Hurdles Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – the fixed three-step rhythm, the three-phase clearance and how the 400 m format changes everything.

Equipment

Item	Priority	Tip
Hurdle build	Medium	The L-shaped hurdle tips forward at 3.6–4 kg of force – safety engineering since 1935.
Training hurdles	High	Adjustable or foam hurdles at 15–50 cm, never the full 106.7 cm competition hurdle.
Spikes	Medium	Regular sprint spikes with 6–8 forefoot pins are enough – there's no dedicated hurdle shoe.

Getting started: rhythm before speed

Find your lead leg: Jog easily over a mini-hurdle and see which leg comes up first on instinct – that stays your lead leg for now.
Walkovers without speed: Walk over several mini-hurdles at reduced spacing, always leading with the same leg.
Add the one-step drill: Set the spacing so tight that only one step fits between hurdles – it drills the trail-leg rhythm directly.
Stumbling is part of it: Rhythm is the hardest part and needs repetition, not raw strength – stumbling early on is completely normal.

The 3 golden technique rules

Factor 1: Hurdling is running, not jumping

Concept: Elite hurdlers lose only about 0.02 m/s of speed clearing a hurdle – jump instead of run and you brake yourself. Tip: Take off about 2 m before the hurdle, lead leg extended in a scissor motion over the bar, land actively on the ball of the foot about 1 m beyond it.

Factor 2: The three-step rhythm is fixed

Concept: Hurdle spacing is fixed by rule (9.14 m for men, 8.5 m for women) – your step pattern between them isn't a style choice, it's forced by the geometry. Tip: Eight steps from the start to the first hurdle is the proven standard, then always three steps at the same rhythm – consistency before speed.

Factor 3: Ratio over single numbers

Concept: Technically superior hurdlers take off earlier and land closer to the hurdle – elite athletes take off about 20 cm further out and land 42 cm closer than strong sub-elite runners. Tip: Measure take-off and landing distance together on video in 10 cm steps and shift both together – never correct just one value in isolation.

Format compass

Format	What matters
Sprint hurdles (100/110 m)	106.7 cm high, a hard sprint rhythm – take-off/landing distance beats raw sprint power.
400 m hurdles	91.4/76.2 cm lower, 35 m spacing – step count rises toward the end, train both legs.
Contact rule	Allowed since 2023: touching the hurdle isn't a fault – only deliberately knocking it over disqualifies.

Injury protection: hip & thigh

Warm up your risk zones: Spend at least half your warm-up time on hip flexors, hip adductors and hamstrings – the most common injury sites.
Train hip mobility systematically: Regular hip-opening drills without a hurdle noticeably reduce the load of the scissor motion over the weeks.
Practise your fall technique: Bend your arms, turn your head to the side, roll sideways instead of bracing rigidly – lowers wrist and head injury risk.
Take groin tightness seriously: Stop early instead of running through it – these strains are among the most common injuries in the discipline.

Pro tip: Don't chase the hurdle – chase the rhythm. Count eight steps to the first and three between every hurdle after that, and you run one race instead of ten separate jumps.