Some hurdlers have real flat speed and still lose the race between the barriers. That is where hurdling is actually won. The clearance is just a way to keep running, and time spent floating over the bar or recovering after it is time you are not running. If you feel like you stall between hurdles, it is almost always one of three things. Here is how to find yours and run the gaps faster.
Every inch you rise above the bar is air time, and air time is slow. The lead knee should clear the bar by only 2 to 4 inches, skimming it, not sailing over. Hurdlers who jump the barrier instead of running over it spend too long airborne and land with their speed bled off. Drill clearance height over lowered hurdles until skimming feels normal.
The trail leg has to snap through to the front fast, so your first step off the hurdle is a running step, not a recovery step. A slow, low, dragging trail leg means you land already behind and have to rebuild speed at every barrier. Wall trail-leg drives and high, tight recovery drills are the fix.
Landing way out past the hurdle forces a reaching, braking first step. The landing should be close behind the bar, with the foot coming down under your body so you can run off it immediately. A short, active first step off the hurdle keeps your speed alive into the gap.
Speed lost between hurdles hides in clearance height and the first step off the bar. Film a few barriers from the side, the AI measures how high you clear, how fast your trail leg recovers, and where you land, then shows which one is bleeding your speed in the gap.
Follow up in chat and ask questions. The AI remembers your analysis and speaks the language of hurdles coaching.
A low skim keeps you close to the bar and lands you running. A high float adds air time, bleeds off speed, and lands you farther out and braking.
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
A directory of every hurdles page on the site, from broad analysis tools to specific phase deep-dives. Each entry points to a focused write-up.
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