, relaxed, smooth and drive. A tall action means sprinting erect on the balls of your feet. A relaxed action means sprinting with ease while all movements are fluid and relaxed. A smooth action is moving forward while sprinting, almost as if you are flowing across the ground instead of bouncing up and down. A drive is when you sprint by pushing off your rear leg and rear elbow while keeping the front knee high during the sprint. Perfecting your knee drive will propel your body forward faster during the sprint.
Knee Drive Importance
The knee drive is important to sprinters, but it is also important in other competitive sports that require running, such as football and soccer. The knee drive is often isolated as a drill to practice before taking part in the sport. A knee drive drill is used to strengthen and perfect the knee drive. According to 90 Strong, the knee drive is an excellent drill to increase speed and acceleration. Perform the knee drive drill by placing your front foot on a 4-inch jump box with your knee bent. Keep your other leg behind you and extended. Quickly switch to the other side while driving your knee up toward your chest each time your back leg comes forward. Repeat this action by alternating sides each time as quickly as you can .
Considerations
If you are unsure about how to perform a knee drill correctly, ask a fitness instructor or your coach. Performing them incorrectly could cause an ankle sprain or calf muscle injury. Start slowly when doing knee drive drills and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable.
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