Is heel striking better for some people?

No. Nobody should be landing on the heel. At a minimum, you should be mid-foot striking. Forefoot is ideal.

Don't sweat it. There is no optimum way to land, and even most "experts" agree. You want to avoid landing on your heel with leg extended, which creates braking. But many, myself included, have the heel touch the ground first but the weight hits a bit farther up. I think one should try to get away from overbuilt trainers.

The best Masters runner in the NYC-area for the last five years or so, well, maybe second best 45-49 now, is a notorious heel-striker. So are some elites.

I wonder how much better than NYC runner would be if he didn't heel strike?

Why runners are obsessed with not heel striking. Unless you are trying to approach world class, and by that I mean running sub 13:15 for 5k, I don't think it matters.

If you are a 32 minute 10k runner or 2:30 maratoner, then why bother making a change as long as you are training and racing injury free.

If it meant I could run a few minutes faster, it would be worth transitioning from heel striking.

Changing form isn't really necessary unless you are very very very injury prone really, your body will naturally be pretty efficient

Ran a 4:09 full mile in high school with one of the worst heel strikes youve ever seen

forefot is not ideal. Look at the Africans.

Anyone here take a physics class? What's the direction of the force vector when you heel-strike like some Nike shoe ad?

Setting aside the injury risk, what does that (backward) vector do to your forward momentum?

barefoot marathoner wrote:

Anyone here take a physics class? What's the direction of the force vector when you heel-strike like some Nike shoe ad?

Setting aside the injury risk, what does that (backward) vector do to your forward momentum?

Anyone taking biomechanics class here? its called a rockers, your body knows how to counter it and does a damn good job.

In answer to OP there is very little evidence that heelstricking is a bad thing. 95% of people are efficient for their body set up. Its natural. Dont stress it. so many top elites heelstrike and you dont see them trying to change.

Oh and im a midfoot/forefoot striker depending on the pace. So im not just trying to justify something for my self esteem

I don't know why more people don't wear two pairs of shoes. Go ahead and wear your heavy trainers on your long runs and keep the light shoes for the fast stuff.

just got to make sure most of your propulsive action occurs behind the anterior plane.

anatomical structure determines most of one's ability to have a great stride.

kenyans have it easy when it comes to having optimal foot strike placement.

east asians tend to land more towards the rearfoot, with the feet also landing more out front. just look at the japanese women marathoners compared to the kenyan ladies. i think they, generally, have very different hip/pelvic anatomy.

I have a quick question here. Isn't it true that every single time you make contact with the ground that foot/leg must return to having a zero velocity? Subsequently, the runner then must accelerate each leg back to speed with every stride. Otherwise, all runners would be bikes. Is this correct? It therefore wouldn't matter if you return to zero with the heel or the mid-foot on every step as long as it can happen injury free.

Ok... so if i was to start heelstriking again, how much 4/8 speed would i lose?

4/10

You got a few serious responses, but the thing about your 800 speed being altered by this change was a bit over the top.

????? wrote:

Ok... so if i was to start heelstriking again, how much 4/8 speed would i lose?

Your question can't be answered as there isn't enough information. I would suggest, though, that you use a foot strike that is most comfortable for you and does not cause injury. If you can't adjust to midfoot or forefoot stride, so be it. I have had guys who could not adjust and did far better going back to their heel strike running. The one thing you should keep in mind that if you push your body forward instead of pulling your body forward (extending your leg too far in front of you) you will run faster. So, even if you heel strike, try to keep your hips over your leg so you can push forward.

"4/10

You got a few serious responses, but the thing about your 800 speed being altered by this change was a bit over the top."

I ran 2:15 last year as a freshman. this year i ran 2:05 as a sophomore. My 4 went from 60 to 54high. However xc 5k went from 16:40 freshman year to 18's.

I think I'm going to try switching from forefoot to midfoot strike for awhile, and if that doesn't cause improvement on my distance runs, I might go back to heelstriking.

Abdi, Patrick Makau, Desiree Davila etc. are heel strikers. On a XC course, Bekele runs with more of a mid foot strike to get better traction/power on the dirt.

If you have a good turnover rate, are landing with your foot even with your body weight (not ahead) and have a smooth and light footstrike, then there is no reason to worry. Heel striking may very well be the optimal way for you to run.

RE: Is heel striking better for some people?

No, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Didn't you read my book?!?! Well????? C'mon man, I have proven beyond any doubt that running on one's forefoot, in either sandals, vibrams or barefoot is the ONLY Way to run, and if one does that, they will never get injured no matter how many miles, or on what surface they run on. But if you heel strike, you will get injured immediately and may die of cancer. What do you think killed my friend Caballo Blanco??? He took ONE misstep, landed on his heel while on a run, and his heart stopped. That's all it took, ONE singe, evil, heel-strike.

Join me and be on constant vigilance against heel-striking my friend. If we do, together we can stop running injuries forever, and maybe even death itself.

(or at least make a lot of money off of cultists, fad-followers, and suckers)