Things learned over 20 years in sharpening the 40 yard dash

SFAS, INC. SHARPENING THE 40 YARD DASH       

            The easiest area of improvement in the 40 yard dash lies in the first ten yards. The first 5 yards should comprise about 3 steps. This is accomplished not by reaching with the fron leg but by PUSHING into the ground. The next 5 yard segment should comprise about 2-3 more steps. Obviously anatomy and leg power factor into this. The absolute biggest mistake we see athletes performing is muscling their way through a 40. You want to be completely relaxed with loose fists and upper body. Think glide, not run somebody over.

 START

• Place your stronger leg in front, quick leg to the rear.
• From a kneeling position, place the stronger foot forward about 3-6 inches behind the start
• With the knee of the back leg on the ground, there should be anywhere from a fist’s distance to no distance(varies) between your knee and front foot toes
• Extend your arm that is opposite your front leg to the start line. Make a firm triangle with the hand on the ground.The other arm is back by thigh or hip bent at elbow slightly above torso
• Raise your butt so that the angle at the front knee is about 90 degrees and the back knee angle is about120 degrees
• Most of your weight is on the legs with more emphasis on the front leg. The weight on the front leg is anywhere from 80-95%.The butt is slightly higher than the shoulders.

 

INITIAL OUT OF THE START

• Stay relaxed and drive out of the start position with both legs. Most from the front, some from the back. This is where athletes will differ in the ability to utilize this approach. Some do better with most all of the force coming from the front leg. Track guys like to utilize some from the back leg.
• This whole process is a controlled dive.
• Keep low, relaxed and with a torso angle of 45 degrees or so with the ground
• Do not overstride initially. Get repeated forces into the ground, not loping strides.

 

ACCELERATION PHASE

• Relaxed with arms pumping by sides, not across body
• Still a slight lean, coming up to speed
• Do not try to run full speed instantly, top speed can only be maintained for a second or so and the best 40 times are turned in when you finish accelerating through the finish line, not decelerating. You can’t really reach top speed in this distance, anyway.

 

STRIDE PHASE

• Elbows at 90 degrees
• Hands go from mouth area midline to hips during pumping
• High front knee action with fully extended rear leg

 

OTHER KEYS

• Make sure you are warmed up before the time trial. I have had guys drive 3 hours, jump out of their car and run less than 15 minutes later.
• If you are weight training right now, make sure that you taper before the tryout so that you have fully recovered legs. 48-72 hours rest for the legs would be great. You should also have been in a power cycle of training, no high repetition for the legs.

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