Why do pro runners kick so high?

I like this lady. Very intelligent, articulates well. Good topic. I've been focusing a bit on hip extension recently with good results. Basically via imitation of the elites. Another great topic for her would be arm carriage... another think Cheptegei does is carry very strongly and rigidly his arms when compared to previous greats.

So at the very end of the video she basically says: Just focus on your fitness and the 'hi kick' will come? So ignore all the rest of the video.

Thanks for sharing.

I would say also it's their speed. If we are talking "pro-runners," distance to be specific, all of them are very familiar with 4:30 mile pace, for example. Running this fast makes it easier to get the higher kick. In contrast, look at Kenyans on recovery runs, they are literally dragging their feet. So I think the crux lies mainly in the speed. Being a pro implies you are running fast (with ideally good form), and running fast means high heal kick (or driving phase)

Yep, it's mostly speed.

True way to learn about proper technique is to hang around with a sprints coach. It all ends up on how much ground you cover with each stride and how you can improve that....

KAV wrote:

True way to learn about proper technique is to hang around with a sprints coach. It all ends up on how much ground you cover with each stride and how you can improve that....

yes absolutely

world class sprinters have by far the best technique.

you want to spent a whole lot of time doing easy sprinting and move to your best distance from there. like 150 m, comfortable fast, with lots of recovery. you won't burn out and you can get in the volume, required for your brain and muscles to adapt the style.

NOT

develop a technique for 7 minute miles and then to hard intervals to patch it up.

BAD

lamback wrote:

KAV wrote:

True way to learn about proper technique is to hang around with a sprints coach. It all ends up on how much ground you cover with each stride and how you can improve that....

yes absolutely

world class sprinters have by far the best technique.

you want to spent a whole lot of time doing easy sprinting and move to your best distance from there. like 150 m, comfortable fast, with lots of recovery. you won't burn out and you can get in the volume, required for your brain and muscles to adapt the style.

NOT

develop a technique for 7 minute miles and then to hard intervals to patch it up.

BAD

realize that the new zealand formula was to find a guy that could run 200m in 22 flat without too much proper training, and turn him into an 800 m guy, a miler.

that be walker, that be snell, that be dixon, that be quax, that be the formula.

though all these guys stuck out in cross country as well, in their teens sometime.

lamback wrote:

lamback wrote:

yes absolutely

world class sprinters have by far the best technique.

you want to spent a whole lot of time doing easy sprinting and move to your best distance from there. like 150 m, comfortable fast, with lots of recovery. you won't burn out and you can get in the volume, required for your brain and muscles to adapt the style.

NOT

develop a technique for 7 minute miles and then to hard intervals to patch it up.

BAD

realize that the new zealand formula was to find a guy that could run 200m in 22 flat without too much proper training, and turn him into an 800 m guy, a miler.

that be walker, that be snell, that be dixon, that be quax, that be the formula.

though all these guys stuck out in cross country as well, in their teens sometime.

Only Snell could sniff a 22.

Well duh Snell was the only one that's why he's still one of the greatest over 800m and the other guys are primarily known for being great milers and 5000m runners. The argument doesn't really make sense actually as that group ran many slow miles with poor form especially Snell. The high back kick was not prominent most of the time. They got their speed from strength, a lot of distance work over many years. The bit about the being able to run a 22 second 200m was from a Lydiard interview after NZ was no longer producing potential medalists. He didn't understand why someone from a country that is weak at sprints would rather be mediocre than being able to move up to 800m and make it to an Olympic final at the least. Some people would rather be a big fish in a small pond and Lydiard thought that was foolish.

Not Al Sal. He was always a "shuffler" and never had the high back kick.

Yep, Salazar, and Abdi, are definitely outliers regarding elite mechanics.

And don't forget, Lydiard's boys did a fartlek session that included very short sprints/full rest, all throughout the "marathon" phase (base phase) of training. Lydiard's former runners like Halberg, Snell, and Davies have often mentioned this in interviews about the Lydiard system.

A workout like this would go a long way toward developing or maintaining full range of motion while they were putting in those 100+ mile weeks. Also, Lydiard was not an advocate of long, slow distance. He encouraged a lot of running at near Aerobic Threshold.

Want to develop a high kick, and speed?

Use the same method that's worked for over 40 years.

Get on the track. 20 or 30x 400m, with a short recovery jog ( 200 or 100m) between intervals.

After three months, of doing this every 8-10 days, you will see results.

lamback wrote:

you want to [spend] a whole lot of time doing easy sprinting and move to your best distance from there. like 150 m, comfortable fast, with lots of recovery. you won't burn out and you can get in the volume, required for your brain and muscles to adapt the style.

This was the essence of a lot of what Igloi did (though not necessarily "lots of recovery"!). His guys built a *lot* of volume via segments of medium-, faster-, and fast-paced running.

Because they run so fast.

coachc wrote:

Yep, Salazar, and Abdi, are definitely outliers regarding elite mechanics.

Agreed. Salazar for me is just painful to watch whereas Abdi still retains some smoothness to his stride.