Foot strike

I found this, thought some may find it usefull.



There has been a lot of discussion in the USAT coaches site this week on people with toe problems when they run. The following post by George Dallam is very well written. Take 1 minute and read what he has to say. A number of us don’t think about how we run. Was anyone taught how to run or did we just start running? We were taught to swim and ride a bike but no one said this is how you run. Now is the time to work on your running form and determine what works best for you. My philosophy is that everyone is different in which method works for them, be it Romanov, Chi running, Bobby McGee……. How many of you complain about not getting faster but don’t do anything regarding form to make any changes?


Although one person mentioned the idea of a change in general running mechanics as a solution to this problem I’d like to elaborate a little. By definition a person who is “pronating” is in fact landing on the rearward part of the heel well forward of the center of mass and using the pronation to distribute force across the foot and arches prior to re-supinating prior to “toe-off”. In so doing a rearward braking force is applied to the foot and body in general and the foot naturally slides forward as a result. Larger shoes may further exacerbate this condition by allowing easier movement forward and not properly controlling the mechanics of the foot.

Although it is painful for some with long standing beliefs about running mechanics to acknowledge, even the available science (beyond what many coaches have observed for many decades) is rapidly moving to support the shift in paradigm from a conventional heel-toe model of running technique to the more natural ball of foot strike under the center of mass method developed through barefoot running, pose mechanics and or the mechanical aspects of chi running. I say this is more natural because these basic mechanics will emerge quite quickly when running without shoes over non-forgiving surfaces, even in the worst overstriders. In the emerging model one does not apply a braking force or push from the ground – rather the foot is lifted quickly after brief contact at the ball and gravity propels the body forward. Such mechanics do not require pronation and supination as ground forces are absorbed and returned to the musculature to propel the body forward rather than primarily into the skeletal system and soft tissues to be dispersed. In this approach he foot does not slide as braking forces are not applied upon ground contact. Of course those who are familiar have seen Nicholas Romanov demonstrate this by running fast on ice without slipping. This approach dissipates the destructive forces applied to the toes, the fascia, the arches and onwards up the kinetic chain as well. Of course the bodies basic structural integrity is still very important as many posters mentioned. For a convincing review of the physics please see Nicholas Romanov and Graham Fletcher’s recent article in the Journal of Sport Biomechanics.
http://www.informaw orld.com/ smpp/content~ content=a7816206 79~db=all
The editors comments in the beginners of the issue are worth reading as well as he acknowledges the paradigm shift in this area.

I will also take a moment to remind that “All dogs can learn new tricks” so try experimenting with how you run sans shoes and then examine the Pose or Chi running approaches if you want to learn more.

George Dallam (a previously slow legged 120$ per pair air maxed legatropterus gigantus seen in recent decades running faster through the western mountains in a 20$ pair of aqua-floppers after the manner of the lighter weight poseatoptrois elegantis)

George Dallam