I am a high school senior, and I run distance/xc. My form needs a lot of work, as i cannot keep my arms straight and swinging well. Also, my knee lift and back-kick are severely lacking, which can cause a shorter stride. Can anyone give me any tips/photos/videos to help fix my for for track season?
bump
This thread is a decent starting place as I like his opinions-
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4160122
I also suggest watching videos of some guys known to have stellar form - K. Bekele, H. El G, D. Rudisha, S. Coe, etc.
I don't have any specific videos in mind, as it takes some work to find ones at a good angle to judge form, like on ground level, but they should all give basic insight.
Some main points:
-Have a slight forward lean from the ankles.
-Forefoot landing under center of gravity.
-Keep shoulders low while having a high arm swing(right around nipple)
-Bring up heel close to butt.
-Keep a straight posture, even with the lean, and look more or less straight ahead.
-Practice on soft surface and don't hurt yourself.
By watching videos and doing adjustments by feel you should get pretty good form. There are not any books I would suggest for various reasons.
Just run, baby. Your form will take care of itself. Don't let anyone try to tell you what "good form" is. We are each an experiment of one.
You're welcoome.
You might find this helpful. It doesn't cover everything, but these elements are key.
http://www.youtube.com/user/balancedrunner?feature=mhee
We geared the video towards beginning marathoners but the principles are applicable to all runners, and we used them to help Jen Rhines with her form.
You may also find the articles on our website helpful.
Good luck.
Aside from watching a video of yourself running, is there anyway to tell if you are running w/ some of the tips mentioned above? For me, its hard to tell just by feel if I'm maintaining good posture, striking midfoot,or twisting at the hips.
For some reason, I think running up a long hill while I'm feeling particularly good tends to help align my form. Or at least if feels that way. I tend to lean forward, have a more controlled arm swing and less uneccesary movement of the upper body in general. In contrast, running downhill seems to throw off my form, at least I can tell that my arms and shoulders tend to swing more.
Here's the question you always have to ask yourself about fixing your form: which is wrong, my form or my ideas about fixing it? In this case I think it's your ideas that need fixing (or perhaps they came from your coach...). Generally speaking it's healthy and economical to let your upper body move as much as it wants to.
But there are no absolutes... the balance of effort between upper and lower body, where you lean from or how you stay upright, how exactly you're swinging your arms... we can't really sort this out by talking about it. If you felt comfortable posting some video for feedback it would be easier to be specific. If you don't want to do it publicly, email me.
I have a lot of experience in trying to correct my own form.. what feels "natural" is not always right as it may be a compensation from injury or a bad habit.
For arms, practice vigorous arm swings in front of a mirror. Focus on relaxed shoulders and an even motion.
For lower body I think all that really matters is not overstriding/landing heavily on your heel. The easiest way to learn this is to do some barefoot running to get a feel for it.
balancedrunner wrote:
You might find this helpful. It doesn't cover everything, but these elements are key.
The runners on this forum know much more about running than couple of 6 hour marathoners trying to promote a business.