Learning how to run

Learning how to run 

Introduction

The mechanics of running is something that is rarely taught at school or at sports clubs. However it is a movement that is used in most sports. Running has one of the highest rates of injuries within sport, which is why it  is important to go back to the basic mechanics of running.

Running Methods

When learning to run there are three main running methods these are Pose running, Chi running and Natural running.    

• Pose running - was invented by a Russain scientist and coach called Nicholas Romanov. It talks about the body going through a series of poses when running. There are three phases to Pose running, which are the pose, pull and fall. 

• Chi running - was invented by an ultrarunner called Danny Dreyer. It is about using the principles of Tai Chi with gravity to pull you forward. It focuses on posture, core strength, relaxed legs and mindfulness.

• Natural running - was a product of Dr Mark Cucuzzella. It can also be known as barefoot running and is very much a minimalist approach to running. It talks about using the elastic energy that is stored in the tendons, muscles and fascia. It has five principles which are posture, core, arms, feet and cadence.

However all of these methods share very similar principles. All methods talk about the foot landing underneath the hips, having a mid foot strike, a strong upright position, utilising gravity and a leg cadence of between 170 - 180 spm. A simple way of teaching good running form is to define a start and end position of the movement, just like any other skill.  

Learning skills

So how do we learn new skills? The body communicates through motoneurons, which connects your brain to your muscles. They are essentially like wires, sending messages to your muscles. When the body performs a certain movement the muscles will be recruited in a certain sequence this sequence is called a motor pattern. The motor pattern is reinforced and made stronger the more times it is performed. This is important for running because there are a number of different factors that can affect bad running form such as injury, fatigue, mobility and running shoes. These can all negatively reinforce bad motor patterns. This also means that it can become very difficult and take a while to change old motor patterns.        

The movement

Essentially running is transferring weight from one foot to the other while propelling forward. It involves having a strong body position and good landing.  

Body position

The start position can be defined by standing on one foot with the knee slightly bent. The other foot raised, bent at about 90 degrees at the knee and directly underneath the hips. Shoulders relaxed and elbows bent about 90 degrees. Body upright, head pointing forward with the core engaged. The end can be defined as exactly the same but on the opposite foot.   

Landing

Running consists of continuous landing on one foot. Injuries from running occur from when the foot comes into contact with the ground. Research has shown that each time the foot comes into contact with the ground it is transferring two to three times the weight of your body. This is why it is important to look at the most efficient way for our body to land.

 When landing during running we are looking to achieve a soft landing, with the body aligned and in the best position to use gravity for the next step. This can be achieved by addressing the following areas. 

• Cadence - having a cadence of between 170-180spm will allow the foot to be in contact with the ground for a minimal amount of time. When the foot hits the ground it needs to quickly react and use elastic energy stored in our legs. Having a high cadence will help achieve a soft landing. After landing we want to utilise our hamstrings to bring our heels upwards and underneath our hips. It is important not to push upwards otherwise energy will be lost in an upwards direction rather than in a forwards direction. 

• Foot landing position - the ideal foot landing position is to be facing forwards and underneath the hips. The foot is designed to land in a linear direction. If the foot lands slightly outwards or inwards, there is a greater risk of increased steering forces on the ankles and knees. This can therefore increase the risk of getting injured. When running, landing under our center of mass will increase the chance of utilising gravity in a forwards direction. Landing in front of your center of mass will act like a brake and reduce the effect of gravity going forward.       

• Mid foot strike - if we were to jump up into the air we would naturally land on our mid foot, to absorb some of the impact. When looking at the dynamics and movement of the foot, it is clear that you will achieve a softer landing at the mid foot rather than the heel. If you were to land on your heels then less of the impact would be absorbed, creating a greater load on the body’s joints, ligaments and muscles. Therefore increasing the risk of getting injured. This is the same for landing when running. We want the heel to slightly touch the ground for the landing to be complete. This insures that there will be less tension going through your calves.  

• Knees slightly bent - when landing we want our legs to be slightly bent to absorb some of the impact. If you were to land from a great height with straight legs there would be a great risk of you breaking your legs. These are the same principles for landing when running. However we don’t want our legs to be too bent as we want to transfer some of the energy created from landing to go lift your feet. We want our legs to act like springs.     

When training for running it is important to first consider the mechanics of running and drills that will aid the movement. This will improve running efficiency thereby helping to run faster, further and injury free. The focus should then be on being able to maintain a good body position when running and being able to constantly cope with landing on one foot. Running mechanics will change slightly when sprinting, off road or up and down hills. It is important to make slow progressive changes to your running so your body has a chance to adapt. Making sudden, big, drastic changes to your running can increase the risk of getting injured.