Part 3: Stepping Over the Opposite Knee and Driving Down Beneath the Hips: "A" March Drill

The "A March" Drill

In this Part 3 - I want to focus on the "A March" Drill. The primary benefits of the "A March" drill as well as the "A Skip, A Run and Partner Assisted March" Drills is not just for training the athlete in technique and reprogramming the athlete's neuromuscular system, but the 4 drills are excellent posture drills, specific strength drills and functional flexibility drills. Doing these drills properly will strengthen the athletes muscles in postures and actions that are the same muscles used in the sprint action - thus their technique is dramatically improved. Before I begin my instructions on the "A March" Drill I would like to share a little history on the "A March" Drill.

History of the "A March" Drill

I don't think many coaches know who came up with the "A March" Drill - so I would like to spend a little time talking about where the "A" drills came from. They were developed by Gerard Mach in the 1950's when he was with the Polish Sprint School. Gerard Mach later became the National Sprint and Hurdle Coach of Canada in the 1970's. During this time the "A" Drills were introduced to the USA as the "Mach Drills" and they were similar to the drills used by Bud Winter who was the Coach at San Jose State University, but Mach's drills had a logical sequence that was not found with Winter's drills. Gerard Mach was well ahead of his time, however the logic and systematic approach to Mach's drills were lost over the years - even in Canada. Today their has been a major resurrection of Gerard Mach's drills in the US. The system and concepts that he had articulated in the 1950's are those concepts that every good sprint coach uses today.

I must point out that it was Gerard Mach who developed not only the "A" drills, but the "B" and "C" drill series, however it was Latif Thomas and Patrick Beith of Athletes Acceleration, Inc. (excellent sprint coaches and teachers) who modified the "A March" Drill so that beginners do not use their arms when first learning the drill.

Gerard Mach emphasized the necessity of correct arm action while doing the "A" drills. Too many athletes were doing the drill with very passive arm action (which is incorrect) - so Latif and Patrick modified the drill - making it impossible for beginners to execute the drill incorrectly and ingrain bad habits. They simply removed the problem - by removing the arm action altogether. Once the athlete has mastered the proper lower body movements - they then progress to include the proper arm movements. Thumbs up to Latif and Patrick...

I have enclosed my instruction on the "A March" below, however like all drills it is often hard to conceptualize the drill without a visual image so I have included an excellent video by Latif Thomas with Athletes Acceleration.

The "A MARCH" Drill


When your athlete's begin to learn this drill it is advised that they at first don't incorporate the use of their arms.

Here are the instructions on how to perform the "A March"

1. Place hands on hips
2. Chin up, Chest up, Toes Dorsiflexed
3. Bring heel up over the opposite knee during the entire drill
4. Recover the active heel beneath the hips
5. Step over the opposite (support) knee
6. DRIVE the active leg down into the ground as soon as the heel clears the knee.
7. DO NOT drive the ankle out
8. DO NOT PAW
9. DO NOT CYCLE Past the hips
10. Foot should strike the ground with the rounds of the foot
11. DO NOT strike the ground with the heel
12. Active foot should strike directly underneath the hips
13. Active foot lands no more than 1/2 foot length in front of support foot.

Practice this until your athletes demonstrate it with perfect form and then add the upper body movement. Do not let them progress until they get this down! Remember -- if they can't do this with proper form - then how in the world will they be able to do it when they are running at full speed!

In Part 4 of "Stepping Over the Opposite Knee and Driving Down and Back Beneath the Hips" I will go over the "A Skip" Drill.

A big smile to you.
Coach Pete