The running technique depends on a given period in history, fashion, and the runner's predispositions. Learn how to improve your running technique so as not to harm yourself and when it is worth running intuitively, without focusing too much on technical details.

Orunning techniquehas already been written by many coaches and players. And the different opinions that they sometimes have on this subject result from the current… fashion. There was a fashion for heavily cushioned footwear, and for footwear without depreciation, i.e. minimalistic and even for shoes that looked like socks (with each toe separately). There have always been supporters and opponents of such footwear, and injuries have happened in one and the other.

The most important thing was common sense, intuition and adjusting the footwear to your own running style or body type. The best shoes were those in which the player felt best. It is similar in running technique. There are mods there too. They are dictated by the development of biomechanics, but also by the results of the best runners.

It was said in the past that the heel must hit the ground first, the foot must roll and the big toe must hit the ground. In addition, a poking with the foot, a slight lean of the body forward.

In the wake of the success of black runners, the technique changed to tilt back, forcefully pull the knees forward, and run from the metatarsus.

If we watch the still old black and white films from the Olympics, we will see how much the style of running differed from the modern one. It is not only an outfit, shoes, but you can notice that the runners moved in a slightly different way.

I think that apart from the development of exercise physiology, dietetics and supplementation, it was the improvement of motor skills and technique that led us to the same results as today. After all, we wonder when the magic two in front will be beaten in the marathon. Maybe soon.

Young adepts of running hear about learning technology, but isn't running just intuitive? We've been running since we were kids. For a toddler, running is the easiest and best form of getting around.

I must say that as a mother of three (the eldest daughter is 5 years old, the average is 4 and the youngest is 2 years old), I observe children in a similar age range and I conclude thatit is not so obvious and a lot depends on the predisposition, build and motor coordination.

Poor running technique does not necessarily mean you run slower

Poor running technique does not always mean that a competitor is free. Do you remember the black competitor who won the New York marathon in 2013? It looked as if it was about to fall over, the legs were doing weird "bumps" (it was certainly not a nice run). And yet she won.

Another example is the Kenyan runners. Usually, those who perform in the international arena run technically and gracefully. I used to compare them to a beautiful dance performance - they ran, landing on the midfoot, lifting their legs high, taking long steps, and they always had beautiful silhouettes - protruding breasts. They looked like birds floating above the ground.

A few years ago I watched a movie in which black runners were training in their hometowns. They were native peoples waiting for a manager to discover them. And here's the surprise: most of them ran from the heel, severely deforming it. Their silhouettes could also be accused of a lot. Many of them do not belong to the world's running league.

The running technique depends on the goal the runner wants to achieve

We will also be talking about a different running technique in the case of sprinters, marathon runners, and even ultramarathon runners. The structure of each of them is different, but they also move in a completely different way, because they have something completely different to accomplish.

During many running camps there are classes in running technique. The participants are recorded and analyze the mistakes with the coaches. Then either there are special recommendations for them, or the most common mistakes are discussed in group running lessons. What does this lead to? Unfortunately, mostly useless.

General remarks to everyone: stand up straight, keep your hands close together, pelvis forward, legs higher, run from the metatarsus, they just don't work. Most often, such a competitor is not able to improve anything. It is not only a matter of awareness, but most often motor changes: stretching certain muscles and developing others.

What's more, as a sports physiotherapist, I see an increase in the number of patients who are simply harmed by such a "technique change". Their muscles are not prepared for such changes, so injuries occur.

Running technique or intuitive running?

I think that when preparing to start a running adventure, we shouldn't devote too much space to the running technique. In the beginning, running is supposed tobe a pleasure. You have to enter such volumes so as not to feel the "pain of existence", but that this sport gives fatigue and satisfaction appropriate to the needs. Thinking all the time that the knees should be higher and the heels are pointing up, we will not experience the joy of running, but rather we will fight a constant struggle with the body. So at the beginning, it is enough to walk and exercise general development. Overall improvement of fitness can improve our running technique without even thinking about it.

If we see the running progress, we run more and more, faster and most importantly - we do not "catch" the injury, let's leave this state to ourselves.

Maybe in this case intuition will work and such a runner, without any special changes, will achieve good results. However, if we are injured, it means that something is wrong with either the biomechanics or maybe the training intensity is not adapted to the body. Then it's best to ask a specialist to look at our biomechanics. Maybe it turns out that somewhere in the body there is a disorder: maybe the pelvis is rotated, the limb is shorter, the heel is deformed, some muscle parts are too tense, and there are practically no antagonistic (i.e. opposing) parts.

It is also worth looking at the running technique. Someone with a sore inner knee may find that the thigh is twisted too much inwards and the shin too much outwards, which is why the knee flexors are overloaded and stick to the medial side.

Having such information, we do not start with improving the technique, but with trying to fix biomechanics. We teach such a runner exercises, the performance of which will help him in eliminating the problem. Here, I would sensitize everyone who wants to learn from the Internet or from colleagues to exercise with certain injuries or dysfunctions. Many of you can't understand it, but you just can't. Each of us is different and the seemingly easy exercise may, firstly, be done technically in a variety of ways, and secondly, it may have to be carried out in a different way for our colleague. Of course, in this case, the exercises alone will not help. You need to be aware of and visualize these things. However, it is impossible to run all the time thinking about the position of the leg or arm.

Category:

Running