What’s better: three or five-stride hurdling? Becki Hall asks Neuff ambassador Mensah Elliott

If you’ve been following Mensah Elliott's speed, strength and mobility tips from part one of this series, then no doubt you’re feeling fast, strong and (hopefully) supple.

So next, it’s time to tackle something which almost every masters hurdler will battle with at some point in time: the ever-changing hurdles spacing.

Three strides or five strides: the masters hurdler’s biggest challenge!

As someone who has been battling with this exact conundrum since turning 35 in September 2023, I have a slightly vested interest in asking Elliott this question. Three strides are just too far. If I five-stride, the hurdles come at me way too quickly. And I’ve got more chance of running a marathon (totally out of the question) than being able to hurdle proficiently on both legs to allow me to four-stride.

And it’s a challenge that many masters I know have also struggled with.

“Look, three strides are always going to be the fastest – the optimum," Elliott begins. “So, before you opt for five strides, try everything to get three first."

At this point in the conversation, I had to try to hide my disappointment!

The first thing Elliott recommends trying is “squeezing the hurdles in”. That is, bringing them in so they’re closer than race distance.

“Keep the first hurdle on the first mark – that never changes – and then place all the rest of the hurdles two, three, or four feet in; until they’re close enough that it forces you to do three strides,” he explains. “Start with five or six hurdles, then add more on. If you bring them in close enough, you’ll get 12 or 13 hurdles in the 100m, or 14 or 15 in the 110m distance. Doing this will increase your speed, your strength, and your endurance.”

And Elliott advises that as soon as you feel like you’re having to shorten or chop your stride, take the hurdles back out again by a foot or so.

This is a method that he can vouch for from both an athlete’s and a coach's perspective: he regularly has his athletes train over hurdles that are one or more feet in from mark.

“The absolute worst thing to do is put the hurdles on mark and have to massively overstride to get between them”, Elliott explains.

“That affects your technique so much. Whereas if you bring them in and are able to run and hurdle with better technique, you gradually get to the point where the hurdles feel too close and you can begin to edge them out again."

Elliott also recognises that a large part of the challenge with hurdles is a lack of confidence when it comes to the take-off distance, which he says can actually impact your technique.

“One thing I’ve noticed – especially with female hurdlers like those at my club, S-Factor Academy – is the lead leg often goes to the outside rather than going straight over the hurdle; because mentally they feel that they have to get really close to the hurdle before they go over it. Then they’re too close, they think they’re going to hit it, and their leg ends up going out to the side," he observes.

“That leg going out to the side slows you down, breaks your stride, and makes it harder to get to the next barrier. The aim is to attack the hurdle straight on and snap that lead leg down, building momentum.

“It’s a case of being brave enough to understand that you can take off further back from the hurdle with the speed and momentum that you’ve already built."

And maintaining momentum is another issue that masters hurdlers can struggle with: going over all 10 hurdles in a 100m hurdles or 110m hurdles outdoor race is a challenge.

“Once you’ve got the spacing, to reach the end, you’ve to do loads of 120- and 150-metre sprints in training,” he advises.

“If I had to do a 110m hurdles race in the early spring, I’d struggle because I spend all winter training to run 60m indoors. But for me, as soon as the indoors finish in March, I’m outside running flat-out 150s and going over 12 hurdles."

Many masters hurdlers struggle with making the distance to the first hurdle; either it’s too far away, or too close because the hurdle distances have changed. What would you recommend?

Similarly to three-striding, there is an “ideal” number of steps to the first hurdle, too. “If a masters athlete still has the same strength and power in those first few steps, and they can maintain eight strides to the first hurdle, then that’s best,” he says.

“I still use eight strides. A lot of the younger hurdlers – by that, I mean international hurdlers in their 20s – are now running even seven strides to the first hurdle. I haven’t tried seven yet, but I know when I move up to M50, I’ll probably have to, as that first hurdle will be closer to me.”

And getting that first hurdle right is paramount to the rest of your run.

“For me, the first hurdle is the most important," explains Elliott. “If your setup is wrong, you mess up the whole race. Then you’re playing catch–up, and if you’re racing against athletes of the same calibre, it’s too late to fix.”

For those struggling to make the eight strides work, there are a few options.

“One option is to swap legs in the blocks and fit in seven strides – especially if you’re struggling because the first hurdle is too close," Elliott explains.

“The other option is to adjust the block position. You don’t always have to place your hands on the start line. One of my taller athletes struggled with reaching the first hurdle, so I told her to move her blocks half a foot back. That small change gave her the space she needed to hit her stride pattern cleanly.”

Another adjustment can be made in the first few steps.

“You can also look at your first one or two strides. If the first hurdle is too far away, make the first stride big – or even the first two big – then turn over quickly from there. Or if you’re getting too close to the hurdle, shorten the first couple of strides and then lengthen them as you approach the hurdle.”

And if none of the other adjustments work – moving the blocks, changing the first few steps – there’s one more option: but it comes with a caveat.

“If the distance to the first hurdle is still too far, try nine strides. But if you do, it has to be quick turnover. Nine strides can become nine very short choppy strides, so they have to be fast; they can’t damage your momentum into the hurdle," he warns.

We’ve spoken a lot about how hurdlers can maintain their form as they transition from senior to masters hurdles, but how would you recommend that people who have never hurdled before go about starting?

One of the great things about masters athletics is that it attracts new people who join the community and give the sport a try for the first time, as well as those already involved in athletics who take on new events when they reach 35.

As part of his voluntary role as a Neuff ambassador, Elliott is passionate about encouraging other masters athletes to give hurdling a go.

So, if you’ve been inspired, Elliott's also got some great advice for you.

For complete beginners, the best approach is to start small. “Get some SAQ hurdles, keep the first one on the mark, squeeze the next ones in, and just build your confidence,” he suggests. Rather than immediately trying to hit three strides between hurdles, athletes should first focus on simply running between them.

“It’s very unlikely that someone who’s never hurdled before can put them on nearly full mark and go over in three strides,” he explains. “Just get used to running between them first – ideally using the same lead leg each time, so maybe try five strides first."

As you get more confident, keep the height low but space the hurdles out. When you feel like you’re chopping your stride, that’s your cue to raise the hurdles slightly, space them out again, and begin attempting three strides.

If three strides are too challenging, move back to five, build confidence, and then try three again. Mensah warns that increasing the hurdle height can also change your technique, particularly the trail leg, so it’s important to progress gradually.

Finding a knowledgeable coach can be helpful, but Mensah acknowledges that hurdle coaches are rare. “Even when I was a senior athlete, there were very, very few specialist hurdle coaches,” he says. “But there’s loads of stuff on YouTube – some good, some not so good, but if you stick with the basics, you’ll get somewhere.”

Get your mind and body in sync: and listen to the latter

Longevity in hurdling isn’t about pushing through with the same approach you had in your 20s – it’s about adapting. Prioritising mobility, strength, and smart training will not only keep you competitive but also help prevent injuries and prolong your time in the sport.

“When I came back after my five or six years off, mentally, I was still in the place of an elite athlete. I thought I could train six days a week, just like before,” he says. “So I went out to the track, did one session – felt good. The next day, I did another session – hamstring went.”

It was only a grade-one tear, but it kept Elliott longer to adjust to than he was used to. And that was the moment reality hit: recovery wasn’t going to be as quick as it used to be. “When I was younger, something like that would set me back a few days. This took weeks!”

He says it took around 18 months for his brain and body to fully “sync” up again, for him to listen to what his body was telling him and accept that some things – like the heavy lifting he spoke about in part one of this article – needed to be significantly reduced, while others, like flexibility and mobility, needed more attention than ever before.

Now, Elliott is more aware of the changes in his body, but is doing everything he can to prolong his career. “I do still have problems with my back,” he admits. “I’ve had those days where I’ve been hunched over because I’m in so much pain. I’m just more sensible now with my training. Luckily, I don’t think I’ve started to lose height from being hunched over just yet – I think I’m still holding on to my six foot!”

And, after building on his success throughout the years, his advice is clear: maintain flexibility, build functional strength, and don’t neglect speed work. For masters hurdlers, success comes down to consistency and making the right choices for long-term progress. Keep refining, keep improving, and you’ll keep clearing hurdles for years to come.