Hurdle & Sprint
Technical coaching for hurdles and sprints
About Lenorë Lambert
Masters athlete
Coach
Currently coached by Andreas Behm at Altis (USA) who coached Aries Merritt to break the Mens sprint hurdles World Record in 2012. The record still stands.
Coached by Jana Pittman for two years
Multiple times World Champion - sprint hurdles, long hurdles, heptathlon
Member of World Record breaking 4 x 100m relay team
Numerous Australian and NSW Records in hurdles and jumps
Numerous World Championship medals in sprints, hurdles, high jump, long jump, multi-events and relays
Coached hurdles for Little Athletics (Manly Warringah) in 2022 and 2023 season - many athlete PBs
Designed and ran Little Athletics (Manly Warringah) Technical Training program in 2022/23 which achieved its best competitive season
Coached Junior Boys 4 x 100m relay team to State title
Decades of experience as an Executive Coach
Athletics Australia accredited
Learning proper form
There are many myths circulating about how to sprint and hurdle well. Here are a few common ones:
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sprint up on your toes
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get into a nice rhythm between hurdles
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lean forward when you sprint
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get high over the hurdle
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sprinting is all about leg speed
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float over the hurdles
These instructions often come from well intended parents who are reaching back into their memories for what their PE teacher told them in high school, or from coaches/PE teachers who haven't updated their knowedge for a while.
There's a whole science to good sprinting and hurdling form and this science has progressed a lot in the last 10-20 years!
Judging by the instructions flying around many tracks, a lot of people don't realise this. Inadvertently, these well-intended people are setting kids off with bad habits that will need to be undone at some point if they're to reach their potential.
Learn good technique!
Everyone comes to athletics with their own intuitive approach to these activities. Some elements might be helpful, others are not. Indeed some practices (e.g. planting your foot in front of your body) are literally applying the brakes! It's much easier to learn good form at the outset than to have to unlearn bad habits that already have momentum.
But of course, even if those habits have already formed, they can be changed - it may just take a little more time depending on how quickly the athlete learns.
Athletes of any age are welcome. All you need is reasonable body awareness and control, the desire to learn, and the commitment to practice. With these ingredients we can get you hurdling and sprinting as well as your body is able to.