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A Beginners Guide to the Steeplechase

Photo from: http://0.tqn.com/d/trackandfield/1/0/i/1//-/action-WaterJump.jpg

Colin Anderson Thomas Luff Alex Ortega

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Stretches..5

Drills.7

Hurdling.................................................................................................................................9

Troubleshooting/Closing Remarks...12

Introduction
This is a manual to instruct high school runners on how to run the steeplechase. The steeplechase is a racing event with a rich history. It originated in the British Isles, where people ran from one towns steeple to the next. On the way they had to jump over obstacles and run through streams. Since the inception of the modern Olympics, the Steeplechase has been an event. Now the steeplechase is run in all levels of track, from the high school level to the Olympics. The race is different lengths depending on the level of the competitors. The Olympic event is a 3000 meter race, while most junior events such as the one that high school age runners would run are generally 2000 meters. The race consists of four barriers similar to hurdles, and one water jump. The water jump is a unique feature to the steeplechase, and is detailed in the diagram below:

(http://steeplechics.com/facequip.php?drawing=2) The difference between the water jump and a normal hurdle is most runners will step on the top of the hurdle and use it to propel themselves over most of the water. This will be explained in more detail later in the instruction set. This instruction set will consist of four steps:

1) 2) 3) 4)

Stretches Drills Hurdling Water jump

This instruction set is meant for high school runners without access to proper steeple chase training. Some states do not offer the steeplechase as an organized event. We suggest that runners who cannot compete in the steeplechase through their high school enter an outside track and field competition, such as the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. http://www.nationalscholastic.org/nbon For this instruction set to be successful in helping athletes train for the steeplechase, they should have an area to do the workouts. The ideal space for this is an outdoor track with access to hurdles. It is also important to have a water jump to practice on. Many colleges and universities allow public access to their track and field facilities, and almost all will provide hurdles to use. The only issue that one may encounter when trying to train for steeplechase is that the water pit may not be filled for parts of the year. A list of necessary materials is provided below: Athletic attire Running shoes Steeplechase racing flats Access to outdoor track Hurdles

Stretches
Preparation: Before you begin these steeplechase-specific stretches and drills, you should properly warm up as if you were warming up for a normal workout on the track. You should perform these exercises in order to properly learn the hurdling technique.

Warning
Steeplechase drills can result in pulled or torn muscles. Also, in this instruction set, we are using hurdles that fall over if you hit them. In the actual steeplechase race, the barrier is planted to the ground and will not move if you hit it. This can result in serious injury.

1. The L-7 Stretch: This stretch is used by college coaches all across the country to introduce the hurdling technique to distance athletes. After your standard warmup, this should be your first new stretch. Position yourself on the ground, with one leg extended straight out forward and the other curled out to the side. The pictures below demonstrate the proper technique:

L-7 Stretch: Side View

L-7 Stretch: Front View

2. Moving L-7 Stretch: Once you feel somewhat comfortable in that position, move your arms as if you were in a normal running stride, and every several arm movements position your arms as if you were actually going over a hurdle. Move your arm opposite your straight leg out as you lean forward, and move your other arm behind you at a right angle. This movement is demonstrated below:

Moving L-7 Stretch: Front View

Moving L-7 Stretch: Side View

Drills
3. Lead Leg Drill:

After doing the stationary L-7 stretches, you are ready to move on to the dynamic wall drills.

For this drill, move the barrier so that it is right up against a wall. Next, walk back about 10 meters from the hurdle. In sets of 10 for each leg, walk up to the hurdle and force your leg over the hurdle as if you were kicking the wall.
Walking up to hurdle

Position your grounded foot about 1 meter from the barrier before you move your opposite leg over the hurdle. This helps to simulate taking off over the hurdles.

Proper Lead Leg Drill Technique

4. Trail Leg Drill:

Position the hurdle so that it is about 2 feet from the wall. Stand with your hips even with the barrier.

Hip Positioning

Next, move your inside leg over the hurdle, making sure your leg is perpendicular to the barrier.

Bringing inside leg over

Finally, follow through, with your leg in front of you at a right angle as shown below. Practice with each leg in sets of 10 repetitions.

Following through

Hurdling:
Now you are ready to finally clear a hurdle. Place a hurdle on a straight stretch of the track and give yourself about 40 meters of space to run up.

For your first attempt, do not try to run at race pace over the hurdle. Run up to the hurdle and jump over it, remembering to force your lead leg over like step 3, and bring your trail leg over it like step 4.

With these steps in mind, along with the flexibility gained from the L-7 stretch, you will have efficient form to clear the hurdle. A mid-air picture of hurdling is shown below:

Mid-air hurdling technique

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The Water Jump

Here you will learn how to properly clear the water pit. By correctly clearing the water pit, you can gain a huge advantage on other racers. The most important concept of the water jump is to attack it! By increasing you pace and thinking past the water pit, it becomes much easier to clear this obstacle.

Important Note
You should only begin to practice the water jump once you have 3-4 sessions of hurdling practice under your belt. Also, for this portion of training, use your steeplechase specific racing spikes

Step 1: Roughly 25 meters before the water jump begin to increase your pace. This will make jumping the long distance of the water pit easier.

Increase your pace in the run-up

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When approaching the water jump, give yourself some distance from either edge of the barrier. This will help prevent being pushed off the side from other competitors.

Step 2: Once roughly 2 meters from the barrier, jump off and land with your lead foot on top of the barrier (as shown in the picture). Be sure to raise you trail leg enough that it doesnt clip the barrier and cause you to fall.

Proper foot positioning on the barrier

Step 3: Once in this position you are able to use your barrier foot to push off and clear the water pit. Be sure to try to hit the ground running by landing with one foot.

Note: The water pit is only a small part of the event, and you need to be ready to race directly after clearing the pit.

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Troubleshooting
If you find that there are no hurdles at the track or if the hurdles are locked up: o Use a standard desk chair, or anything that is relatively narrow and 30-36 inches high (hurdle heights are 30 inches for women and 36 inches for men.) If you cannot purchase steeplechase specific racing flats: o You can use your normal track racing flats or cross country flats. The only difference between the steeplechase specific flats and normal flats is that the steeplechase specific ones have mesh that drains easier.

Closing Remarks
The steeplechase is arguably the toughest distance event on the track. Practicing these stretches and drills will prepare you to properly clear the hurdles and the water jump, but the only way to become truly proficient in the event is to run it. As many athletes find out, clearing hurdles after a mile of hard running is much more difficult than clearing hurdles in drills. In order to compete in a 2000 meter (in the case of high school) or 3000 meter steeplechase race, a runner must be in shape to race anywhere from the mile to the 5,000. For the companion video for this instruction set, please visit this website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KdNtgkvh 5FM