Drills to Improve Running Form?
414
Member
333 days
prendergi posted 37 weeks ago.
I read about "striders" in a tri book I have. You actually run barefoot first. On grass or soft ground. Apperently, when running barefoot you body naturally runs on the balls of you feet. This helps get the feel of landing on the ball or mid foot vs. your heel. Then I saw some great drills on youtube that are suppose to help in getting the feel of shortening your step and speed up your turnover (cadence). Unfortunately, I can't remember the guys name that did the video but the drills were, high knee skips, kick your butt drill (that is what I call it), and a couple more but have no idea what to name or how to describe them without totally confusing you. Another thing is video yourself running. From the side and head on. You will see your body position better. It may help you correct your body position. When your foot strikes the ground it should be more underneath your body but heel strikers (I am one to and have been trying to change) our heel lands out in front of our bodies. I hope this helps a little.
"The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" - Sarah Bombell
747
Member
782 days
CadenceGuy posted 37 weeks ago.
I am by far not at the fore-front of the running elite here so I have nothing to say in terms of that.
BUT....Im not sure what exercises your docter prescribed but stay away from leg extension machines. Use walking lunges with free-weights instead. Just my .o2. Good luck in your recovery!
2429
Member
815 days
TriSooner posted 37 weeks ago.
DannoE wrote:
I had a standard overuse injury . . . Can anybody recommend a few drills to improve running form? I can read Runner's World the same as anybody else, but all they ever say is "don't be a heel-striker" and "take smaller steps".
I'm not making the connection. If you were injured over-training, wouldn't you be more prudent about your mileage rather than try to change your form (if by 'form' you also mean 'gait')? And the reason RW's advice is so vague is that (IMHO) it typically isn't such a good idea to go and try to change your natural gait. I know people here have tried that Chi running but from the corresponding youtube vids, Chi running . . . looks like running. Meh.
8
Member
871 days
cdelbridge posted 37 weeks ago.
Last summer I got hung up on improving my running cadence, so I bought a metronome from a music store. It's a very small one, with a clip, so I just clipped it on the waistband of my shorts while I ran. Then I set it to 90 beeps per minute, and tried to make sure that my left foot (or right foot, doesn't matter of course) hit the ground every time it beeped. I think it helped my cadence a little, but I'm also certain it annoyed anyone else running in the vicinity.
The relevance to this thread is that with a higher cadence, it seems to me that it's more difficult to overstride and to heelstrike.
169
Member
377 days
DannoE posted 37 weeks ago.
TriSooner wrote:
DannoE wrote:I had a standard overuse injury . . . Can anybody recommend a few drills to improve running form? I can read Runner's World the same as anybody else, but all they ever say is "don't be a heel-striker" and "take smaller steps".I'm not making the connection. If you were injured over-training, wouldn't you be more prudent about your mileage rather than try to change your form (if by 'form' you also mean 'gait')? And the reason RW's advice is so vague is that (IMHO) it typically isn't such a good idea to go and try to change your natural gait. I know people here have tried that Chi running but from the corresponding youtube vids, Chi running . . . looks like running. Meh.
Hmmm... Interesting point. I have no idea. The doc said he didn't see anything bad wrong with my knee. No obviously loose tendons, nothing out of alignment. I could still have an MRI, but he wanted to wait and see if I kept getting better on my own. I was happy enough to hear that I hadn't torn my knee up too badly during my last race. Still, though I've been getting better, I've still been sore and tentative about starting back with any serious running. I assumed all of that meant overuse and inflamation of the cartiledge in my knee. Certainly, that's what it's felt like.
Anyway, I know I don't have great form. For one thing, I tend to bob up and down and side to side when I run. My wife makes fun of me for it all the time. And then, too, every time I start to build mileage, it seems like I get injured, regardless of how slow I progress up the mileage ladder. So it seems like there must be some room for improvement there, and I was hoping maybe somebody who knew something more could tell me something smart.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
http://www.storytellersplaybook.blogspot.com
414
Member
333 days
prendergi posted 37 weeks ago.
Most of the info I have read regarding running form, heelstriker vs. ball or mid foot landing, the heel striker is the one more likely to have knee injuries. I remember DannoE saying he was in the military. I was also and the military and their instructions for running were to land on you heel and roll off on the toe. However, everything that I have read about that form is wrong. It interupts your momentum and your knees were not made to take that kind of beating because the heelstiker's heel lands in front of the body, rather than underneath. i know what your talking about DannoE, I have one knee that has pain every once in a while when I am running and I think it has to do with my form also. I have been working on moving from landing on my heel to landing on my mid-foot and making sure I don't do things like cross my arms in front of my body (suppose to be an energy waster), make sure I don't lean forward and that my hips stay underneath my torso with my neck and shoulders relaxed.
"The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" - Sarah Bombell
169
Member
377 days
DannoE posted 37 weeks ago.
prendergi wrote:
Most of the info I have read regarding running form, heelstriker vs. ball or mid foot landing, the heel striker is the one more likely to have knee injuries. I remember DannoE saying he was in the military. I was also and the military and their instructions for running were to land on you heel and roll off on the toe. However, everything that I have read about that form is wrong. It interupts your momentum and your knees were not made to take that kind of beating because the heelstiker's heel lands in front of the body, rather than underneath. i know what your talking about DannoE, I have one knee that has pain every once in a while when I am running and I think it has to do with my form also. I have been working on moving from landing on my heel to landing on my mid-foot and making sure I don't do things like cross my arms in front of my body (suppose to be an energy waster), make sure I don't lean forward and that my hips stay underneath my torso with my neck and shoulders relaxed.
Thanks.
I think I might have my wife film me. God knows she likes to laugh at me when I run.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
http://www.storytellersplaybook.blogspot.com
12
Member
559 days
slowbutmoving posted 37 weeks ago.
I have been using the drills in this video, which have been helpful to me:
http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Running-Faster-Fewer-Injuries/dp/B000A7G...
If the method they recommend is significantly different from what you do now, be careful, your calves will really hurt for a while. After practicing this for a while, I do get less knee pain and I have not had the IT band issues that I used to get after increasing mileage.
Good Luck.
191
Member
549 days
sasquatch posted 37 weeks ago.
I found that when I focused on my cadence while intentionally running slow, you have to get your foot down so fast you naturally land with your foot below your knee which allows you to roll forward and carry your momentum(i.e.) no heel strike brake). After working on this for about 2 months, I naturally run with a higher cadence, and I also noticed I could run faster longer.
So, I would recommend checking your cadence and aiming for 180 footfalls per minute(80-90 strides/minute)
Okay, so I finally made it to the knee doc yesterday, and it seems that most likely everything is going to be okay. Tendons seemed fine, no excess looseness, and an X-Ray showed that everything was basically in the right alignment. The doc gave me some exercises to strengthen my quads, which ought to improve the stability of my knee, but bottom line, I had a standard overuse injury which doesn't appear to be anything to worry about as long as I'm smart.
Fine. Meantime, I'd still like to avoid getting injured again.
Can anybody recommend a few drills to improve running form? I mean, I can read Runner's World the same as anybody else, but all they ever say is "don't be a heel-striker" and "take smaller steps". Meanwhile, how does one go about fixing the strike of one's foot? I like to run, but that's not the same as being good at it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
http://www.storytellersplaybook.blogspot.com