Brad Timmons outlines his philosophy and drills for the relay teams at Center Grove High School. He emphasizes maximizing talent through reducing wasted movement, stressing nutrition and strength training. General warmups include static stretching, hurdle drills to warm hips and groin, and dynamic flexibility drills. Running drills are always done on lines to work on rhythm and form. For the 4x100 relay, he discusses optimal personnel grouping and techniques like starting positions, exchange zones, and hand placement on baton passes. For the 4x200/400 relays, he covers spacing, reaching back to pass the baton, and responsibilities for dropped batons.

1. 1/27/2015
1
Relay Exchanges
4 x 100 and 4 x 400
Brad Timmons – Assistant Track and Field
Center Grove High School
Greenwood, IN
First some thank “yous”
• Special thanks to all of those influencing my coaching career,
specifically in the field of relays:
1. Coach Johnson, Robert H.
2. Eric Moore
3. Mike Chastain
4. Mike Davidson
5. Marty Mills – strength coach at Center Grove High School
Philosophyon Sprinters
• At Center Grove we do not exactly see the raw DNA
characterizing the other teams in our conference. Therefore,
we must:
1. Maximize our talent.
a. We are blessed to have kids who will give us all they have.
b. Reduce all wasted movement (lines, lines, lines)
c. Never give up on younger athletes (Stoner, Veteto, Schwartz)
d. Stress nutrition and the weight room.
2. Minimize injuries. We cannot afford to lose a single athlete
and our workouts are designed to ensure we stay healthy.
General Warm Up
• Always the same starting point for each practice.
1. Static stretching before leaving locker room
2. Hurdle walk-over drills
3. Hurdle rhythm drills
4. Dynamic flex drills
5. Form Running Drills
6. Heel walk and toe taps
7. Mini-hurdle runs
Hurdle Walk-OverDrills:
• These drills are done primarily as a means of warming up our
hips and warming up our groin muscles.
1. Right leg lead
2. Left leg lead
3. Alternating right and left one per hurdle
4. Right leg lead – walk over duck under
5. Left leg lead – walk over duck under
• These can also be done with athletes keeping their hands on
top of their heads for increased core/balance development
Hurdle RhythmDrills:
1. These drills are done stimulate both the glutes and the
hamstrings
2. Bent leg traveling right, bent leg traveling left
a. Foot dorsi-flexed
b. Heel tight to glute
c. Arms in a running motion – not straight or moving across body
d. These can also be done down the center of the hurdles forcing kids
to keep their toes dorsi-flexed and up on the balls of their feet
3. Straight leg traveling right, straight leg traveling left
a. Foot-dorsi-flexed
b. Leg as straight as possible
c. Arms in running motion – not straight or moving across
body

2. 1/27/2015
2
DynamicFlexibilityDrills:
• These drills are done to further stimulate the muscles in order to
prevent any injury during the forthcoming workout. Six to 10
repetitions each.
1. Standing leg swings – side to side
2. Standing leg swings – left to right
3. Side swings – leg straight, back flat, hips square
4. Fire hydrants – emphasize flat backs and square shoulders/hips.
5. Hip circles
6. Bicycles
7. Inverted Scissors
8. Sagital Scissors
9. Scorpions – both face up and face down
10. Seated hurdle exchange – also done with a lead-leg lift (2-3”)
11. Russian Cossacks
RunningDrills:
1. We will choose between seven and 10 drills to perform each day
depending on the time of the season and the soreness of our
athletes. These are ALWAYS done on lines!
2. Must also consider the level of difficulty for younger athletes.
3. Music is a great accompaniment to performing these drills.
Anything which will help with rhythm and coordination.
4. If done on our football field, we will run on yard lines, change drills
at the first hash, and then jog out once we hit the second hash.
5. If cannot be done outside due to weather we complete each drills
for 20-25 meters.
6. All drills done on balls of feet. Heels should not touch the ground
7. Arms do not cross mid-point of body for any drill.
8. Arms at 90 degrees or slightly more (can sit kids of floor and cycle
arms if they are too long)
* Also think of hammering nails in wall behind you (Johnson)
RunningDrills Continued:
1. Ballerinas
2. Carioca – stress high knee when crossing over.
3. Russian Walks
4. Russian Skips
5. A-Skips
6. B-Skips
7. C- Skips
8. Reverse Open-Hip Skips
9. Quick leg (right on way down, left on way back)
10. Quick leg alternating
11. Prime Times to End Zones (legs straight, not leaning back)
12. Straight-leg run (Korfist)
13. Heel walks (toes in, toes out, toes straight ahead)
14. Toe taps (toes in, toes out, toes straight ahead)
Mini-HurdleRuns
1. Six-inch banana hurdles
2. Start with eight and go as high as 12.
3. Spaced evenly
a. 1.9 meters (6 feet)
b. 2.0 meters (6’6”)
c. 2.1 meters (6’10”)
d. 2.2 meters (7’2”)
*No one should space hurdles longer than 2.2 meters. If 2.2 is
easy to meet with 10 barriers add more barriers. I have yet to
meet a high school athlete who can maintain 2.2 for more than a
few barriers before their form suffers due to fatigue.
…if you do not have mini-hurdles
• If you do not have mini-hurdles at your disposal:
1. Do a series of build-ups:
a. Build for 30 yards
b. Sprint (max effort, max power) for 30 yards
c. Decelerate for 30 yards
2. Follow up with heel walks and toe taps.
Now for the 4 x 100:
1. 4 x 100 Personnel groupings – by far the trickiest
A. Most reliable, gunfighter, solid starter of the four selected.
B. Wildcat as number two…possible first or second fastest of the
group.
C. Best turn runner…does not have to gain much necessarily but
cannot lose due to poor technique (Chastain always looks for
the duck-footed runner).
D. Most competitive of the group. Hates to lose…second fastest if
not the fastest.
i. As an addendum, some will say to not save your fastest for last, at
least in the sprint relay (4 x 100), but you also want to be able to
close and gain place if possible.

3. 1/27/2015
3
4 x 100: The Exchange Zone
• A point you cannot stress enough is the need for the incoming
runner to chase the outgoing runner all the way out of the
exchange zone!
• Regarding the timing of the baton:
• 2.0 through the zone equates to 40 flat
• At Center Grove our boys shoot for 2.2 – 2.6 and our girls shoot
for 2.6 – 3.0.
4 x 100: StartingPositions
• Runners two and four are on the outside half of the lane, and
runners one and three occupy the inside half.
1. Outgoing runner stands all the way back to the start of the
acceleration zone.
2. As a starting point, outgoing runner walks back 17 heel-to-toe
steps on the inside of the lane (always the inside, always in spikes)
and at step 17 draws a large box in the lane.
3. Outgoing runner then stands at the start of the acceleration zone,
and takes off when the incoming runner hits the box drawn 17
steps back.
4. Outgoing runner puts his/her arm back when they enter the zone,
and not before entering the zone.
5. Outgoing runner will GRADUALLY slow if not having received the
baton by the half-way point of the zone.
6. Incoming runner will chase outgoing runner all the way through
the zone before slowing…toughest point to coach…at least for me.
7. If baton is dropped, incoming runner retrieves, not both.
RelayMarkings
Zone Chasing 4x100 PositionsContinued:
8. Number two and four runner occupy the outside half of the
lane, runners one and two occupy the inside half of the lane.
9. Numbers one and three carry the baton in their right hand,
and runners two and four carry the baton in their left hand.
* no one switches hands in this relay
4 x 100 Hand Placement on Reach
• 1. Hand high
• Fingers outstretch
• Palm flat
• Thumb Down
• Full Extension for both outgoing and incoming runners
• Incoming runner must focus on target and nothing else!

4. 1/27/2015
4
High Hand, Thumb Down, Palm Flat
4 x 200/4x400:
Spacing and Starting Points
1. Second, third and fourth runners all stand on the outside
half of the lane, face the inside of the track, and will reach
back with their left hand.
2. In the 4 x 200, if you have an acceleration zone, have the
outgoing runner count back fifteen steps from the START of
the exchange zone, stand there, and use the start of the
exchange zone as your GO mark.
3. Reach back when you enter the zone...roughly three steps
from ones starting point.
4. Once out of the zone, or as soon as possible and safe,
change and run with the baton in your right hand, and run
on the inside half of the lane.
5. Incoming runner MUST chase out of the zone!
4x400 PersonnelGroupings
1. Again, a solid starter who can gain you at least one position
or more.
2. Second runner, longest leg, most passing, most aggressive
bump and run athlete. Must get you in a position to be
competitive in the race.
3. Maintenance leg…if there is one…solid exchange…will not
relinquish position…gutsy runner.
4. Anchor leg – the ALPHA DOG – make it or break it runner.
The cards have been played. Great closer, competitor, the
boss…and this HAS to be his/her mindset, period!
FinalPoints:
1. All runners, regardless of what relay they may be running,
MUST chase out of the zone. Baton has to get through the
zone as smooth, safe, and quick as possible.
2. 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 exchanges are totally open.
3. Act like you are reaching in the refrigerator for a two-liter, or
like you are reaching back to choke the incoming
runner…whatever works.
4. This actually mimics how high one’s hand should be when
reaching back for the baton – chest to neck high.
5. As opposed to the 4 x 100, in the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400, the
outgoing runner will retrieve a dropped baton. Outgoing
runner stay strong in lane and maintain eye contact with
your teammate.
The Reach