Sprinting Form

[Running4it]

Do you have any drills for sprinters with bad form? Mainly concerning flaring arms.

[George Payan]

Elbows stay close to the body. Arms act independently from the shoulders as though the upper arm were connected by a pin to the shoulder and were free to move. The path of the arm swing opposite to the front knee is downward and backward (elbow angle continues to open as the hand approaches the hip region, then begins to close as it passes the hip). The other arm swings forward and upward (elbow angle continues to close). The arm action matches the opposite leg action in force and range of motion. The arm action actually leads the legs at the beginning of each stroke, then synchronizes. A high quality drive is only possible when the arms are in tune with legs.