Regardless of the media momentum surrounding barefoot working, forefoot working and alike, you may nonetheless go to any distance working occasion and clearly observe that the overwhelming majority of runners are certainly heel strikers. This isn’t an issue in it self, as working approach is about much more than merely how the foot strikes the bottom.

Regardless of what the barefoot zealots will inform you, there’s a distinct lack of scientific proof that one form of foot strike sample over one other is kind of prone to end in damage, or certainly improve effectivity.

Simply as essential as HOW the foot hits the bottom, is WHERE this happens… Whatever the foot strike sample (heel strike vs forefoot), the purpose must be to handle the bottom with out over striding. By over striding, as distance athletes we imply touchdown the foot forward of the knee and by proxy forward of your centre of mass. To easily clarify – as quickly as you land the foot forward of the knee you’re primarily making use of the brakes greater than is environment friendly at a given working tempo.

Analysis tells us that rising working cadence for a given tempo by 5-10% has an impact of lowering stride size (lowering knee and hip loading). Nonetheless, as a coach it’s generally evident that merely rising cadence isn’t sufficient to cease an athlete from over striding. It’s essential to re-establish the proper sample of the swinging leg in working gait.

Operating gait is cyclical. At any given level, the standard of the motion instantly earlier within the sample determines what occurs subsequent, and the way. With this in thoughts, referencing foot strike as the result, it’s how the leg strikes by swing section of gait, notably hip flexion and knee flexion mixed (at peak knee carry) that influences how the foot then hits the bottom.

It’s a typical sample that we see in runners who show low peak knee and hip flexion throughout swing section (for a given tempo), that they run with an elevated tendency to over stride, virtually at all times with a heel putting sample. Apparently, as quickly as we use drills akin to that within the video above, to educate elevated hip and knee flexion throughout swing section, we see adjustments in foot strike – the foot begins to make contact beneath a flexing knee as desired, relatively than out in entrance of a extra prolonged, much less environment friendly knee place.

In the event you really feel you at present over stride, subsequent time you run attempt desirous about gently selecting your foot up a bit greater and lifting your knee a bit greater, each on the identical time. As you gently enhance your ‘triple flexed’ place you need to discover your foot strike transferring to happen nearer to underneath your physique.

Drills akin to this type an essential a part of our common On-line Operating Approach Course (click on for restricted 50% low cost). It at all times amazes me how just a few easy cues can rework a runner’s efficiency and damage danger 🙂