Heel-Toe vs Mid foot-Toe!!!!!!!!!! Why is the 2nd one better?

Go with what's natural...

Your body does naturally go midfoot to toe. Take your unnatural shoes off and haul ass and you'll see what's natural, even though it will feel a bit odd. Watch other animals and how they work, you won't find heel strikers. A lot of it has to do with energy taking the path of least resistance. Try some barefoot walking first and check out lighter shoes like the adidas cubato. You might also check out some barefoot websites, though you don't have to convert to barefoot running, to see how the foot naturally lands, then if you want to do it in shoes you can control it with your mind much easier.

I have been trying for years to convert myself from a toe runner to a heel striker because of the pain caused to my calves and achilles. I wish I could train on my heels and race on my toes but it feels awkward to land on my heel.

toro wrote:

I have been trying for years to convert myself from a toe runner to a heel striker because of the pain caused to my calves and achilles. I wish I could train on my heels and race on my toes but it feels awkward to land on my heel.

Maybe try buying a shoe with a more cushioned and "built up" heel where you almost have to land heel first. Just a suggestion.

thanks. it is crazy to think that a lot orthodics that people wear only go up to their mid foot when so much goes on past that. I know my orthodics helps control my foot just past the balls of my feet. Imagine though if someone didn't even run on their heel and they had those crappy orthodics. Its like fricken burning money.

(IMHO) The key is mid-foot to heel then back to mid-foot (ball-heel-ball) before lift off. It should happen so quickly you hardly notice. A common mistake for people trying to land on the mid-foot rather than the heel is that they never go back to the heel. Landing on the mid-foot without giong back to the heel is what usually causes injuries (commonly severe calf strain).

Personally, I'm dead againt orthotics - the foot is SUPPOSED to move. That is what is designed to do. Motion control shoes should be banned!

I always understood it as this. Toe running is for sprinting and if I remember correctly stresses more on the knee. You quads come in as you gravitate toward midfoot strike. I was reading a Japanese running mag that analysed Avg Joe and Naoko Takahashi footstrikes. They commented that the heel landing is inefficient and uses more energy. For the marathoner a midfoot stike is probably better. I have successfully altered the way I run. Many people suggest that don`t change the way you run. But I think do what you want. Cuz maybe on day you might be up there in the big leagues and an efficient footstike could make all the difference. So much easier to unlearn so called bad habits before they become etched in muscle memory if you know what I mean.

ok

I could be wrong, but I'd guess that you're landing way up on your forefoot with your foot plantar-flexed very far, your heel way up off of the ground, and your calf shortened a lot. If you're doing that, you're essentially braking with every footstrike. If you are doing this, an observer would probably think that you were prancing.If you land with your forefoot directly underneath your center of mass (approximately directly underneath your hips, or only slightly forward from your hips) you can land on your forefoot without plantar flexing much, if at all. An observer would think that you were landing flat-footed, but your forefoot would actually contact the ground before your heel would, if your heel were to touch the ground at all. For people who don't naturally do this, it takes practice and conscious effort, but is much easier on the calves than prancing on your toes.

toro wrote:

I have been trying for years to convert myself from a toe runner to a heel striker because of the pain caused to my calves and achilles. I wish I could train on my heels and race on my toes but it feels awkward to land on my heel.