100 Meter Dash Secrets

The 100 meter dash requires explosiveness, timing and tremendous speed and represents the premier event in collegiate and Olympic sprinting. Sprinting also requires a great deal of technical work that focuses on controlling the tempo of one's stride during a race. Athletes training for high school meets or aiming to set a new world record can incorporate a few training secrets to achieve their goals.

  1. Incorporate the Olympic Lifts

    • Sprinters can increase speed in one of two ways: increasing their stride length or increasing stride frequency by applying more force to the ground with each step. The latter method requires getting stronger, and according to writer Keats Snideman in his article "5 Key Tips on Designing Effective Sprint Programs," sprinters can gain strength by incorporating the two Olympic lifts --- the snatch and the clean and jerk --- as part of their strength training program. Snideman points out that these lifts focus on developing explosiveness rather than brute strength, and as such will improve acceleration in sprinting, especially out of the blocks.

    Train at Appropriate Distances

    • In his book "Speed Trap," sprinting coach Charlie Francis pointed out some of the revolutionary approaches he brought to sprinter Ben Johnson's training. Francis never had Johnson train at distances greater than 125 to 130 percent of his event distance, so an athlete preparing for the 100-meter dash should not run distances greater than 130 meters. Snideman also remarks on this notion when he points out that too many coaches think that every athlete needs endurance conditioning, and therefore needs to run long distances to "be in shape." He recommends that sprinters work on tempo training --- exercises designed to improve sprint technique --- at the intervals of about 100 yards.

    Breathe Properly

    • Although the 100-meter dash is not an endurance sport, a sprinter's muscles require a tremendous amount of oxygen in order to keep up maximum speeds. Breathing fast during sprinting ensures that the muscles receive the oxygen needed. Breathing drills that focus on taking quick, deep breaths in rapid succession can help reinforce proper breathing during a sprint so that an athlete improves how fast and how often he or she takes in air. Athletes should also make sure they prime their bodies to breathe properly in competition by beginning this rapid-fire breathing the moment they step into the starting blocks.

    Sprint Downhill

    • Sprinters can increase their stride frequency by sprinting downhill on a slight slope. Running on an 8- to 16-degree downhill slope forces the legs and hips to move quicker, as they must compensate for the force of gravity in order to keep the athlete from falling down. A study by Dr. Michael Gray and Jessica A. Sauerbeck titled, "Speed Training Program for High School Football Players," found that high school runners improved their acceleration in just 4.5 weeks after incorporating downhill speed training. Periodic downhill sprinting will help a sprinter improve the acceleration phase of the race.