sprint-and-touch-the-ground

akqjt · 04-09-2009, 06:38 PM

What are your thoughts on the drill where you do a very short-sprint (like 30m or so), touch the ground, return to your starting point, touch the ground again, and repeat? My gym does this in Muay Thai class, and honestly I'm a little terrified of it. I really like the idea of sprint intervals, but I think they should be limited to when you have a lot of space (i.e. outdoors). It seems to me when you have a really short-distance sprint and you have to stop up suddenly to hit the ground, there is a big potential for injury. That plant and turn would seem to be really brutal on the knees.

What do you guys think?

**ronin0352** · 04-09-2009, 06:53 PM

We did them every day in wrestling practice when I was a kid, and I believe the basketball team did the same thing. Nobody I know was ever injured from them.

Borb · 04-09-2009, 07:50 PM

Suicides, no one likes them.

I've seen a guy roll his ankle doing them once, and that was about it.

Revok · 04-09-2009, 10:20 PM

Seems I tweak my goddamn hamstring every other time I do sprints anyway. The thought of adding in a high velocity, face-first twisting lumbar flexion move at the end doesn't appeal. Risk > reward.

Mablung · 04-09-2009, 10:34 PM

I don't always have enough straight space for interval sprints, so I'll add the turn when I have to. To be honest, I don't notice a bit of difference as far as torque on my knee or low back areas. But I'm also a pretty small guy ~140 pounds...I could see the turn causing problems for the people with more momentum.

**ronin0352** · 04-09-2009, 10:45 PM

I weighed 210-215 in high school and never had issues.

Capt.Canuck · 04-09-2009, 11:40 PM

To be honest, if that drill terrifies you, you may want to reconsider training in combat sports.

JoeHall · 04-10-2009, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt.Canuck

To be honest, if that drill terrifies you, you may want to reconsider training in combat sports.

What he said...

I am 255/260 right now, was 189 in HS, 197/285 wrestler in college....these never once had any negative affect on me. And I have horribly shitty knees. They're a bitch for me because im a pudgy bitch and I loathe running.

Boozerguyzer · 04-10-2009, 02:17 PM

Yeah killers, suicides, whatever you want to call em, suck. But the act of completely stopping, turning and starting up again means you are exploding into a sprint more than you would if you just did sprint/walk/jog intervals. And I did lacrosse for 4 years, we did killers at every practice and I've never seen anyone get hurt from them. Man up and run till you puke!

PrettySweet · 04-10-2009, 02:52 PM

i have never seen anyone get hurt doing these either. coaches for pretty much any sport have their players do conditioning drills that are like this at even the most introductory levels, like elementary school.

so i don't think that you should worry about injuries from these unless you are extremely unathletic. if that is the case you may indeed want to go easy on these so you don't hurt yourself by stopping and changing direction because injuries suck.

but if you do possess even a tiny smidgeon of athletic ability then this drill should not worry you at all.