COMPLETE TRACK AND FIELD
STARTING BLOCKS
CHEAT SHEET
SETUP Quick Power
1. Establish ‘quick 5. Front and back
side’ (back block) pedals should be
and ‘power side’ at lowest setting,
(front block). or, the back
block should be
2. Cross arms. 3. Back Block: 4. Front Block: up one setting.
The hand that’s Roughly three foot Roughly two foot Front block is
tucked underneath lengths from the lengths from the always at the
is the ‘quick side’. starting line. starting line. lowest setting.
MENTAL/PHYSICAL PREP
1. Establish a 2. Two to three
consistent routine explosive, in-place
for entering the vertical jumps.
blocks. Be the Tuck jumps are
second slowest commmon.
to get set.
3 4 5
ON YOUR MARK
1. Top/front spike 2. Thumbs directly 3. Shoulders directly
should touch track beneath the above the hands.
and balls of feet shoulders and Don’t lean over the
should press against evenly spaced starting line or
the pedals. from your body’s athlete may
mid line. Don’t use stumble out of
entire lane. blocks.
5. Back block knee is 6. Front block knee 7. Front block shin is 8. Head is neutral,
on the ground and gently touches (kisses) parallel to the track. making neck and
four to six inches inside of forearm back of head a
ahead of front of front block arm. linear extension of
block foot. the spine. Don’t tuck
chin or look down
the track.
Kiss Test
SET
1. Front block knee 2. Back block knee 3. Pre-tension in 4. Shoulders above
is approximately is approximately glutes and the hands.
90 degrees. The 120 degrees. hamstrings applying
angle can be force into the
greater than 90 for blocks. Think ‘wrap
younger/lower- 120 the heals around
level athletes but the pedals’.
never over 90.
5. Shins parallel. 6. Focus only on the
chosen motor set,
i.e., ‘split arms’, Don’t lean
‘block the sun’,
‘push down and
back’, etc.
forward!
GO
GET “COMPLETE SPEED TRAINING 2:
HOW TO BUILD CHAMPION SPRINTERS.”
©Complete Track and Field
