TYPES OF YOGA

Types of Yoga 1 – Hatha Yoga

In Sanskrit, “Hatha” means force. It describes the physical practice of yoga, so all other types of yoga fall under the category of Hatha.4

If you see Hatha Yoga on a class schedule, it means you’ll find a slower-paced class with little-to-no “flow” between poses. It’s a gentle class that’s perfect for beginners or the after-work yogi looking to wind-down. Here, you’ll learn basic postures, breath work, relaxation techniques, and meditation.

Types of Yoga 2 – Vinyasa

This style of yoga links movement with the breath, creating flowing postures that smoothly transition from one to the next. In Sanskrit, the word “vinyasa” means “connection.” Each movement connects with either an inhale or an exhale. You can expect to move through a few sun salutations, warrior poses, balancing poses, back bends, and seated stretches. Each class ends in savasana, which is the final relaxation pose.

There is no strict format or sequence of poses in a vinyasa class, allowing for more creativity on the part of the teacher. Some classes are more spiritual, incorporating breath work, chanting and meditation, while others are more athletically-oriented. It depends on the instructor, so if one class doesn’t suit you, try a different instructor.

Depending on the level, Vinyasa yoga can be gentle or rigorous. If you’re a beginner, look for a gentle flow or a level 1 class. Learn the basics before moving on to more advanced classes (level 2 or higher).

Types of Yoga 3 – Iyengar

Iyengar is an alignment-based style of yoga. These classes don’t flow like vinyasa classes. Poses are held longer, as you breath into a pose to find more expansion. Instructors use of a variety of props, such as blocks, straps, and blankets, to make sure you find the correct posture in each pose. Iyengar is a great style of yoga for individuals who appreciate detailed instruction, or for those with injuries and who need a class that can accommodate their limitations. Practicing Iyengar will help build strength, mobility, and stability.5

Types of Yoga 4 – Bikram

Bikram yoga is best known for hot rooms and sweat dripping postures. This style of vinyasa yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury and is comprised of 26 postures performed in strict sequential order. Bikram chose these specific postures because he believes they systematically challenge the entire body—the organs, veins, ligaments, and muscles.6 7

Types of Yoga 5 – Ashtanga (aka Power Yoga)

Developed by K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga yoga is considered a modern-day form of classical Indian yoga. It’s also known as “Power” yoga. Like vinyasa, movement and breath are linked. However, in Ashtanga, the movements are predefined. You move through four phases—an opening phase, one of six “series”, backbending, and inversions. There is an element of progression in Ashtanga: if you’re a beginner to the practice, you’ll start with the Primary series. When you’ve mastered that series, you will graduate to a more difficult series and so on. Advancing through the poses can take years or decades; however, the focus of the practice is not on advancement to more difficult levels, rather, it is to maintain internal focus.8

If you enjoy a more structured, powerful practice that focuses on mastery of poses and progression to more advanced levels, this could be a great style of yoga for you.

Types of Yoga 6 – Jivamukti

More than just a movement practice, Sharon Gannon and David Life developed the practice as a lifestyle. It is a physical, spiritual, and ethical practice that emphasizes animal rights, environmentalism, and veganism. There are five central tenets to the Jivamukti: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (non-harming), nada (music), and dhyana (meditation).9

A typical class starts with a life lesson or intention, chanting, and breath awareness. It moves on to flowing vinyasa sequences and ends with relaxation & meditation. If you’re looking for a style of yoga that offers spiritual and meditative elements as well as physical benefits, Jivamukti could be perfect.

Types of Yoga 7 – Kundalini

Grounded in the Chakra system, Kundalini focuses on the breath (pranayama) and core work. Kundalini strives to develop the mind, awareness, and consciousness. Each pose is associated with a different breathing technique that is believed to intensify the effects of the posture.10

Kundalini is much more spiritual and meditative than other styles of yoga. It emphasizes breathing, chanting, meditation, and hand gestures (mudras). Although this class often involves more sitting than other styles, it is still physically demanding. This class offer both physical and mental challenges, as well as spiritual and meditative elements.

Types of Yoga 8 – Yin (aka Restorative)

This is a slow-paced style of yoga developed by Paulie Zink, a martial arts expert and Taoist yoga teacher. Here, the poses are held for longer periods of time, about 5 minutes per pose. Holding a pose for this length of time is believed to put stress on the connective tissue, enhancing circulation and increasing flexibility. This style is believed to improve the flow of qi (life energy) and was created to complement more rigorous forms of activity.11

As this practice is slower-paced, it makes use of a lot of props and is usually performed in a room heated to 80-90F. The heat enables the muscles to expand, becoming more elastic, which is important when holding poses for 3-5 minutes. Holding poses for longer periods of time challenges patience and the mind, bringing attention to the breath in a meditative way.

You won’t find much flowing movement here, so Yin is great for individuals interested in a deeper stretch and a more relaxing class.

I hope this overview of the principles & basic practice of these different types of yoga help you decide which is the best for you to practice, or for those who practice certain types already, it inspires you to give a few more a try.

Yoga

Yoga Sanskrit,LISTEN is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline which originated in India. There is a broad variety of schools, practices, and goals[2] in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[3][4][5][4] Among the most well-known types of yoga are Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga.[6]

The origins of yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions, is mentioned in the Rigveda,[note 1] but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, in ancient India's ascetic and śramaṇa movements.[8][note 2]The chronology of earliest texts describing yoga-practices is unclear, varyingly credited to Hindu Upanishads[9] and BuddhistPāli Canon,[10] probably of third century BCE or later. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date from the first half of the 1st millennium CE,[11][12] but only gained prominence in the West in the 20th century.[13] Hatha yoga texts emerged around the 11th century with origins in tantra.[14][15]

Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga to the west,[16] following the success of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century.[16] In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world.[15]Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise, it has a meditative and spiritual core.[17] One of the six major orthodox schools of Hinduism is also called Yoga, which has its own epistemology and metaphysics, and is closely related to Hindu Samkhya philosophy.[18]

HAMMER THROW

The hammer throw is a throwing event where the object thrown is a heavy steel ball attached with a long wire (maximum length 122cm) to a handle. The facility for the hammer throw includes a throwing circle, protective cage and landing sector. It is usually combined with the facility for the discus throw.

The throwing circle is the same as for the discus and shot put throw but has an inside diameter of 2.135m (±5mm). The hammer can be thrown from the discus circle provided the diameter of this circle is reduced from 2.50m to 2.135m by placing a circular ring inside.

The surface finish to the concrete circle is slightly smoother for hammer throw than for discus. When a circle is used for both discus and hammer throw, a compromise finish is required.

The hammer throw cage is designed, manufactured and maintained to be capable of stopping a 7.260kg disc moving at a speed of up to 32m per second. There must be no danger of the disc ricocheting or rebounding back towards the athlete or over the top of the cage. If these requirements are satisfied, any form of cage design and construction can be used.

The cage is U-shaped as shown in the following diagram. The width of the mouth is 6m, positioned 7m in front of the centre of the throwing circle. The end points of the 6m wide mouth are the inner edge of the cage netting. The height of the netting panels or draped netting at their lowest point are at least 7m for the panels/netting at the rear of the cage and at least 10m for the 2.80m panels to the gate pivot points. Provision must be made in the design of the cage to prevent a hammer forcing its way through any joints in the cage or the netting or underneath the netting panels.

 Two movable netting panels 2m wide are provided at the front of the cage, only one is operative at a time. The minimum height of the panels is 10m.

The netting can be made from suitable natural or synthetic fibre cord or from a mild or high tensile steel wire. The maximum mesh size is 44mm for cord netting and 50mm for steel wire.

Where it is desirable to use the same cage for discus and
hammer throw, the installation can be adapted in two alternative ways. A 2.135m–2.5m concentric circle is fitted but this involves using the same surface in the circle for the hammer and discus throw. The hammer cage is used for the discus throw by fixing the movable netting panels clear of the cage opening. 

For separate circles for hammer and discus throw in the same cage, the two circles are placed one behind the other with the centres 2.37m apart on the centre line of the land sector and with the discus circle at the front. In this case, the movable netting panels are used for the discus throw. 

The maximum danger sector for hammer throws from this cage is approximately 53° when used by both right and left-handed throwers in the same competition. The position and alignment of the cage in the arena is critical for its safe use.

Javelin

The javelin throw is a throwing event where the object to be thrown is a spear-like object made of metal, fibreglass and, in some cases, carbon fibre. The facility for the javelin throw includes a runway, a throwing arc and a landing sector. The minimum length of the runway is 30m and the maximum 36.5m. It is marked by two parallel white lines 5cm wide and 4m apart. 

The throw is made from behind an arc of a circle drawn with a radius of 8m. The arc consists of a strip painted or made of wood 7cm wide. It is white and flush with the ground. Lines are drawn from the extremities of the arc at right angles to the parallel lines marking the runway. These lines are white, 75cm long and 7cm wide. The maximum lateral inclination of the runway is 1:100 and the overall inclination in the running direction 1:1000Floodlighting of athletics venues is generally required to maximise the use of tracks and training areas. Where athletics facilities are to be used for non-televised activities, it is only necessary to provide a horizontal illuminance suitable for the required level of activity. An illuminance level of 100 lux is sufficient for an athletics training area. For club competition and regional events, 200 lux is sufficient and for national and international levels, 500 lux.

DISCUS THROW

Discus throw is a throwing event where athletes throw a 2kg platelike implement from a 2.5m circle. The discus is launched after the thrower, starting at the back of the circle, has completed one-and-a-half turns. The facility for discus throw includes a throwing circle, protective cage and landing sector.

The throwing circle is made of bank iron, steel or other suitable material, the top of which is flush with the ground outside. The inside diameter of the circle measures 2.5m (±5mm) and the rim at least 6mm in thickness, 70mm to 80mm deep and painted white.

The interior of the circle is constructed of concrete, asphalt or some other firm but not slippery material. The surface must be level and 1.4cm–2.6cm lower than the upper edge of the rim of the circle.

All discus and hammer throws are made from an enclosure or cage to ensure safety of spectators, officials and athletes. The cage shown in the following diagram is intended for use when the event is held in the arena with other events taking place at the same time or spectators are present. Where this does not apply, and especially in training areas, a much simpler construction may be satisfactory.

The cage is designed, manufactured and maintained to be capable of stopping a 2kg discus moving at a speed of up to 25m per second. There must be no danger of the discus ricocheting or rebounding back towards the athlete or over the top of the cage. If these requirements are satisfied, any form of cage design and construction can be used.

The cage is U-shaped. The width of the mouth is 6m, positioned 7m in front of the centre of the throwing circle. The end points of the 6m wide mouth are the inner edge of the cage netting. The height of the netting panels or draped netting at their lowest point is 4m. Provision must be made in the design of the cage to prevent a discus forcing its way through any joints in the cage or the netting or underneath the netting panels.

The netting is made from suitable natural or synthetic fibre cord or from a mild or high tensile steel wire. The maximum mesh size is 44mm for cord netting and 50mm for steel wire.

The maximum danger sector for discus throws from this cage is approximately 69°, when used by both right and left handed throwers in the same competition. The position and alignment of the cage in the arena is critical for its safe use.

The surface of the landing sector must allow for the discus making a mark upon landing. It is made of natural grass or other suitable material. The landing sector is laid from the middle of the circle with an angle of 34.92° and marked by 50mm wide white lines, the inside edges of which form the boundary of the sector. The length of the sector is 80m. The angle of 34.92° is attained if the two sector lines at a distance of 80m are spaced 48m apart.

The maximum allowance for the overall downward inclination of the landing sector, in the throwing direction, shall not exceed 0.1 per cent.

Shot put

The shot put involves ‘putting’ (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball (called the shot) as far as possible. The shot put facility includes a throwing circle, a stop-board and a landing sector. Competitors take their throw from inside a circle 2.135m in diameter, with a toe board approximately 10cm high at the front of the circle. The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the circle to where the shot lands at its nearest disturbance of the soil.

The throwing circle is made of bank iron, steel or other suitable material, the top of which is flush with the ground outside. The inside diameter of the throwing circle measures 2.135m (±5mm) and the rim at least 6mm in thickness, 70mm to 80mm deep and painted white.

The interior of the circle is constructed of concrete, asphalt or some other firm but not slippery material. The surface must be level and 1.4cm–2.6cm lower than the upper edge of the rim of the circle. A portable circle meeting these specifications is permissible.

The stop board is white and made of wood or other suitable material in the shape of an arc so that the inner edge coincides with the inner edge of the rim of the circle. It is placed mid-way between the sector lines, and constructed so that it can be firmly fixed to the ground. The board is 1.22m long on the inside, 11.2cm wide and 10cm high when firmly in position.

The surface of the landing sector must allow for the shot put to make a mark upon landing. It is made of natural grass or other suitable material. The landing sector must be laid from the middle of the circle with an angle of 34.92° and marked by 50mm wide white lines, the inside edges of which form the boundary of the sector. The length of the sector is 25m. The angle of 34.92° is attained if the two sector lines at a distance of 25m are spaced 15m apart.

The maximum allowance for the overall downward inclination of the landing sector, in the throwing direction, shall not exceed 0.1 per cent.

JUMPING EVENTS

There are four jumping events in field athletics: high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault. There are four main principles which are applied to all jumping events:

Starting run – this is the period of time where the athlete gathers speed for the take-off. The faster the athlete runs, the more force there is to be converted into the jump.

Take off – this is the transition between the run and the jump with the athlete propelling their body into the air. In the case of the triple jump the propulsion of the body is delayed with a hop, step and jump preceding the take off.

Flight – this is the period of time when the body is airborne, sending them horizontally away from the starting point in the long jump or triple jump and vertically over the bar in the high jump.

Landing – this is the point at which the athlete finishes the jump marking the distance (in the case of the long jump and triple jump) that they have travelled through the air. The landing area is a sand pit for the long jump and triple jump and a mattress for the high jump and pole vault.

High Jump

In the high jump event, athletes sprint down a runway towards a four metre long horizontal bar and jump vertically over the bar on to a cushioned mattress. The crossbar is increased in height as the competition progresses and more competitors are knocked out. There are various methods of jumping over the bar but the most common is known as the ‘Fosbury Flop,’ where the athlete curves the direction of the run during their last four strides, twisting over the bar and landing on to their back. Whatever their chosen method of jumping over the bar, all contestants are required to make the take off from one foot. Athletes are allowed to touch the crossbar as they jump over but if the bar falls off the vertical supports, the jump is classified as a failure. After three failed jumps a contestant is eliminated from the competition.

Record Breakers: Men: Javier Sotomayor (CUB) – 2.45 m, 27/07/1993

Women: Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) – 2.09 m, 20/08/1987

Long Jump

The long jump requires athletes to sprint down a runway and jump off a raised platform into a stretch of sand or other marked area, with the aim of landing as far from the starting point as possible. The distance travelled is measured by the first mark made by the athlete’s body in the sand on landing. The jump is classified as a fail if any part of the contestant’s body touches the ground between take-off and landing. The jump is also a fail if the athlete leaves the runway after the take-off line at the end of the take-off board.

Long Jump

Record Breakers: Men: Mike Powell (USA) – 8.95 m, 30/08/1991

Women: Galina Chistyakova (URS) – 7.52 m, 11/06/1988

Triple Jump

Also known as ‘the hop, step and jump’ the triple jump requires the athlete to begin with speed but to maintain energy for the take-off. The triple jump begins with a sprint down the runway and is followed by a hop, a step and a jump before the athlete propels their body into the air, with the aim of landing as far from the starting point as possible, in the same manner as the long jump. When the athlete hops, they must land on the same foot as they began sprinting on and the step should land on the opposite foot. As with the long jump, no part of the body must touch the ground between jumping and landing and the jump is classified as a fail if the athlete begins jumping after the take-off line.Record Breakers: Men: Jonathon Edwards (GBR) – 18.29 m, 07/08/1995

Women: Inessa Kravets (UKR) – 15.50 m, 10/08/1995

Pole Vault

The pole vault requires the athlete to clear the height of a horizontal bar with the assistance of a vertical pole, with the bar increasing in height as more athletes are eliminated from the competition. The athlete begins the jump by sprinting down a runway and then plants the pole into a box in front of the bar, using the pole to power over the bar. As with the high jump, a pole vault is classified as a fail if the contestant knocks the bar down during the vault and after three failed attempts the athlete is then eliminated from the competition

Record Breakers: Men: Sergey Bubka (UKR) – 6.14 m, 31/07/1994

Women: Stacy Dragila (USA) – 4.81 m, 09/06/2001

TRACK AND FEILD

Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing.^[1] The name is derived from the sport's typical venue: a stadium with an oval running track enclosing a grass field where the throwing and jumping events take place. It is one of the oldest sports. In ancient times, it was an event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

The running events, which include sprints, middle and long-distance events, race walking and hurdling, are won by the athlete with the fastest time. The jumping and throwing events are won by the athlete who achieves the greatest distance or height. Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while the most common throwing events are shot put,weight, javelin, discus and hammer. There are also "combined events" or "multi events", such as pentathlon consisting of five events,heptathlon consisting of seven events, and decathlon consisting of ten events.For every multi event, athletes participate in a combination of sprinting, jumping, throwing, middle distance, and long distance events. Most track and field events are individual sports with a single victor, but a number are relay races consisting of four members. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the men's and women's competitions are usually held at the same venue. Men and women have different weights for their throwing implements – men's javelin is 800 grams compared to 600 for women, men's weight throw is 35 pounds compared to 20 for women, men's discus is 2 kilograms to women's 1, men's shot put is 16 pounds compared to 8 pounds for women, and men's hammer throw is also 16 pounds to the women's 8. Additionally, men's high hurdles are at height of 42 inches compared to women's hurdles which are 33 inches. For the intermediate hurdles (400 meter hurdles), the men's hurdle height is 36 inches compared to 30 inches for women.

Track and field is categorised under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running, and race walking. At the international level, the two most prestigious international track and field competitions are athletics competition at the Olympic Games and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body.

The sport of track and field has its roots in human prehistory. Track and field-style events are among the oldest of all sporting competitions, as running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression. The first recorded examples of organized track and field events at asports festival are the Ancient Olympic Games. At the first Games in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, only one event was contested: the stadion footrace.^[3]The scope of the Games expanded in later years to include further running competitions, but the introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step towards track and field as it is recognized today—it comprised a five-event competition of the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion footrace,^[3] and wrestling.

Track and field events were also present at the Panhellenic Games in Greece around this period, and they spread to Rome in Italy around 200 BC.^[6][7]After the period of Classical antiquity (in which the sport was largely Greco-Roman influenced) new track and field events began developing in parts of Northern Europe in the Middle Ages. The stone put and weight throw competitions popular among Celtic societies in Ireland and Scotland were precursors to the modern shot put and hammer throw events. One of the last track and field events to develop was the pole vault, which stemmed from competitions such as the Fierljeppen contests in the Northern European Lowlands in the 18th century.

Discrete modern track and field competitions, separate from general sporting festivals, were first recorded in the 19th century. These were typically organised by educational institutions, military organisations and sports clubs as competitions between rival establishments.^[8] Competitions in the English public schools were conceived as human equivalents of horse racing, fox hunting and hare coursing, influenced by a Classics-rich curriculum. The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt is the oldest running club in the world, with written records going back to 1831 and evidence that it was established by 1819.^[9] The school organised Paper Chase races in which runners followed a trail of paper shreds left by two "foxes";^[9] even today RSSH runners are called "hounds" and a race victory is a "kill".^[10] The first definite record of Shrewsbury's (cross-country) Annual Steeplechase is in 1834, making it the oldest running race of the modern era.^[9] The school also lays claim to the oldest track and field meeting still in existence, originating in the Second Spring Meeting first documented in 1840.^[9] This featured a series of throwing and jumping events with mock horse races including the Derby Stakes, the Hurdle Race and the Trial Stakes. Runners were entered by "owners" and named as though they were horses.^[9] 13 miles (21 km) away and a decade later, the first Wenlock Olympian Gameswere held at Much Wenlock racecourse.^[11] Events at the 1851 Wenlock Games included a "half-mile foot race" (805 m) and a "leaping in distance" competition.^[12]

In 1865, Dr William Penny Brookes of Wenlock helped set up the National Olympian Association, which held their first Olympian Games in 1866 at The Crystal Palace in London.^[12] This national event was a great success, attracting a crowd of over ten thousand people.^[12] In response, that same year the Amateur Athletic Club was formed and held a championship for "gentlemen amateurs" in an attempt to reclaim the sport for the educated elite.^[12] Ultimately the "allcomers" ethos of the NOA won through and the AAC was reconstituted as the Amateur Athletic Association in 1880, the first national body for the sport of athletics. The AAA Championships, the de facto British national championships despite being for England only, have been held annually since 3 July 1880 with breaks only during two world wars and 2006–2008.^[13] The AAA was effectively a global governing body in the early years of the sport, codifying its rules for the first time.

Meanwhile, the United States began holding an annual national competition—the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships—first held in 1876 by the New York Athletic Club.^[14] The establishment of general sports governing bodies for the United States (the Amateur Athletic Union in 1888) and France (the Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques in 1889) put the sport on a formal footing and meant that international competitions became possible.

The establishment of the modern Olympic Games at the end of the 19th century marked a new high for track and field. The Olympic athletics programme, comprising track and field events plus a marathon race, contained many of the foremost sporting competitions of the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Olympics also consolidated the use of metric measurements in international track and field events, both for race distances and for measuring jumps and throws. The Olympic athletics programme greatly expanded over the next decades, and track and field contests remained among the Games' most prominent. The Olympics was the elite competition for track and field, and only amateur sportsmen could compete. Track and field continued to be a largely amateur sport, as this rule was strictly enforced: Jim Thorpe was stripped of his track and field medals from the1912 Olympics after it was revealed that he had played baseball professionally.^[15]

That same year, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was established, becoming the international governing body for track and field, and it enshrined amateurism as one of its founding principles for the sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association held their first Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 1921, making it one of the most prestigious competitions for students, and this was soon followed by the introduction of track and field at the inaugural World Student Games in 1923.^[16] The first continental track and field competition was the 1919 South American Championships, which was followed by the European Athletics Championships in 1934.^[17]

Up until the early 1920s, track and field had been almost exclusively a male-only pursuit. A growing women's sports movement in Europe and North America led to the establishment of the Women's World Games in 1921 and this ultimately caused the introduction of five track and field events for women in the athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics.^[18] In China, women's track and field events were being held in the 1920s, but were subject to criticism and disrespect from audiences. In 1923, physical education advocate Zhang Ruizhen called for greater equality and participation of women in Chinese track and field.^[19] The rise of Kinue Hitomi and her 1928 Olympic medal for Japan signified the growth of women's track and field in East Asia.^[20] More women's events were gradually introduced as years progressed (although it was only towards the end of the century that the men's and women's programmes approached parity of events). Marking an increasingly inclusive approach to the sport, major track and field competitions for disabled athletes were first introduced at the 1960 Summer Paralympics.

RACE

On an outdoor 400 metres running track, the 100 m is run on the home straight, with the start usually being set on an extension to make it a straight-line race. Runners begin in the starting blocks and the race begins when an official fires the starter's pistol. Sprinters typically reach top speed after somewhere between 50–60 m. Their speed then slows towards the finish lineAt the start, some athletes play psychological games such as trying to be last to the starting blocks.[1][2][3]

At high level meets, the time between the gun and first kick against the starting block is measured electronically, via sensors built in the gun and the blocks. A reaction time less than 0.1 s is considered a false start. The 0.2-second interval accounts for the sum of the time it takes for the sound of the starter's pistol to reach the runners' ears, and the time they take to react to it.

For many years a sprinter was disqualified if responsible for two false starts individually. However, this rule allowed some major races to be restarted so many times that the sprinters started to lose focus. The next iteration of the rule, introduced in February 2003, meant that one false start was allowed among the field, but anyone responsible for a subsequent false start was disqualified.

This rule led to some sprinters deliberately false-starting to gain a psychological advantage: an individual with a slower reaction time might false-start, forcing the faster starters to wait and be sure of hearing the gun for the subsequent start, thereby losing some of their advantage. To avoid such abuse and to improve spectator enjoyment, the IAAF implemented a further change in the 2010 season – a false starting athlete now receives immediate disqualification.[4] This proposal was met with objections when first raised in 2005, on the grounds that it would not leave any room for innocent mistakes. Justin Gatlin commented, "Just a flinch or a leg cramp could cost you a year's worth of work."[5] The rule had a dramatic impact at the 2011 World Championships, when current world record holder Usain Bolt was disqualified.[6][7]

Runners typically reach their top speed just past the halfway point of the race and they progressively decelerate in the later stages of the race. Maintaining that top speed for as long as possible is a primary focus of training for the 100 m.[8] Pacing and running tactics do not play a significant role in the 100 m, as success in the event depends more on pure athletic qualities and technique.

The winner, by IAAF Competition Rules, is determined by the first athlete with his or her torso (not including limbs, head, or neck) over the nearer edge of the finish line.[9] When the placing of the athletes is not obvious, a photo finish is used to distinguish which runner was first to cross the line.

Climatic conditions, in particular air resistance, can affect performances in the 100 m. A strong head wind is very detrimental to performance, while a tail wind can improve performances significantly. For this reason, a maximum tail wind of 2.0 m/s is allowed for a 100 m performance to be considered eligible for records, or "wind legal."

Furthermore, sprint athletes perform better at high altitudes because of the thinner air, which provides less air resistance. In theory, the thinner air would also make breathing slightly more difficult (due to the partial pressure of oxygen being lower), but this difference is negligible for sprint distances where all the oxygen needed for the short dash is already in the muscles and bloodstream when the race starts (explaining why many athletes choose not to breathe for the duration of the race)[citation needed]. While there are no limitations on altitude, performances made at altitudes greater than 1000 m above sea level are marked with an "A."Only male sprinters have beaten the 100 m 10-second barrier, nearly all of them being of West African descent. Namibian (formerly South-West Africa) Frankie Fredericksbecame the first man of non-West African heritage to achieve the feat in 1991 and in 2003 Australia's Patrick Johnson (who has Irish and Indigenous Australian heritage) became the first sub-10-second runner without an African background.

In the Prefontaine Classic 2015 Diamond League meet at Eugene, Su Bingtian ran a time of 9.99 seconds, becoming the first Asian athlete to officially break the 10-second barrier. In the 2015 Birmingham Grand Prix Diamond League meet, British athlete Adam Gemili, who is of mixed Iranian and Moroccan descent, ran a time of 9.97 seconds on home soil, becoming the first athlete with either North African or Middle Eastern heritage to break the ten-second barrier.[15] Of the six men's continental record holders, currently three of them were born in Nigeria.

It is believed that biological factors may be largely responsible for the notable success in sprinting events enjoyed by athletes of West African descent. This includes:[16]

Relatively less subcutaneous fat on arms and legs and proportionately more lean body and muscle mass, broader shoulders, larger quadriceps, and bigger, more developed musculature in general;

Denser, shallower chests;

Higher center of gravity, generally shorter sitting height, narrower hips, and lighter calves;

Longer arm span and "distal elongation of segments" – the hand is relatively longer than the forearm, which in turn is relatively longer than the upper arm; the foot is relatively longer than the tibia (leg), which is relatively longer than the thigh;

Greater body density, which is likely due to higher bone mineral density and heavier bone mass at all stages in life, including infancy (despite evidence of lower calcium intake and a higher prevalence of lactose intolerance, which prevents consumption of dairy products);

Modestly, but significantly, higher levels of plasma testosterone (3–19 per cent), which is anabolic, theoretically contributing to greater muscle mass, lower fat, and the ability to perform at a higher level of intensity with quicker recovery;

The ACTN3 protein, a "speed gene" most common among persons of West African descent that renders fast twitch muscle fibers fast. African American 200 m and 400 m world champion Michael Johnson has suggested that the presence of ACTN3 is at the root of the success of these athletes in sprinting events;[17][18]

And finally, a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type II) and more anaerobic enzymes, which can translate into more explosive energy. The enzyme creatine kinaseis abundantly expressed in these fibers. The enzyme rapidly regenerates the biological fuel molecule ATP needed for the sprint. The enzyme has been reported to be twice as high in subjects of sub-Saharan African descent.[19] Creatine kinase is the final common pathway of muscle activity. It is tightly bound to the muscle fibers and directly fuels fast muscle contraction. Therefore, the creatine kinase system is considered to be the major factor, downstream of other factors, that modulates the biological capacity to sprint.[20]

Top sprinters of differing ancestry, such as Christophe Lemaitre, are believed to be exceptions in that they too likely have the genes favourable for sprinting.[18] Colin Jackson, an athlete with mixed ethnic background and former world record holder in the 110 metre hurdles,[21] noted that both his parents were talented athletes and suggested that biological inheritance was the greatest influence, rather than any perceived racial factor. Furthermore, successful black role models in track events may reinforce the racial disparity.[22]

Major 100 m races, such as at the Olympic Games, attract much attention, particularly when the world record is thought to be within reach.

The men's world record has been improved upon twelve times since electronic timing became mandatory in 1977.[23] The current men's world record of 9.58 s is held by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships final on 16 August 2009, breaking his own previous world record by 0.11 s.[24] The current women's world record of 10.49 s was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the US, in Indianapolis, Indiana, on 16 July 1988.[25]

Some records have been marred by prohibited drug use – in particular, the scandal at the 1988 Summer Olympics when the winner, Canadian Ben Johnson was stripped of his medal and world record.

Jim Hines, Ronnie Ray Smith and Charles Green were the first to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m, all on 20 June 1968, the Night of Speed. Hines also recorded the first legal electronically timed sub-10 second 100 m in winning the 100 metres at the 1968 Olympics. Bob Hayes ran a wind-assisted 9.91 seconds at the 1964 Olympics.