By Flt Lt Rob Barker Davies

One of the most valuable assets of the Overseas Visit has been having the time, good weather, equipment and expertise to use video analysis. Flt Lt Ben Trapnell first video’d my hurdling technique in 2005. At the time I was suffering from some pain in my right hip joint. The footage enabled the specialist orthopaedic hip surgeon make an informed diagnosis and was even used in an International Conference on Sports Hip Surgery. Due to this problem I am now running the lower 400m hurdles. The lower height of the hurdles does not require the full range of motion that caused the original problem and touch wood is going well so far.

To be a decent 400m hurdler it is vital to be able to hurdle on both legs. Video analysis during the Visit has been useful in identifying areas requiring development on the weaker or ‘alternate’ leg. Ben has made himself available to all of the groups for capturing this sort of objective evidence and the software he uses he has been able to breakdown the footage into frame by frame shots, ideal for comparing left and right leg leads. In the 2 shots below note the difference of the dropped toe when leading with the weaker right leg. This has meant that I compensate by raising my centre of gravity over the hurdle to avoid striking it and hence waste valuable effort and time.

From side on it’s also possible to identify some weakness in the glutes and the all important ‘core’. As you can see the hips and knee are more flexed when landing on the right leg. These joints should remain extended in a line to provide an immediate solid base for the next stride, thereby reducing contact time with the track.

We have been privileged on the Visit to benefit from the knowledge of Ruddy Farquharson, ex Royal Air Force coach and athlete, who now works with many of the UK’s up and coming athletes through the English Institute of Sport. Working with Ruddy I have now been able to apply specific exercises when doing hurdle drills, and in the gym, to address these faults. Hopefully this will lead to an improved performance not only reflected by times on the track but perhaps video evidence from the next Visit!