300-Meter Hurdle Training

The 300-meter hurdles, the precursor to the 400-meter hurdles at collegiate and international levels, are a high school track and field event in most U.S. states. The hurdles test a runners speed, agility and coordination. Since it is considered one of the tougher events in track and field, training for the event takes both a strong technical and physical work ethic.

  1. Endurance Workouts

    • To prepare for the length of the 300-meter race many coaches have athletes run interval workouts, called "ins and outs" or "straights and curves." In this workout, runners alternate sprinting the straightaways on a 400-meter track and jogging the curves. Later in the season when the runner is more fit, timed 400-meter runs with the first three hurdles set up can be implemented in working to increase performance level endurance.

    Speed Workouts

    • For speed, running timed repeat 200-meter sprints is a good workout for a hurdler. Early in the season, the runner should repeat them four to six times with the goal of maintaining the time achieved on the second repetition through the remaining six. As the runner's stamina increases, the number of sprints can increase to eight. A training partner is important in this training regimen.

    Leading With Knee

    • Leading with the knee is crucial to good hurdling technique and becoming an efficient 300-meter hurdler. A common problem faced by young hurdlers is a desire to swing the leg from the hip in order to clear the hurdle. This throws the entire body out of balance. Taking off over the hurdle, the lead leg's knee needs to push towards the crossbar to keep the runner's clearance level low and return the runner's feet to the ground quicker.

    Hurdle Drills

    • Good hurdle training involves a lot of drills. First, do not drill at the full race distance; instead, set up the first three and four hurdles and train over those. Developing a stride pattern between hurdles, especially around the curve, increases the runner's hurdling confidence. A young hurdler should also practice walkovers by lining up 10 hurdles close to each other and "walking over" them, focusing on keeping the hips square and driving the knee.

    Off-season Conditioning

    • The off-season offers a great chance to increase muscle stamina and endurance, as well brush up on technique and drills. Performing foot speed drills that increase coordination and speed and studying technique on film are good ideas. In addition, working to increase flexibility in the off-season will increase the runner's range of motion, which makes for better hurdlers in the end.