Great video! I started to transition to mid-strike a few months ago (I thought) and have been dealing with bad pain in my calfs. For a while i just thought i would have to deal with it until i got use to it. Well a couple of weeks ago I hurt my left calf badly, so i figured i better modify my strike. I saw your video tonight and the light came on!!! I was doing exactly what the guy on the left is doing, i will take a look at the link you gave the guys below. Thanks a lot!
There is a difference between toe vs forefoot vs midfoot strike. The one on the left is toe striking, not forefoot striking. A proper forefoot strike is when you land low on the ball of the foot (not the toes) with the heal just a smidge above the ground but flattens out as it contacts the ground. If you watch elites like Meb, you'll notice that the foot strikes under their hips and sometimes even slightly behind the hip, not out front like toe tappers and heal strikers do. Also, most elites land with leg about 2 degrees off of vertical with foot behind the knee for most efficient propulsion forward. But I will say that midfoot is better than toe strike. Plus you may need to do midfoot at slower speeds until you get fast enough to do forefoot.
I like to run barefoot, and I find midfoot landing is natural, fluid and comfortable this way. I can't always run barefoot though, required to wear shoes at times. When wearing shoes, I have trouble maintaining the same natural stride. I thought a padded sole and elevated heel was to blame so I went to minimal shoes (merrell gloves) with zero drop. This is much much better, but I still can't run naturally in them, with a heel strike coming back. When I try to land midfoot, like I do so naturally when barefoot, it is awkward and uncomfortable. Do you have any tips to help run with a midfoot landing while wearing running shoes? For me, shoes seem to bring out heel strikes, any tips? Thanks.
I'm always amazed when people point out the dangers of heal striking then they immediately recommend a forefoot strike and completely disregard the more natural midfoot strike. My calves and shins hurt just watching forefoot strikers run by me in the park.
as a forefoot striker myself.... you get used to it. you just need to make sure that you stretch your calfs, and the backside of your body and your doing great. your body will adapt ( if you have the right sleep scedule and food). a forefoot strike is great if you run barefoot, and if you run in difficult terrain. i tend to go on the midfoot though, whenever i run in mud.
The guy on the left runs just like me! Would be great to compare both stride lengths or cadence. Would bet left has a lower cadence and higher stride length. Maybe a good fix is increasing cadence.
its not so much in this case what part of the foot you strike the ground with but where in relation to your stride and GCM your foot strike. Out in front is slowing you down, Under or some how behind would both mostly solve where to strike and also greatly reduce the load not only on your foot but the rest of your body. "Focus on the pull, not the landing" -some random guy on the internet ;)
I know I'm pretty late to the party, but I'm having to approach a mid-foot landing while in recovery from metatarsalgia -- the aggravation of the forefoot from excessive impact. I'm hoping a mid-foot landing helps!
My left foot is pointing down but not my right foot. The right foot is parallel to the ground. My dorsiflexion in my left foot is 1.25’’ less than my right foot. Is dorsiflexion my problem in my left foot? My left calf is feeling good but not my left achilles...
Can a forced forefoot strike cause a tibial stress fracture within 3-4 runs? I was diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture on my right leg when I was heel striking, and when i recently went back to running, I forced a forefoot strike in fear of developing another stress fracture. My left tibia has been hurting for about a week now and I have been resting since I first noticed the sharp pain very close to my knee (my diagnosed stress fracture on my right tibia was very close to my ankle). Do you think a few runs with a forced forefoot strike could be enough to cause another stress fracture?
Have you or anyone here ever experienced numbness between the balls of your feet and big toes from running? What did you do to treat it? How long does it take to heal? I think running too hard down inclines for a few days is what caused it for me. Thank you for any ideas.
Hi, I have recently started the transition from a heelstrike technique. After watching the video, I think I can say that I run like the person on the left. What kind of exercises can you advice so that I learn to run more in the correct way (midfoot strike)?
Sorry for the delay, pfr010. We recommend some of the online drills on our website, particularly: shuffle step and hurdle step. You can try for free here: www.bitly.com/TryRunSmart
Great, so instead of destroying my calf muscles I should destroy my knees?? Lol jk I'm trying to figure out how to jump higher and I been studying how the feet strike the ground. Seems like to get more lift I need to strike with the mid-foot then roll and explode off the forefoot.
You seem to contradict yourself a bit about the movement up and down, because in your other video you prove this movement to be correct as it loads the energy to be released in the next explosive phase of the movement. You had even drawn a yellow line above your head. Please correct me if I got something wrong. All the best.
Certainly you would like to store as much force upon landing, but with this runner he's storing excessive force at his Achilles and calf. Additionally, you would like stored force to be usable. Landing towards the front of the foot gives you power, but it's moreso directed upwards, not horizontally. Landing towards the front would be great for the high jump or if he was looking to dunk a basketball.
if you take your shoes off you'll be able to feel how your hiting the ground better. with shoes on, I run like the guy on the left. without shoes my plantar fascia says ow.. ow.. ow.. untill I land flatter on my feet.
Geb has the smooth, flat landing and transition but his shin and calf are extended past the knee, the runner on the left isn't running forefoot correctly. He's prancing.
