B-Skip

The B-skip builds on the a-skip: after driving the knee up with a dorsiflexed foot, the athlete extends the lower leg forward and then actively "paws" or claws the foot back and down under the hips before ground contact, then repeats on the other leg while skipping forward. This adds the active touchdown / negative-foot-speed and hamstring loading that occurs as the foot prepares to strike in real sprinting.

Technique: stay tall and braced with a sharp arm action; drive the knee up (as in the A), unfold the lower leg, then pull it down-and-back actively so the ball of the foot strikes under the body — avoid reaching/over-striding and avoid snapping the knee into hard lockout. Progress marching B → B-skip → B-run.

Because of the leg extension and paw-back, the B-skip places more strain on the hamstrings, so it is introduced after the A-skip is mastered and after an adequate warm-up; it is valuable for teaching the active touchdown that reduces braking and for hamstring preparation.

• A-skip + active leg extension and paw-back before foot strike.
• Teaches the active, claw-like touchdown and hamstring action of sprinting.
• Tall posture, strike under the hips, no over-striding or hard knee lockout.
• Higher hamstring strain — introduce after the A-skip and a good warm-up.
• Progression: marching B → B-skip → B-run.

• a-skip — the simpler precursor drill.
• running-form — adds the active-touchdown component.
• sprint-mechanics — rehearses the late-swing paw-back action.
• hamstrings — loaded during extension/paw-back.
• hip-flexors — drive the knee up to start each cycle.