Today’s episode features coach, biomechanist and inventor, Adarian Barr. Adarian Barr is a unique mind in the world of sport movement who has not only given me dozens of paradigm shifting, “aha” moments, but has also retooled the way that I personally think about human movement and the related coaching process. Adarian has coached at numerous Universities, and continues to train and consult athletes, as well as educate coaches through his work at barrunning.com. He has been on four previous episodes of this podcast, each one with unique and paradigm-shifting ideas on how we approach athletic movement, these being:
- Episode #64 on Biomechanical Myths and Truths in Sprinting
- Episode #105 on Power in Athletic Asymmetry
- Episode #132 on Ground Impulse as a Biomechanical Lynchpin in Sprinting and Athletic Movement
- Episode #147 on Foot Pressure and “Arch-Centered” Athletic Performance
Many times in athletic movement, we see the fastest athletes doing things that are just a little different than the slower athletes, and I think that we subconsciously recognize these elements. Often, athletes who can sprint fast and jump high move effortlessly and gracefully, but also with a little bit of “swagger” and bounce to their movement. Today we are taking a deep dive into the bobbing that elites exhibit, and how this is a function of their relationship to the fall of gravity to better load, and unload joints.
On today’s show, Adarian goes in depth on how athletes can learn to work “with gravity” and falling better, and also avoid interrupting the proper work of gravity through knowing how many coaching cues and drills can create problems. We also go into how the fastest sprinters are using gravity to accelerate faster than their competitors. In the back half of the show, we get into the idea of muscle isometrics as the ultimate fast-twitch “brake” of the body, how this works in sprinting, and how we can harness it in the weight room.
Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:01 — 44.9MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | JioSaavn | Podchaser | Gaana | Email | Deezer | Anghami | RSS
View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.Key Points
- A description of the essential “two falls” that are happening during running and sprinting
- How common sprint cues or instructions can actually interfere with the way that we should be working with gravity in running
- How using gravity to “fall farther” in athletic movement can create faster sprinting and higher jumping
- Methods to move with gravity better for better sprinting and jumping
- How and why muscles will selectively fire isometrically to stop a joint in human movement
- Using isometrics and oscillatory isometrics in the weightroom as a compliment to athletic movement in sport
- How the body can use isometric muscle actions in top-end speed to increase the stride length
“The things people are missing out on is: falling is it”
“If you only fall an inch (while accelerating) there’s not much to it”
“Instead of things working in pairs or tandems, we seem to make things conflict”
“You have to understand you are falling first, and not interrupt it, second thing is you have to figure out how to fall faster”
“When you try to punch the ground yourself (while running), the brain is not expecting that”
“Those that fall the farthest (working with gravity in athletic movement) will run the fastest and jump the highest, it’s that simple”
“There is a big difference between running 1 inch and 5 inches”
“If you really want to work stairs or hills, you have to squat down low to get the (gravity) effect”
“The pull gets you into the fall… if you go to push, it makes you stand up. You are trying to pull yourself into the fall”
“The first step is to be aware of gravity, so we don’t interrupt it”
“A skips and B skips are great interrupters (of gravity) because I am being trying to get my leg back down so fast before I get a chance to fall”
“We have to teach you how to fall again, and to trust the fall”
“Once the big toe gets loaded, you are coming off of it”
“It takes less energy to keep falling then to “interrupt a fall, start a fall, interrupt a fall, start a fall”
“Toe drag (in sprinting) is a fall, when you fall, your toe is scraped behind you. You don’t have to intentionally do it, you just have to fall at a fast rate and it just happens”
“ISO is the best fast-twitch system ever, because I don’t want to hold (a joint position”) forever…. how do you stop something from lengthening? ISO.”
“You’ve got to put the brakes on at some point in time, and if I want to stop something from lengthening and I don’t want to shorten it, ISO is your best friend”
“ISO’s at a certain position is the strongest that we get”
Show Notes
Men’s USATF 60m Indoor Final: Note Coleman (In Black, Lane 5) and Kemp’s (Yellow, Lane 3) “Falling” and “Diving” Actions
Traditional “Borzov Jumps” (I’ve seen these done with someone holding the rear leg, however).
Modified Borzov Jumps Emphasizing the Downward Fall of Gravity
https://www.instagram.com/p/B85H4zzHwZT/
Oscillatory Isometric Split Squat (Yielding to Gravity)
About Adarian Barr
Adarian Barr is a track coach and inventor based out of Woodland, California. His collegiate track and field coaching stops have included UW-Superior, Indiana State, UNC Pembroke, Yuba City Community College.
He has invented 9 devices from footwear to sleds to exercise devices. Adarian is a USATF Level II coach in the sprints, jumps, hurdles and relays. He has a master’s degree in Physical Education.
Adarian’s unique coaching style gets results, and his work on speed and biomechanics is being adapted by some of the top coaches in the nation.
Free Speed Training eBook - Velocity 101
Improving speed is one of the most popular topics in the athletic performance equation. Where there are many ideas and thoughts out there, as to particular training exercises, or setups, the more core aspects of speed training often go without mention. These include the fundamental aspects of what makes an athlete fast, specific sprint-power concepts, the relevance of "3D" motion, motor learning and more.
Velocity 101 will help you take a leap forward in understanding of what makes athletes fast, and how to train it effectively