Many people get confused between hurdling and hoping because both require jumping. However, there is a whole lot of difference between them. In Hurdle drills or hurdle jumps, a person needs to jump and run over various artificial hurdles while maintaining speed. Usually, a training or speed/agility hurdle requires a person to first land on a single leg and hoping requires landing on both feet. Hurdle jumps come under polymetric training, which is practised to attain body flexibility and develop muscle strength.
Stamina and agility are two qualities, which are essential for any athlete. And to achieve most of it, professionals use agility and speed training hurdles. They are specially designed to attain faster speed which is beneficial in almost every kind of sport.
If you want to become an expert in hurdle drills, it will require you to gain expertise in three major exercises – Running, Jumping and Static landing. But firstly, you need to purchase the right type of equipment to perform all the activities. You can easily purchase them from any local offline store or order easily online. If you are searching for training hurdles online, this post will help you choose the best ones. But first, let's discuss the benefits of hurdle drills.
Health benefits
Before moving forward with the best hurdle training kit, let us discuss the various benefits of getting started with the hurdle drill training. Below, we have shared a few health benefits for the same.
Muscles strength
Generally, hurdle jumps require a ton of muscle activity, support and coordination between muscles like – arms, hips, stomach, and legs. Also, it requires a lot of stamina while running or jumping, which is again generated by our muscles. Therefore, your muscles become way more flexible, which ultimately helps you perform better.
Flexible bones
While doing hurdles, you will require various body movements from high jump to bending and running to relaxing, all at the same time. And, it helps keep your bones flexible and reduces the risk of any joint or bone diseases like – arthritis or joint pain. Moreover, hurdle drills can help increase height at a significantly faster rate.
Improved body coordination
If hurdle drills are practised daily, they can improve body coordination and maintain the strength of the core. As a result, you will be able to balance your posture & stability and not fall easily. But for this, you will require several static landings before actually performing the hurdles.
Benefits of hurdle drills for runners
Now that you have understood the health benefits of hurdle drills, let us discuss a few benefits for the runners.
- Usually, hurdle drills help improve core strength, flexibility and rate of motion in runners.
- Regular hurdle drills help achieve a suitable physique which is required for a professional runner.
- Having a supple and loose hip will decrease the risk of any muscle pull or any bodily injury too.
- While practising hurdle drills, runners build strong adductors, abductors and lose weight around the groin area, which will help maintain a fully stretched and open body during the run.
Features to look for in training hurdle equipment
Although there are a variety of hurdles available in the market to choose from. However, if you are an athlete, hurdles like - speed, endurance, agility, etc., are essential for your training routine. Further, in this article, we have shared crucial features to look for while purchasing any hurdle kit.
Adjustable height
Be it any training equipment or hurdle; it should be adjustable according to individual's height. It will enable you to use the equipment for multiple types of drills.
Portable
Hurdle equipment should be ultra-portable so that you can easily carry the equipment on the track for the drills or set up on the field for a quick warm-up.
Waterproof
External weather is unpredictable, and we believe it should not come between a fitness enthusiast and his training. Therefore, hurdle equipment should be waterproof.
Durable
While buying training hurdles online, we suggest considering the material. It should be strong and durable but safe at the same time.
Conclusion
We hope that our guide has helped you understand the importance of hurdle drills and what features to look for. If you are searching for a one-stop online destination in the UK to buy your hurdle equipment, check out Splay.co.uk. We offer superior quality training hurdles at the most reasonable prices. We have a range of speed and agility hurdles, and you can pick the hurdles that fit your training needs as well as the budget.