Supplemental Hurdle Drills and Exercises
Power Loop (about 9”) choose either light or medium resistance. You can find these at Amazon, Big5 or Dicks for $8-$10. The below exercises can be done daily, perhaps after your morning run.
Of the above, the left one is the most important as it simulates knee drive into the hurdle (lead with the knee). Do 3 sets of 10 on each leg, perhaps 5 days a week. Be sure your thigh gets to parallel with the ground and that you lift your toe (or the band will fall off!) The left exercise is actually what some call the ‘C’ movement. We don’t include this in our daily warmup but it is good for your hip flexor. If you purchase a band, you will probably get a booklet with exercises. All are great to do but the first one is most important to keeping your hurdle strength going.
Rain Dance. This is like an A skip in place. Basically you pogo up and down on one leg and drive the knee up and down (thigh to parallel with ground and lift toe). Include this with the sprint drill section of your afternoon workout. 2 sets of 10 each leg.
Fence drill #1. This like a B skip that finishes with your foot into the fence. JUST NOT TOO HARD INTO THE FENCE TO DAMAGE IT. We are just simulating the idea of knee drive into the hurdle with ultimately extending the foot past the hurdle. Include this with the sprint drill section of your afternoon workout. 2 sets of 10 each leg.
This video demonstrates both rain dance and fence drill #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OV2eCxF5vY
Fence drill #2. You guessed it! Yes, this is for trail leg. Grab the fence with 2 hands and perform your trail leg movement while pretending that the hurdle is there. See how many things you can remember: hips tall, chest up, eyes forward, toe up and foot turned out, foot high and tight to body, finish with knee to armpit with toe and foot in front of you with hips square at finish. Phew! Include this with the sprint drill section of your afternoon workout. 2 sets of 10 each leg.
This video demonstrates both the power loop exercise and the fence drill #2. Note that for this version of the fence drill, the athlete is using ankle weights and you can certainly try this if you have them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3IjEvhcNg
Rhythm drills with Cones you can still do the 1 step to 3 step drill with just cones (or some other marker – perhaps 1 foot sections of PVC cut up (real cheap)). Here is a 10 cone set up: Using shoes for spacing, set 5 cones 6 shoes apart, the next five cones are set up at 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 shoes apart. So now you know what to do: 1 step over the first 5 cones and 3 step over the next 5. Do 3 sets each leg (6 reps total). Include this on your plyometric day and your sprint speed day and perhaps one other day (so 3 times a week).
Finally keep up with your specialized stretching such as the hurdlers hurdle stretch (like the one we do before practice but now your back leg is in the trail leg position. Be careful and don’t force this one! Also do the hip flexor stretch we have done with elbows on the ground. And be sure to spend extra attention to your hamstring stretches. As a hurdler, you really have to spend extra time stretching!!!
And one more thing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFqL-lAud0k&t=8s
This is a link to one of my favorite videos: Sally Person 2012 Gold Medal in London. Simply the most perfect hurdler.