Sprint Starts

In the sprinting events, there is a need to have an efficient start. On this page, we look at the standing, crouch and block starts and the correct positions for the "On your marks" and "Set" positions.

Standing Start

	*On Your Marks* The foot is placed up to the starting line but not on it. The feet are about shoulder-width apart to obtain a well-balanced position. The weight is distributed so that about 2/3rds of the weight is on the front foot.
	Bend the knees and lean forward. Arms synchronised with the legs - in this case, left foot forward and right arm forward. Back, neck and head inline. Remain motionless.

Crouch 4-point Start

On Your Marks

Place the left foot behind the line
Place the right foot behind the left
Remove the left foot and place the left knee adjacent to the right ankle
The toe of the left foot should be turned under
Hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width
Arms should be straight but not locked at the elbow
The fingers must be behind the line
The fingers should form a bridge, with the thumbs pointing toward one another
When viewed from the side, the shoulder should be above the start line
The head and neck should be in line with the spine

Set

Hips raised to a position slightly higher than the shoulders
There should be an angle of 90 degrees at the front knee
There should be an angle of 120 degrees on the rear knee
When viewed from the side, the shoulder should be above the start line
The head and neck should be in line with the spine
Remain motionless

40 Yard Dash 3 point Start

Place your stronger leg, usually the leg you jump off with, in front.
From a kneeling position, place the left (stronger) foot forward so that the edges of your toes are approximately 16 to 20 inches behind the starting line
With the knee of your back leg on the ground, position it alongside the ball of your front foot with a 4 to 6-inch space (fist) between the legs
Extending your right arm out just behind the line, raise your hips to a position where the angle of the front leg is about 90 degrees, and the angle of the rear leg is about 120 degrees
The right hand should be extended up onto the fingertips with the fingers spread
The left arm should rest on the thigh of the left leg or in a position behind the body as if in a running position.
Assume a relaxed position with most of your body weight on the legs and a small amount of your weight on the extended front arm
The power at the start comes from your legs, not your arm, so do not lean too far forward so that too much weight is on your arm

Block starts

On Your Marks

Blocks correctly positioned in the lane (200m/400m at a tangent to the curve)
Correct distances from the start line to the front and rear blocks
Foot blocks at the correct angles
Blocks firmly located on the track
Feet correctly located in the blocks
Fingers behind the line and form a high bridge
Hands evenly positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width
Shoulders back and vertically above or slightly forward of the hands
Arms straight but not locked at the elbows
Head and neck in line with the spine
Eyes focused on the track (1 to 2 metres ahead)
Gentle breathing
Face and neck muscles relaxed

Set

Hold the breath
Hips rise slowly to a position above the shoulders
Head and neck in line with the spine
Eyes focused on the track one or two metres ahead
Shoulders vertically above or slightly forward of the hands
Front leg knee angle approx. 90 degrees
Rear leg knee angle approx. 120 degrees
Feet pushed hard back into the blocks

Types of sprint starts

There are three types of sprint starts:

Bunch or Bullet start -
The toes of the rear foot are approximately level with the front foot's heel, and both feet are placed well back from the starting line.
Medium start - the knee of the rear leg is placed opposite a point in the front half of the front foot.
Elongated start - the knee of the rear leg is level with or slightly behind the front foot's heel.

Research by Henry (1952)^[2] and Sigerseth & Grinaker (1962)^[3] supports the medium start as being the one that offers the most advantage to the sprinter. Compared to the other two starts, the medium start allows the sprinter to exert a higher force against the blocks for the longest possible time, producing the maximum impulse so that the athlete leaves the blocks with the highest possible velocity.

Right foot forward or left?

A question often asked regarding starting blocks is, "which foot should be in the rear block?" Eikenberry et al. (2008)^[1] discovered that when:

the left foot was in the rear block, reaction time was better
the right foot was in the rear block movement and total response time was better - the time from the stimulus (gun) until the end of the movement

The results suggest that the right foot in the rear block will produce a more powerful drive from the blocks. Perhaps a way forward would be to evaluate the athlete's times over the first ten metres for both start positions to determine which produces the best acceleration phase for the athlete.

References

EIKENBERRY, A. et al. (2008) Starting with the "right" foot minimizes sprint start time. Acta Psychol (Amst), 127 (2), p. 495-500
Henry, F.M. (1952) Force-time characteristics of the sprint start. Research Quarterly, 23, p. 301-318
SIGERSETH, P.O. and GRINAKER, V.F. (1962) Effect of foot spacing on velocity in sprints. Research Quarterly, 1962

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2001) Sprint Starts [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/sprints/starts.htm [Accessed