The so called 10% rule is a guideline for applying resisted
and assisted training as a means to making the athlete faster for their chosen
sport. Here is the 10% rule as I have taught it and applied it over the years. In
adding resistance it is best to not exceed a weight that that is greater than
10% of the athletes bodyweight or that will result in a time that is 10% slower
than their best time for the distance run. In assistance, towing or downhill, I
never want the athlete be be towed faster than 10% of their best time for that
distance. Pretty simple, now you can call it a rule, but it is just a guideline.
Now you have to coach. You need to clearly understand the
dynamics of the start, early acceleration, transition to top speed and top
speed. Get them in an optimum starting position based on their strength and
explosive qualities, their body dimensions – leg length, torso length and arm
length and make sure that fits with the sport. Obviously, aside from track you do
not have a block to push against so that will impact your angles and weight
distribution. Once that is established remember the goal of the start is to
overcome inertia by taking advantage of the “stumble reflex” you displace
forward and get the first step down to create a positive shin angle to
facilitate triple extension “extension reflex”. Then you are off to the races.
The first contact is the longest time on the ground and as each succeeding step
gets longer the ground contact time get shorter as you transition from pushing to
running over the ground. You do not try to stay low, rather you let you hips
run under you until you are virtually upright. As far a cuing, for me it is
initially a push/push/push/push/action (Four to six steps depending on the distance and the athlete) gradually transitioning to running over
the ground – striking (not pawing).
So this begs the question why heavy sled pulls or pushes? If
you consider what I said above then they really have no place in a program to
get an athlete faster. If you are training for a truck pull or your an offensive
lineman that has to drive someone for three yards then use it. If you want to
make someone faster at sprinting, don’t use it. Someone asked me about using
heavy sled pulls to elicit a PAP response before sprinting. A better way is to
do a standing long jump or a standing long jump onto one leg and sprint out, or
bound into a sprint. A contrast harness (Bullet Belt) will also do the
trick. Use movements that are
dynamic and are closer in the range of motion and speed of movement to the
desired end result. In my 45 years around training, a great many of those as a
track & field coach, I know of no elite sprint or hurdle coach that has
used heavy sled pulls. In my world that speaks volumes. Take that training time
and work on mechanics, coach em to be better not tired.