Adarian Barr Sprint Masterclass: Acceleration Mechanics and Drills

Adarian Barr Sprint Masterclass: 5 Effective Methods for Teaching Sprint Acceleration

Why is there such a massive difference in the way that we traditionally teach and coach acceleration (long levers, big push, linear action), and how athletes accelerate in team sport, as well as how elite sprinters actually accelerate from a block start, or 3-point position?

If you’ve seen these elite athletes sprint and accelerate, you may have asked the questions:

· Why all the twisting and torque? My coach always taught me to move in a straight line, so what gives?

· How and why do these athlete’s shins “drop” after first ground contact? Shouldn’t we “stomp”, or “punch” the ground, and just try for stiffness like the mechanical models tell us?

· Why are the fastest accelerators first steps not as long as possible? My coach told me to really “triple extend” as hard as I could to get more push out of the blocks…

At the end of the day, fast accelerators are moving in a harmonious, natural, and extremely explosive manner, that gives them an advantage over their peers.

And this acceleration can be taught.

In the latest sprint masterclass, Adarian Barr teaches us the following:

· Key principles to fast sprint acceleration

· Where traditional acceleration cues, although well-intentioned, can have negative side-effects

· Means and methods to build strong natural sprint acceleration, based on practices of elite natural athletes, that hit rhythmic and rotational checkmarks