Training
Walking
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Speed
The information below has been provided by The Central Gauteng Athletics Road Walking
Committee, for more information about walking you can contact
walking@webmail.co.za.
The following information on speed and how to improve it comes from the North American
racewalking foundation website -
www.members.aol.com.
Most new racewalkers, especially competitive ones, want to go as fast as they can
as soon as they can. You shouldn't! It takes time to develop proper technique and
you should never walk faster than your technique will allow. Walking too fast too soon
will usually cause you to develop a bad technique -- a technique that will
significantly limit your top speed later. Be patient. Focus on proper technique in the
beginning, and speed will come of its own accord. As you become more confortable with
good technique, and find you can racewalk without getting cautions or warnings from the
judges. There will be plenty of time to test your speedometer. Speed depends on step rate (heel strikes per minute) AND step length
(distance between one heel strike and the next one -- with the opposite foot).
While good results can be achieved by increasing either -- and great results
achieved by increasing both -- most new racewalkers should focus on increasing
their step rate first. A high step rate (also referred to as quick turnover) can most easily be achieved
by planting each heel just in front of the centerline of the torso (no more than 10"
in front) Some quick steppers plant their heels almost directly under the torso. When you begin to increase your step length, focus on increasing it behind
your body rather than in front of it. The heel plant should remain in roughly
the same place but, by using greater hip rotation to delay toe off, you should
be able to push forward from the trailing foot longer -- thereby developing
more power and speed, AND achieving a longer step length. Some top-flight
racewalkers use very high step rates (230 steps per minute) and others use
relatively long step lengths. Most have step rates in the 190-200 spm range
with step lengths just over 1/2 their body height.
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