The relay races are the only definable competitions of an athletics team (4 companions per group); at the Olympic level only 4x100 meters and 4x400 meters are performed, but there are different types that can be reproduced in ordinary events.
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The relays fall within the fast-running disciplines and consist in getting the "witness" to arrive as quickly as possible; to do this, it is necessary for the 4 participating athletes to be faster than their opponents at any given distance, as well as more skilled in passing the baton between them.4x100 meters relay of athletics
The 4x100m relay of track and field athletes provides for the passing of the baton between the comrades in a maximum space of 20m, even if the athlete who receives it has the right to start (after a run-up) up to 10m before the exchange area (called pre-race). exchange). The difficulty of the passage is therefore to make the speed of the athlete who arrives coincide with that of the athlete who is leaving, making a quick and concise exchange without any DECELERATIONS.
The main difficulties of the 4x100m relay are:
- High speed
- Reduced exchange times
- Low possibility of visual inspection
- Need to automate the gesture
The transit should take place in a few milliseconds, passing the baton inside the palm of the moving hand of the receiving athlete (a few cm2). The athlete who receives, for his part, must identify the partner who arrives, sight his speed with a signal placed on the ground and accelerate while maintaining the regular attitude; moreover, while it reaches a high speed, it has to wait in stretching the arm back to the signal of the companion who arrives.
Watch the video
X Watch the video on youtubePassing the baton to the track and field relay team
There are 3 different techniques of passing the baton, which differ in the positioning of the hand:
- Step from below
- Passage from above
- Passage in line or pushed (alternating Italian)
In the alternate Italian technique, the first fractionist (who completes the fraction in the curve) starts with the witness in hand and executes the curve from the inside; the second (which makes the fraction in a straight line) runs outside the lane and receives the baton on the left hand; the third and fourth fractionist (similar to the first and the second) receive and run respectively one on the right and the inside, and the other on the left and outside. The advantages of the alternating Italian technique are: the distance of the least possible space (in the bend fractions), the precise control of the target and the delivery from the greatest possible distance of the witness.
At high levels, in the 4x100m relay, the handover of the baton takes place in the second half of the exchange area, with equivalent speeds and distances between the athletes of 1-1.5m. To allow a similar effectiveness it is necessary to identify a reference point (on the runway) which, once reached and exceeded by the athlete who arrives, will trigger the receiver which will be positioned perfectly in the exchange area. For reception, the receiver will position itself at the beginning of the pre-change zone (10m before the exchange zone), in the outer half for the 2nd and 4th fractionist and in the inner half for the 1st, observing the companion arriving; the weight of his body is always uniformly distributed, with the lower limbs slightly bent, the front foot (right for the 2nd and 4th fractionist and left for the 1st and 3rd fractionist) turned towards the direction of travel and that outside turned slightly outside. The bust is erect and turned towards the companion with a high look over the shoulders in order to effectively estimate the speed of the witness in delivery; the arms are always well coordinated to the legs. As the companion approaches, the legs bend further until they are set in motion, which occurs at the reference point of the incoming companion; the receiver will start the start-up sequence a few moments beforehand, turning and starting at the same time without changing the direction of the run.
Among the abilities of the bearer, it is not only the maximum speed that can be reached in the 100m that counts, but also the uniformity of the same until the passing of the baton; in a nutshell, it must equal the acceleration of the companion who receives. He, having reached a distance of 2-2.5m, imposes a vocal command to the companion who lays back the arm with an open hand and with a thumb in line, while the other 4 fingers are joined and rotated outwards. The men are able to change up to 4-5m from the end of the exchange area, while the women (who reach the maximum speed proportionally before the males) also slightly earlier; in order to establish which is the correct moment of the passage it is necessary to carry out many tests and to take into consideration the entry speed of the witness and the acceleration capacity of the receiver.
4x400 meter relay of athletics
Unlike the previous one, the 4x400m requires a completely different passage technique; in the transmissions, the receiving athlete is positioned with the forehead towards the center of the field to scrutinize the entrance of the companion and evaluate the speed, moving accordingly. NB . Also in this relay you can earn a lot with an effective change of the witness:
- The incoming athlete, after a fraction of a run correctly managed, vertically positions the witness by extending the arm
- The receiver moves uniforming the start with the speed of the companion, grabbing the baton in the upper part with the left hand and continuing correctly its running line passing the object in the right hand.
We remind you that in this race the gearbox is only 20m and has NO pre-change zone; the space is however sufficient to maintain the speed of the witness.
