Phase 01 of 5 · Set position to second ground contact

The block start: what happens in the first two steps

The block start is the phase from the set position through block clearance and the first two ground contacts, in which the sprinter converts a static position into forward velocity against the blocks.

The goal of this phase: Leave the blocks in a position you can actually push from, and get the first contacts behind the centre of mass.

What good looks like

A set position where the hips sit above shoulder height and the front shin is loaded, not collapsed.
Block clearance as one extension rather than a hip lift followed by a leg push.
A trunk angle around 40–45° from vertical on the first step, held rather than immediately abandoned.
First ground contact landing behind the centre of mass, with a clearly positive shin angle.
A first contact time in the region of 0.17–0.22 s. Long by top-speed standards, and correct here.

Common faults in the block start3 faults

Standing up out of the blocks

What you see: Trunk near vertical by the second step; first strides feel like running rather than pushing.
Where to start: Wall drives and resisted starts to rebuild the sensation of pushing behind. Falling-start drills teach the angle without cueing a bend at the waist.

Overreaching on step one

What you see: First foot lands ahead of the hips; the athlete decelerates before they have accelerated.
Where to start: Shorten the first step deliberately. Mark the first two contacts on the track and drill hitting them.

Passive front leg in set

What you see: Hips drop as the gun goes; visible sink before any forward movement.
Where to start: Load the front leg in set and check the block spacing, a front block too far forward makes the position impossible to hold.

Measurements that matter here

All eleven are listed on what we measure.

Questions2

What angle should your body be at coming out of the blocks?

Roughly 40 to 45 degrees from vertical on the first step, measured through the line from hip to shoulder. The critical part is that the lean comes from the whole body as one line rather than from bending at the waist, and that it is surrendered gradually across the acceleration rather than abandoned in two steps.

How long should the first ground contact be out of the blocks?

Around 0.17 to 0.22 seconds, roughly twice as long as a contact at maximum velocity. That is correct, not a fault. In the first steps the athlete is producing horizontal acceleration, which requires a long push, whereas at top speed they are reacting to the ground in a short one.