A relay should be faster than four open races added together, because a flying handoff carries speed that a standing start cannot. If your exchanges feel slow, you are giving that advantage back, and it usually traces to one thing: the outgoing runner is not at full speed when the baton arrives. Here is why the exchange drags and how to make it fly.
If the outgoing runner leaves late, the incoming runner catches up and the pass happens while both are slow or even decelerating. The go-mark has to be set so the outgoing runner is at near full speed exactly as the baton arrives. Too conservative a mark and you trade the whole point of a relay for a safe but slow handoff.
On a blind 4x100 pass, an outgoing runner who peeks back or reaches the hand out too soon slows down to do it. The hand goes back on the call, in one motion, while the eyes stay downfield and the legs keep driving. Any glance over the shoulder is speed lost.
A pass crammed into the start of the zone happens before the outgoing runner has built speed. A pass at the very end leaves no margin and gets rushed. Aim to complete the exchange in the middle of the zone, where the outgoing runner is fast and there is still room to spare.
A slow exchange is usually an outgoing runner who is not yet up to speed. Film the handoff from the side, the AI shows where in the zone the baton changes hands and whether the outgoing runner is accelerating or already slowing, so you can move the go-mark and turn a safe pass into a fast one.
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A well-timed start has the outgoing runner near full speed by the middle of the zone, where the pass happens. A late start means the baton catches them while they are still accelerating, and the whole exchange is slow.
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
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