Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Make your own training hurdles.

Sorry, this took longer than I expected. Starting back to school on a master's degree was like going from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds flat. Overwhelming there for a while.
I finally have the pictures of the hurdle making process ready for you. THis first one came in upside down, so I'll go over it, wouldn't want you to hurt your neck trying to read it.
PVC Pipe 1/2 " you need to cut 4 x 6" long and cap the ends and insert other ends into two Tees. Cut 2x 9" long and insert into one Tee. You will also need the circular saw, Drill with 32" drill bit, and pvc glue. Pictured are washers and nuts, but I didn't need to use them. Cut one PVC 38" long and cap.

This is how your stand base will go together. These part I will be gluing, but I won't glue in the standard upright. Will explain later.

 For the upright you need to drill holes for (7) 1 1/2 to 2" long screws. My uprights already had holes at 20", so I did holes 4 inches apart, 12,16,20, 24,28,32, 36. Due to the fact that my drill would sometimes slip, bar turn, or just operator head-space and timing, the screws aren't exactly lined up. This is why I won't glue the upright in. When we shift to a different height, some standards might need a little twist to line up the screw perpendicular to the crossbar.


It takes 2 standards and a 3 foot cross bar to make one hurdle. What I like about these is that the support base is off to the side. The ones we had last year that made an X and adjusted in height had longer legs that by the end of season wanted to turn in on your jumping or landing area. The cross bar rest on the screw which needs to be glued in
When athletes are training with the hurdles, make sure they jump with the cross bar away from them, so it will come off the standard if hit. If practicing in windy conditions have the wind in your face so it will keep the crossbar on the standard. Have fun using your own training hurdles. Note: you don't always have to go over. Squatting and stepping under is a good way to loosen up the hip joints.

Tomorrow is Plyometric day. I hope you are having fun with the program.