Why You Should Use Mini-Hurdles

A lot of research comes out daily on training athletes. How to make them faster. How to make them stronger. How to make them more resilient to injury.

But what about the everyday person who is trying to live their best life and just be better at everything?

In this article, we will delve into why mini-hurdles are great for increasing speed and explosive acceleration and also why YOU should be doing them.

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And mini-hurdles are cheap and can be found online. You can buy your own and do them at home!

You cannot look and feel better and get stronger if you are injured. When I am training my athletes, I pay attention to many variables.

For instance, a 2017 study showing significantly reduced risk of hamstring injuries in collegiate sprinters that incorporated strength, agility, and flexibility training. [1] That’s right, not just ONE training method, but many will help prevent injuries.

We use Mini-Hurdles for this very reason, to not only improve performance but to keep the athlete healthy and strong… And on the field!

Why does this apply to you? By doing repetitive movements that help your body deal with potential movement patterns we learn how to deal with that stress on the body.

Mini-Hurdles are literally that, very small hurdles that we do both bilateral (both legs), unilateral (one leg), with forward and lateral “hops” to help:

Support the Entire Limb

Train the athlete to support their entire limb including the knee and ankle joint when off-balance. This is critical in preventing both ankle and knee injuries.

When avoiding a potential collision at the mall, stepping off of a curb, etc. This is an everyday activity!

Great Control Over Extremities

By balancing with the ankles and activating the calves and tibialis, the mini-hurdles allow the athlete to gain greater control over these extremities, thus being able to activate them greater in a speed-required situation.

Again, we can see the applications in everyday life and even in the gym when performing squats, deadlifts, and other lower body movements.

Promotes Balance

Balance is critical when executing certain exercises and in everyday life. There are very few drills that promote balance as much as mini-hurdles.

Arm Drive

If you are ever near one of my coaching sessions, you will hear me say, “Focus on driving your arms and the landing!” Arm drive is critical in maximizing speed, and these drills train the athlete to always utilize both the backward and forward swing of the arms to generate power.

By focusing on the landing, we ensure the athlete is trained to land properly with both one leg and both legs even when unbalanced to avoid injury. Again, in everyday life, this is critical to avoiding injury.

Your long-term health benefits and quality of life are of the utmost importance to us. This is one tool that will not only bring out the best in you now, but also make you a better and more functional human for the rest of your life.

References

1) Prevention of Hamstring Injuries in Collegiate Sprinters Yusaku Sugiura,*† PhD, Kazuhiko Sakuma,‡ MS, Keishoku Sakuraba,‡ MD, PhD, and Yamato Sato,§ PhD Investigation performed at Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6fd8/8a7d5e249f1cef6406099c5dca1ba73e155d.pdf