The experiment
Here is the thing about hurdles that trips up every new hurdler and confuses plenty of coaches: the hurdles themselves are not the hard part. The running between them is.
Watch a beginner work through their first flight of hurdles. They clear hurdle one - maybe a little rough, but they get over. Then comes the gap. Their stride shortens. They stutter. They add an extra step. By hurdle three, they are practically jogging, arms flailing, rhythm completely gone.
Now watch an experienced hurdler. Same flight of hurdles, but the rhythm is locked in: over, one-two-three, over, one-two-three. The hurdles become bumps in a sprint, not obstacles to negotiate. That is the difference between hurdling and just getting over barriers.
The three-step rhythm is the foundation of sprint hurdling. Three steps between each hurdle - not four, not two-and-a-half, not "whatever feels natural." Three. And those three steps need to be aggressive, rhythmic, and consistent.
Why three? Because three steps maintains sprint speed. Four steps means you are decelerating. Five steps means you are walking. The math is simple: the faster you run between hurdles, the faster your time. And three steps is the minimum needed to set up a proper takeoff while maintaining speed.
But here is where it gets interesting. The three steps are not equal. The first step after landing is a recovery step - the athlete is stabilizing, getting back into sprint position. The second step is a push step - driving forward, rebuilding speed. The third step is the cut step (also called the penultimate step) - slightly shorter and quicker, loading the takeoff leg for the next hurdle.
That cut step is where the magic happens. It lowers the center of mass slightly, positions the takeoff foot, and converts horizontal momentum into the diagonal trajectory needed to clear the barrier. Too long, and the athlete takes off too close and has to jump straight up. Too short, and they take off too far away and float over.
The trail leg is the other half of this rhythm equation. A slow trail leg - one that drags wide or drops below hip height - kills the rhythm before the next three steps can even start. The trail leg needs to snap forward immediately after clearance, rotating through the hip so the knee drives toward the chest. When the trail leg is quick, the athlete lands in sprint position, ready for that first recovery step.
Try this at practice
Drill 1: Rhythm runs over low hurdles
This is your bread-and-butter rhythm drill. Set up 5-8 hurdles at minimum height, spaced about 6-7 meters apart (adjust to your athletes). Run through at 70-75% effort - smooth, controlled, rhythmic. Three steps between every hurdle. Focus on the feeling, not the speed.
Coaching cues: "Smooth. Even. Rhythmic." "Same speed, same steps, same feeling." "If it feels easy, it's right."
Common mistake: Running too fast. This drill grooves the rhythm - it is not a speed test. If athletes are straining to make three steps, widen the spacing. Every athlete has their own three-step distance at their current development level.
Drill 2: Quick draw (trail leg speed)
This one looks strange but works wonders for trail leg speed. Athletes sit on the ground in hurdle position - lead leg extended forward, trail leg bent to the side in the "4" position.
From this seated position, explosively drive the trail leg forward. The goal is speed of rotation, not range of motion. The foot should end up in sprint position - fast. 8-10 reps per side.
Coaching cues: "Fast! Like drawing a gun from a holster." "Snap it through." "Your foot should be in sprint position when it finishes."
This drill builds the quick trail leg pull-through that keeps the rhythm alive between hurdles.
Coach's clipboard
Common rhythm errors and how to fix them
- Reaching for the hurdle. The athlete takes a long, lunging final step trying to make it to the hurdle. This breaks rhythm and sets up a weak takeoff. Fix: Adjust hurdle spacing to match the athlete's current ability. The spacing should feel achievable, not desperate. Gradually widen as they develop.
- Decelerating into the hurdle. You can see it - the athlete slows down in the last step before takeoff, almost bracing for impact. This is fear disguised as caution. Fix: Run more reps at minimum height. Build confidence. Remind them: "The hurdle is not a wall. It is a speed bump."
- Trail leg hitting the hurdle. The trail leg drags wide or drops below the crossbar, clipping it on the way through. This usually means the hip is not rotating properly. Fix: Go back to side-of-hurdle trail leg drills. Run alongside the hurdles and pull the trail leg over each one. The tightness forces proper rotation. Then return to full clearance.
- Stutter-stepping before takeoff. The athlete adds a tiny choppy step right before the hurdle because they do not trust their spacing. Fix: Use the Schery tops drill - place marks on the ground 6-7 feet before each hurdle. The marks give visual feedback on where the cut step should land. Run at 75-80% effort. "Don't reach for the mark - run to it."
Multi-event alert
If you have hurdlers who also do the long jump or high jump, you are in luck. The hip mobility demands overlap significantly. The trail leg rotation in hurdling uses the same hip flexor range and rotational control needed for the lead leg drive in jumping events. Athletes who work on one benefit in the other.
However, watch the volume. Hurdling and jumping both stress the hip flexors and takeoff leg. If an athlete is doing full hurdle workouts and full jump workouts in the same week, pay attention to how they are recovering. The quick draw drill and hurdle mobility circuits can count as both hurdle work and jump prep - efficient use of practice time.
Go deeper
This article scratches the surface of three-step rhythm. The full breakdown, including the cycle ladder progression, cut step development, and advanced spacing variations, is in the Hurdles Coaching Handbook.
The handbook covers sprint hurdles and intermediate hurdles (300m/400m) with 46 drills, season integration plans, and the complete 12-circuit training system. It is one of the eleven Track and Field Lab Handbooks coming to the store.
Link to Hurdles Coaching Handbook →
Track and Field Lab - A STEMsaic Media Property
(c) STEMsaic Research Impacts LLC. All rights reserved.