The Greatest Runners are heel strikers
- Thread starter Barefoot Gentile
- Start date
Hall posted a video on you tube about how you don't heel strike, midfoot, nor forefoot. he says its whole foot and then proceeds to bounce away demonstrating his technique. i'm not good enough to find the link so i'm sure some one else will.
I've been talking to the Kenyan runners at The U of Alaska Anchorage. They are given shoes, but still all run ball strike. One of them got first place in NCAA-2 Cross Country last year. Not too bad for a bunch of runners who all learned to run barefoot and with a ball strike.
I would go further to say it's not just an optical conclusion/impression, but that due to the added bulk, it actually forces "most" runners to heel strike, as they have to get up over that bulk at their heel.
I think if we are brought up with good habits, we are most likely to carry those good habits through life.
Illusions! It is not uncommon for there to be the appearance of heel striking but in reality the heel is only touching the ground slightly before the midfoot and most all of the impact is absorbed through the midfoot. Watch people run on the treadmill next time you are at the gym. You will notice that most people crash their heel into the treadmill and then roll forward but you will notice some that appear to heel strike but actually land midfoot. I don't mind people heel striking, what bothers me is people who run up on their tippy toes!
I do pay attention to the ways people are running in the gym. I've noticed two things that I think are broadly true:
1. people in specialist running shoes run with worse form than people in "improper" shoes (i.e. the kind of shoes that most running stores and magazines tell you will lead to injury). Those with low-profile shoes without much cushioning tend to be lighter on their feet. While most still heelstrike, they tend to be closer to midfoot and are putting more of their weight closer to the front of the foot.
2. Some people in running shoes are running with what would be more-or-less perfect form if the shoe wasn't there. Their feet would be perfectly positioned at landing if they were barefoot - but because they have an inch or more of rubber under their heels, that is the first thing to land.
Oh yeah, and the giveaway on the opening post for me was Paula Radcliffe - she isn't even close to a heelstriker!
