Nigel Lewis – Emails and response

THE JUMPS NEWSLETTER Nigel Lewis: Senior UK Athletics Jumps Coach Friday April 2nd 2010 NEWS Hi Simon I tutored for UK Athletics last weekend in Birmingham and Aberystwyth. Travelled over 400 miles and met  some great coaches. Over 170 coaches now subscribe to my newsletter and last weekend in Birmingham one of the aspiring coaches I was assessing was one of the coaches who subscribe to this newsletter. Her name was Lisa from Peterborough, and she passed as a Level 2 coach so can now 'fly solo' and gather around her a group of talented jumpers to coach and hopefully make a difference to their lives. At Birmingham by sheer coincidence was discussing drills for triple jump, we looked out of the window and Phillips Idowu was 'drilling' on the infield. He was working on combination hopping and bounding and looked very quick and strong. I told the group of 14 coaches that I had planned it for them ......some of them even believed me!!! Been busy this week on my DVD Power Point Presentation with audio commentary. Should be ready by early summer. I had an interesting email from Anthony Bateman [see below] Hi Nigel, Your letter was forwarded to me by a colleague long jump coach and one I found very interesting. One point I tend to explain differently from yours when coaching the hang movement is, instead of saying drop the lead leg, rather, allow the body to catch up and pass it into the long peak-height position. This seems to avoid possible forced movements that could spoil the upper body positioning. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this. Its not a great deal different but to me it is a more natural explanation. Great contrbution you are making and a number of LJ coaches I have spoken to have nothing but praise for what you are doing. You may not get much directly but the appreciation is there. Regards, Tony Bateman, Winchester & District AC. MY REPLY WAS: Hi Tony, Thanks for your email a short while ago. I agree that there are many ways of explaining movement patterns and technical points. I love coaching the hang but would consider it to be the most difficult of styles to coach effectively. The hitch-kick being the easiest. When I introduce the hang to a jumper who is 'ready' and has mastered the stride jump initially, I ask them them to straighten and then extend the free leg so that it become a strong long lever and can then be driven downwards and backwards to 'meet up' with the take-off leg. I find that by doing this creates a firmess and added tension to the core as well as positioning the hips and it then helps to stabilise and create that long shape we are looking for and ultimately creates a moment of inertia to slow down forward rot ation. Younger jumpers who employ the hang find it difficult to get into and hold this long, pin like shape in the air. They also find it difficult to get into the L shape at the apex of the jump - with the legs bend at 90 degrees at the knee to allow for the legs to come through as short, fast dynamic levers to give a good leg chute. Thanks for your comments Tony - much appreciated and will mention your views in my next newsletter [if you don't mind]

THE APPROACH RUN [2]

CONTINUING FROM LAST WEEK How does the jumper accomplish an accurate approach? This is a problem that all coaches and their jumpers have. It appears to never go away and I get many emails asking how can coaches ensure that their jumpers do not continually foul out or jump from well behind the board. So here are some tips from Randy Huntington: Practice! Practice! Practice!Practice!Practice!Practice! Energy Distribution down the runway! Programming Adjusting Accuracy and Visual Control PROGRAMMING Consistency of Stride Pattern - loads of statistics out there that show that it is nigh on impossible to guarantee that all the strides in the approach run remain the same for every approach run over a jumpers career. So this is a component that must be consatntly practiced and rehearsed. All the phases of the approach run must be worked on. The start over the first 5/6 strides should be looked at with great detail. If a jumper is 'lazy' over these first few strides then the mid phase and attack to the board will be comprimised. I work hard with my jumpers on the start. The big question is do you have a walk/jog on or adopt a static start? I have favoured a static start for the younger jumpers until they have more experience. THIS TOPIC WILL BE LOOKED AT NEXT WEEK Accumulation of Errors - for every error the jumper makes over the first 6 strides will have that knock on effect and the jumper will have to make several adjustments as he/she nears the board. Youngsters are unable to do this on a consistent basis and is possibly one of the major reasons that they fail to find the board and foul out. I have often stated the fact that the approach run is a complex serial skill amd must be treated as such. I liked this analogy from Randy: The long jump approach run is a dance - You are on a stage so you MUST choreograph your approach ADJUSTING Adjusting the position of their measured start mark.  We need to spend a great deal of time practicing this under a variety of conditions. I have my jumpers 'move' their check mark backwards and forwards during a session. They still MUST attempt to hit the board. They must develop spatial awareness and be able to make minor adjustments to body positioning and running action earlier in the approach run rather than 3 to 4 strides from the board. Accuracy (Visual Control/Steering) As they approach the board they modify their stride pattern to hit the board accurately. Use of oversize board (different colors) for a time to help the athlete adapt to visual control and overcome the fear of fouling. This is a subconscious event! In the absence of an oversize board I enscribe a 1 metre chalk circle from which they take off from [actually I've never seen an oversize board!] The moment they begin their approach run they are attempting to run in a STRAIGHT LINE to the boad. You've only got to have a few of the strides containing unwanted lateral movements and the chances of missing the board are hightened. I sometimes place a white chalked line right up the centre of the approach run. Jumpers have to be able to 'steer' up the runway. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

TRIPLE JUMP 'JUMP' DEVELOPMENT

Spent a few hours on Thursday morning working with a 19 year old triple jumper who I expect to jump beyond 15mts this summer. He told me that he had never been shown how to land from the jump phase. Up until that morning he always landed virtually upright and was possibly losing 50cms. So we spent over an hour on developing: 'the long low hop - the 'bound' - ending with a split and pull ' A lot of empahsis was placed on ensuring that he was running into the hop phase as opposed to preparing to hop. I consider the hop phase to be an extension of the approach run. The take-off angle into the hop phase being crucial. It was slow patient work but at the end of this specific drills session I had him taking the speed in to the hop and then utilising that speed throughout the remaining phases AND he was able to take off effectively from the step landing into an efficient landing position. I shall elaborate on the details of the this skilled practice next week............. All for this week Have a Happy Easter, Nigel My response, Hey Nigel, Love your letters they are great, and I´m glad to hear people are listening to you in B´ham..... Margrethe Renstrøm finally set a new Norwegian record of 6.64m last summer and went to the World finals. She had 60% plus of her competition jumps as fouls due to her aggressive approach in previous years. Also her final stride used to be too long causing problems. A bag full of drills daily helped.... Its been years since I´ve seen or heard any coach actually touch upon the real reasons for approach variation. Keep pushing and maybe it will dawn on them... In 99-2000 I was working daily under Dr F-X Li at B´ham uni on standard deviation (SD) of foot strikes with data from all over the world from Carl Lewis to non athletes. Strangely about 1 in 200 people will run like robots with no SD in toe to board distance when long jumping.... This does not mean they are good at hitting the board. It just means they have no SD. Understanding this gait regulation system in humans is crucial in developing learning paradigms for coaches. Stride length is regulated by air time between foot contacts. I.e. tempo and rhythm, you need too ´feel´the rhythm to ´enjoy´ the ride. Stride air time is regulated by vertical impulse of the foot strike. Time to contact to an object (take-off board) is calculated by the rate of radial expansion of two points on the object within the visual field. I use two bright cones on the edges of the board. SO a strong connection needs to be made, in the athletes mind, between the rate of expansion of the cones and the vertical pressure of each stride. The ´zeroing in´on the board only happens during the last 7 strides, so consistently the start mark position has little baring on the take-off point. I use a 4 stride from the board mark in competition warm up. Take an average from a load of run through´s. Some times the officals won´t notice, and leave it there during competition. The athlete is trying to hit the board and not the 4th marker as that is strictly for me only. I instruct the athlete to move the start mark forward or back relative to their foot placement on the 4th mark, NOT THE BOARD. I have had a lot of success with this technique. I will be fascinated to find out what you think of this approach and my thinking. I tell the athletes that your mind is like a parachute, if its not open it will not work! Keep up the good work Nigel, I´m following. Kind regards Simon Hunt

Norwegian Athletics Training Conference

November 20 - 22 there was a very useful training conference at the Norwegian School of Sports Science. Here are some of the main highlights.

Vincenzo Canali - "Postural Base of Sport", this was a true eye opener. His method of ´kinetic chain´ testing and building in the body, is fundamental for all sports particularly athletics, gymnastics, swimming and all yoga/pilates. His methods are simple and straight forward, but are underpinned by an excellent knowledge of anatomy and physiology. His six phases 1) passive, 2) isometric, 3) eccentric, 4) concentric. 5) dynamic and 6) sports specific, really show how posture is the medium between which strength and technique combine to produce effective power in a sports specific movement. Since his workshop I have been incorporating his techniques with all my clients on a daily basis. I am currently working on my own presentation of his ideas with video, in the mean time you can see his work at:

http://www.stabhochsprung.com/epvc/gymnasticmovies/index.html

The presentation he gave is at:

http://www.stabhoch.com/epvc/canali_gymnastics.pdf

Plus a lot of pole vault videos relating to his work can be found at:

http://www.stabhochsprung.com/

When you understand how the body best deals with force, with regard to postural postion in the sagittal plane, it becomes obvious how and why athletes are using their bodies. For example in the high jump there are variations in technique, all of which can be justified regarding the mobility of the individuals kinetic chain, like foot up or down during the jump, lead arm position, lead knee position and sartorial strength relative to adductors and hamstring co-ordination. If you would like to discuss any of these aspects please just email or comment below.

Edvard Harnes - Strength and conditioning for jumps. I had a good chat to Edvard about his experience with the German national team, and his website can be found at:

http://www.trenerforeningen.org/

He has a lot of presentations and video at:

http://www.trenerforeningen.org/webmaster.shtml

Norwegian Athletics Training Conference

November 20 - 22 there was a very useful training conference at the Norwegian School of Sports Science. Here are some of the main highlights.

Vincenzo Canali - "Postural Base of Sport", this was a true eye opener. His method of ´kinetic chain´ testing and building in the body, is fundamental for all sports particularly athletics, gymnastics, swimming and all yoga/pilates. His methods are simple and straight forward, but are underpinned by an excellent knowledge of anatomy and physiology. His six phases 1) passive, 2) isometric, 3) eccentric, 4) concentric. 5) dynamic and 6) sports specific, really show how posture is the medium between which strength and technique combine to produce effective power in a sports specific movement. Since his workshop I have been incorporating his techniques with all my clients on a daily basis. I am currently working on my own presentation of his ideas with video, in the mean time you can see his work at:

http://www.stabhochsprung.com/epvc/gymnasticmovies/index.html

The presentation he gave is at:

http://www.stabhoch.com/epvc/canali_gymnastics.pdf

Plus a lot of pole vault videos relating to his work can be found at:

http://www.stabhochsprung.com/

When you understand how the body best deals with force, with regard to postural postion in the sagittal plane, it becomes obvious how and why athletes are using their bodies. For example in the high jump there are variations in technique, all of which can be justified regarding the mobility of the individuals kinetic chain, like foot up or down during the jump, lead arm position, lead knee position and sartorial strength relative to adductors and hamstring co-ordination. If you would like to discuss any of these aspects please just email or comment below.

Edvard Harnes - Strength and conditioning for jumps. I had a good chat to Edvard about his experience with the German national team, and his website can be found at:

http://www.trenerforeningen.org/

He has a lot of presentations and video at:

http://www.trenerforeningen.org/webmaster.shtml

High jump Phase 1 – Strength & Conditioning

Nikolai - Winter 2009

Phase 1 - Strength & Conditioning
Week 1 - 5 Mon, Wed, Fri = 3 x week @ Sognsvann
Week 6 Rest

Warm up

Stretches 1 - 7 and dynamics

Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

Drills
5m ankle x3
5m ankle, 5m heel x3
5 m ankle, 5 m heel, 5 m knee x3
Total 90 m

Barbell Complex 20kg
Upright row 7
High pull snatch 7
Squat press 7
Good mornings 7
Bent over row 7
Dead lift 7
Bicepp Curl 7
Total 49

Clean 70% max (explosive power)
3 sets x 10 reps @ 40-45 kg
5 Tiggers + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 30 reps + 30 contacts

Squat (Quads + Hams)
1 x 10 @ 20 kg - Front + Full
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
3 x 10 @ 80 kg - Back + 90´ + 8 Box Split Jumps
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
90 sec rest between sets
Total = 40 reps + 24 contacts

Calf Raises (Gastroc)
5 x 20 @ 40/60/80/60/40 kg
30 - 40 sec rest between sets
Total = 100 reps

M. Greene (Stimulus - Response)
3 x 5 @ 45 kg 1-5 sec hold + clap
5 x Box 2 Box + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 15 reps + 15 contacts

Core Abs
90 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Head raise 20 - 30 reps
60 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Plank 20 - 30 sec
Rev. Plank 20 - 30 sec
Sides L + R 20 - 30 sec
Slow s leg 20 - 30 sec
Slow b leg 20 - 30 sec
Total 3,30 - 5,30 min
2-3 Sets + 2 min rest

Cool Down
3 x 30 m Tempo Sprint
Stretches 8 - 15
Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

High jump Phase 1 – Strength & Conditioning

Nikolai - Winter 2009

Phase 1 - Strength & Conditioning
Week 1 - 5 Mon, Wed, Fri = 3 x week @ Sognsvann
Week 6 Rest

Warm up

Stretches 1 - 7 and dynamics

Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

Drills
5m ankle x3
5m ankle, 5m heel x3
5 m ankle, 5 m heel, 5 m knee x3
Total 90 m

Barbell Complex 20kg
Upright row 7
High pull snatch 7
Squat press 7
Good mornings 7
Bent over row 7
Dead lift 7
Bicepp Curl 7
Total 49

Clean 70% max (explosive power)
3 sets x 10 reps @ 40-45 kg
5 Tiggers + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 30 reps + 30 contacts

Squat (Quads + Hams)
1 x 10 @ 20 kg - Front + Full
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
3 x 10 @ 80 kg - Back + 90´ + 8 Box Split Jumps
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
90 sec rest between sets
Total = 40 reps + 24 contacts

Calf Raises (Gastroc)
5 x 20 @ 40/60/80/60/40 kg
30 - 40 sec rest between sets
Total = 100 reps

M. Greene (Stimulus - Response)
3 x 5 @ 45 kg 1-5 sec hold + clap
5 x Box 2 Box + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 15 reps + 15 contacts

Core Abs
90 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Head raise 20 - 30 reps
60 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Plank 20 - 30 sec
Rev. Plank 20 - 30 sec
Sides L + R 20 - 30 sec
Slow s leg 20 - 30 sec
Slow b leg 20 - 30 sec
Total 3,30 - 5,30 min
2-3 Sets + 2 min rest

Cool Down
3 x 30 m Tempo Sprint
Stretches 8 - 15
Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

High jump Phase 1 – Strength & Conditioning

Nikolai - Winter 2009

Phase 1 - Strength & Conditioning
Week 1 - 5 Mon, Wed, Fri = 3 x week @ Sognsvann
Week 6 Rest

Warm up

Stretches 1 - 7 and dynamics

Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

Drills
5m ankle x3
5m ankle, 5m heel x3
5 m ankle, 5 m heel, 5 m knee x3
Total 90 m

Barbell Complex 20kg
Upright row 7
High pull snatch 7
Squat press 7
Good mornings 7
Bent over row 7
Dead lift 7
Bicepp Curl 7
Total 49

Clean 70% max (explosive power)
3 sets x 10 reps @ 40-45 kg
5 Tiggers + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 30 reps + 30 contacts

Squat (Quads + Hams)
1 x 10 @ 20 kg - Front + Full
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
3 x 10 @ 80 kg - Back + 90´ + 8 Box Split Jumps
1 x 10 @ 40 kg - Front + Full
90 sec rest between sets
Total = 40 reps + 24 contacts

Calf Raises (Gastroc)
5 x 20 @ 40/60/80/60/40 kg
30 - 40 sec rest between sets
Total = 100 reps

M. Greene (Stimulus - Response)
3 x 5 @ 45 kg 1-5 sec hold + clap
5 x Box 2 Box + 90 sec rest between sets
Total = 15 reps + 15 contacts

Core Abs
90 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Head raise 20 - 30 reps
60 Degrees 20 - 30 sec
Plank 20 - 30 sec
Rev. Plank 20 - 30 sec
Sides L + R 20 - 30 sec
Slow s leg 20 - 30 sec
Slow b leg 20 - 30 sec
Total 3,30 - 5,30 min
2-3 Sets + 2 min rest

Cool Down
3 x 30 m Tempo Sprint
Stretches 8 - 15
Skipping 2 mins (250 jumps)

Jesus see's everything

Jesus Depena is the God of high jump research. You can find his interests at:

http://www.indiana.edu/~sportbm/research.html

I highly recommend his 1995 paper for the USA Track and Field science project. It's a cracking read!

Here are some videos from his site. These movies were obtained from a high-speed videotape taken during the 1988 International Golden High Jump Gala competition in Genk, Belgium by Dr. Bart Van Gheluwe. Depena was first made aware of this pronation problem after discussion with my old trainer Mike Dolby in the late 1980's. After seeing the videos like these he went on to define the biomechanical problem and to describe the forces and movement angles involved in take-off. Thank you very much Jesus, you are a good man.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwu6rjl3NDQ]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6R8jwwYKjc]

High Jump Run-Up Calculation

DOWNLOAD EXCEL FILE CALCULATOR $10

How to calculate a curved 8 stride high jump run-up for the flop technique.
1 Curve length
2 Take-off position
3 Take-off angle
Are all important in a good run-up. This video shows how to measure the average curve thength. Then using the calculation programme the correct dimensions can be measure and marked out.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezLnSF6xj7o]

VIDEO DOWNLOAD 15 Mb

Using the Excel file change the numbers in the red boxes. Use the technique in the video to measure straight and curve length. A good take-off angle is 30 - 35 degrees, below 30 increases the risk of medial ankle injury. The take-off position depends on run-up speed and the bar height. Higher speeds (7.5 m/s +) and bars (2.20m +) require a take-off position over 1m out from the bar (position 'y')and less than 30cm from the end of the bar (position 'x'). Junior jumpers should practice jumping from approx. x = 0,35m y = 0, 70m. This position should be decided by a high jump coach or using video analysis.

The resulting figures are the measurement where the run-up markers should be placed to visually guide the athlete through the predetermined and practiced run-up.

Norge Bob Push Starts

Norwegian bob push start practice - sognsvann, Oslo. Nic, Erik, Tommy, Raz & Steinar show some good team work. The yellow mark on the track is at 15m, there should be up to 15 foot contacts before this mark. take note of the arm positions while pushing, and the change of grip of the breakman after two strides.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5298704466733073098&hl=en]

Norwegian Bobsled Sprint Training

Sprint training for the bobsled team at sognsvann, Oslo, 14th Sept 2008. Here is the video of some of the drills, the full session is described below. To down load for your itune/ipod/iphone CLICK HERE and go to 'download' on the right of the video.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6011551603181452633&hl=en]
Jog & stretch

20m dynamic stretch - arms forward
- arms backward
- arms across
- legs straight
- legs straight, across body
- legs straight, sideways

Drills
10m ankle roll - run x2
5m ankle roll, 5m heel flick - run x2
5m ankle roll, 5m heel flick, 5m high knee - run x2
15m straight legs x2
15m straight leg left, heel flick right x2
15m fast feet - (10 fast 10 slow x3) x2
15m single knee drive - 1234 tempo x 2
15m Holm knee hops x2

Sprints
Constant acceleration of stride tempo, length and speed
20m + 25m + 30m + 35m + 40m = 5 runs 150m

Plyometrics
Standing long jump x3
Reverse standing long jump x3
3 bounds + jump x3
3 hops + jump x3 each leg

jog & stretch

Renstrøm Box Take-Off

This is a simple variation of a box jump. The aim is too jump on to the box sideways landing in a high or long jump take-off position. This must be done by driving the take-off leg down onto the box making contact at the same time the knee and hip become fully extended. This is not a jump to 'step-up' on the box. The arms and free knee must drive up very fast to 'snap' into the take-off position on top of the box. This exercise is also good for take-off stability in the ankle joint. This exercise can be used as plyomectric drill between weightlifting sets e.g. squats.

Click this link to view and download

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7945870909890326015&hl=en]

Stefan Holm Barbell and Box Runing Exercises

After my visit to kalstad, Sweden, to train with and get jumping advice from 2004 Olympic Champ Stefan Holm and his father Johnny, I have incorporated two great exercises into my jumping programmes. The first is an extension of a movement drill used in warm-up by Stefan. The difference here is that a 15 – 20kg barbell is used. This exercise requires a very fast double arm and knee drive that must be co-ordinated. The planted leg must be driven down through the floor with full hip and knee extension. If you are new to this I recommend that it is first done with no weight or wooden pole, and progressed to a full barbell. This is a true co-ordination and speed exercise, if this movement is poor, reduce the weight used. The barbell take off twits that follow are to be done slowly and develop ankle stability as well as core rotational stability. Only use a weighted barbell if you are experienced in this exercise. I recommend using a wooden pole to practice on first

Click this link to view and download

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1991349824612009262&hl=en]

The second exercise is a take-off specific plyometric drill. 3 Boxes are used 5 cm, 10 cm and a 15-20 cm. They are placed 11-12 feet apart. The aim of this exercise is to run over the boxes planting the take-off foot on the box and the opposite leg on the floor with a flat foot or toe contact. The leg used on the floor shoud not colapse and should push through with full hyperextension. The rhythm of this exercise is important and the time between the floor step and box step should be as short as possible. As a coach you should be able to hear this distinct rhythm.

Click this link to view and download

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCdRMasjBk8&feature=fvw]

Oslo & Akershus Friidrett

While in karlstad the Oslo junior athletes did some high jump training. Click the picture below to view and dowland the video of some of the jumps.

M. Renstrøm Takes Gold in Norway

Norwegian National Womens Long Jump Final. Selected jumps and results. Margrethe Renstøm is now undefeated in long and triple jump in Norway since 2001 at both junior and senior levels. Picking up another 4 national jump title's this year. This now takes her to 24 national jump title's in total.

Full results here

Click pic to view and download.

Movement Drills

All athletic exercises require good technique to perform them. To show you how to build a usefull technique I have introduced a series of basic movement drill videos. These include walking and running transition drills, hurdle walk overs/knee drives drills and jumping drills. Click each picture below to view and download to your video-ipod to take away into your training environment.

Hurdle Walk Overs - Right knee drive, left knee drive and full walk overs
Focus on moving your legs fast and freely, using a big and fast arm action. This exercise is as much about arm technique as leg technique so make sure to remember this. Try placing white tape or arm bands around your wrists so you can easily see if you are driving you arms up to your eye level. Keep an upright body posture through out.
5 Hurdles 3-4 feet apart, waist height. Drive the right knee and step over the hurdle placing the foot straight down on the floor. Follow with the left using a hurdling trail leg action, again placing the foot straight down on the floor. Repeat as fast as possible for all 5 hurdles. This is one rep, perform 3 reps and move on to left knee knee drives. The technique is the same driving the left knee first, perform 3 reps and move onto full walk overs. For the full walk overs, step over each hurdle in one stride placing the foot straight down. All these exercises are good for your running action and hip mobility.

Hurdle Drills - Knee and Straight Leg Drives
Use 5 hurdles up to waist high, 3-4 feet apart. Knee Drives - Using a lateral movement drive each knee lifting the foot over each hurdle. Going over all 5 hurdles and back again is one rep. Do 3 reps and move on to Straight Leg Drives. For the Straight Leg Drives do the same but bring the leg over each hurdle while keeping it as straight as possible. Use a good arm action for both of these drills. Focus on a good posture and moving your legs as fast as you can. These drills are good for establishing rhythm and leg speed. It is good to do this in pairs, on either side of the hurdles, allowing athletes to compete for speed.

Brazilian Twists
Agility, Balance and Co-ordination. All of these are covered in this exercise. Be as quick as you can with the upper body when turning. Keep the legs neat with a high knee action and stay light on your feet bouncing on the ball of your foot. Use 5 hurdle up to waist height. Perform 3 reps clockwise and 3 reps anti-clockwise for one set. 2 - 3 sets will do it.