ABOUT THE BOOK
Develop the athlete.
Develop the hurdler.
The Hurdler’s Bible: New Testament examines hurdling as a complete developmental process.
Speed first. Technique with purpose.
The hurdles add technical demands to sprinting. They do not replace sprint mechanics, speed development, or rhythm. The goal is to develop speed, then teach the athlete to carry that speed efficiently over and between barriers.
Many athletes look for the workout, the drill, or the correction that will make them faster. Those are legitimate questions. But becoming a good hurdler is deeper than one simple answer.
This book connects practical training with the science and reasoning behind it: what quality you are developing, why the training addresses it, and how it fits into your progress.
WRITTEN FOR THE ATHLETE
From first confidence
to faster hurdling.
The primary reader is the developing hurdler, particularly the high-school athlete. Coaches are an important secondary audience, alongside parents and others interested in the event.
Lessons from collegiate, elite and professional hurdling help explain the principles without losing sight of the athlete still learning.
A shared foundation across events
60 / 100 / 110 / 300 / 400METERS · HURDLES
Sprint speed, mechanics, rhythm and efficiency connect these events. The demands change with distance, spacing, height and race duration.
The same foundations support younger hurdlers competing at shorter distances and different hurdle heights and spacings.
THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE BOOK
“I never intended
to become a coach.”
Known as a technical hurdler, Dexter McCloud progressed from a high-school athlete running 19.22 to a 13-year professional career, representing Team USA, winning two World Indoor titles in the 60-meter hurdles, and becoming a former world-record holder.
After competition, athletes asked how to get faster, improve their trail leg, or choose a workout. Those questions revealed the need for a deeper explanation of development.
A self-described track nerd, Dexter brought a stopwatch to meets to record touchdown times. He studied the relationship between sprint speed, mechanics, rhythm and performance: was he watching a sprinter with good technique, or a technician who had learned to express speed?
That curiosity led to volunteering at clinics and helping high-school coaches. His coaching journey has included helping athletes who went on to the Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Trials semifinals, and the top high-school hurdle ranking in the United States.
Known as the Georgia Hurdle Mechanic, Dexter is writing this book to share what he has learned as an elite hurdler and a coach.
Explore the ideas behind the book