Running Form
- Austin Tobelmann
- Apr 20, 2024
- 6 min read
As stated in ‘Physical Aspects for Training Distance Runners – an Introduction’, distance running requires carrying a high load (~2-2.5x your body weight) per step for a long duration of time. For someone that weighs over 100 pounds and averages 160 steps per minute, that’s over 32,000 pounds that they need to support each minute!
Now let’s say this runner has a 5k time of 20:00. Not only will they move more than half a million pounds of weight throughout this race distance, but they will also take 3,200 steps.
Why is Running Form important?
Naturally, your body follows the path of least resistance during movement. This means that even if done ‘wrong’, the body will find a way to complete the specific movement you want it to. However, continually moving incorrectly for days/weeks/months will create muscle and movement imbalances within the body that can lead to injury, especially when taking thousands of steps each day! These movements will then take even longer to undo and create proper movement habits. Preventing injury allows runners to be consistent in training and continue building fitness over time.
Not only will proper running form prevent injury, but it will help you move more efficiently by spending less energy covering a specific distance. Less energy expenditure equals quicker pace!
Consistent training and efficient movement will help runners reach their potential!
The reasons above are why it is important to learn proper running form and technique from Day 1.
What is Proper Running Form?
To learn form, let’s break it down into arm action and leg action.
Arm Action
In sprints, it is taught to create a longer lever with your arms by extending them down and back. In distance running, this becomes important during the final phases of a race where one is trying to ‘kick’. However, throughout a distance race I like to think the most important job of the arms is to swing from hips to chest, close to the body, in a rhythmic manner that will help propel the legs. Pushing the shoulders and elbows back will also help the legs apply power to the ground.
Your leg pattern will follow your arm pattern. If you have a large arm swing that moves away from your body, the legs will open up and make you overstride. If the arms swing close to the body, the legs will have a shorter movement and allow you to get the foot under your hips at ground contact.
It is also important to note that the arms should not swing across your body. They drive your movement in the direction that you want; if you want to move forward, your arms must swing forward!
Although your arm swing is important, your legs are the most important factor in your stride. You need to play around with your specific arm swing to allow for the proper movement of your legs to maximize your running form.
...the most important job of the arms is to swing from hips to chest, close to the body, in a rhythmic manner that will help propel the legs.
Leg Action
For leg action we look at two things: stride length and stride frequency.
Stride Length
Time and time again I see runners perceive stride length as trying to reach with their entire leg to achieve the longest stride. This is not what you want to do. While a greater stride length will help you achieve greater speeds, ‘reaching’ will make your heels land in front of you with each stride. This will create a braking force that will slow your momentum and place a lot of shock into your legs. Instead, you want to focus on keeping your feet, knees, hips, shoulders, and head in a straight line with every ground contact. This will allow your feet to land below your hips and keep your momentum moving forward.
Newton’s third law of motion states that ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’. For runners, this means that the amount of force applied into the ground will have an equal amount of force given back. The greater force you place into the ground, the greater the natural length of your stride.
We can combat reaching by pretending the leg ends at the knee. All we do is pick it up and put it down. The greater focus should not be on picking up the knee, but on driving it down into the ground...with force!
Stride Frequency
Stride frequency is the amount of time it takes for one foot to leave the ground until it hits the ground again, as well as the amount of time each foot is in contact with the ground during each step. Less time between contacts, and less time spent on the ground, means our legs are moving faster.
Taking both stride length and stride frequency into account, speed can be defined as the amount of force you can apply to the ground in the shortest amount of time.
How to Train Running Form
1) Drills
A March & A Skip
B March & B Skip
Bounds
2) Wickets
Running through wickets will force the runner to step over an obstacle and place force into the ground in the proper movement to propel them forward. The key is not to step over the wickets, but to understand that applying force into the ground will automatically drive the opposite knee up and over the following wicket. For better force and turnover pretend the ground is lava. To get your legs up higher pretend you are running through a field of tall grass.
It is important to follow the set of wickets with a 30-50 meter run-out that focuses on keeping the same force, form and speed without obstacles.
3) Strides
At the end of every easy run formwork can simply be incorporated by running 4-8x 80-100 meter strides with a 1-minute break between. Strides should be done anywhere between 400m-5k race pace and all focus should be on proper form.
4) Hill Sprints
Once proper force, form, and speed is achieved with wickets, the next step is to apply these skills without obstacles. The best way to do this without a great load placed on the legs is through hill sprints.
Find a hill that is steep, but not steep enough to slow a runner from achieving high speeds. Start with 10 second hill sprints, then 15 seconds, then 20 seconds. Always focus on form and force during these sessions. To allow for proper recovery, walk-down between sprints.
5) Flat Sprints
Top speed can only be achieved after a 30-meter acceleration and can only be held for another 30-40 meters. 60-meter fly-ins are the best way to achieve top speed while practicing proper running form. Anything longer than 60 meters and top speed will drop. Proper recovery is achieved with 2:30-3 minutes between sprints.
6) Plyometrics
While plyometrics are not specific training of running form, they allow runners to learn how to apply force and gain quickness (frequency) in their movements. Broad jumps, drop jumps, box jumps, mini hurdle hops, bounds, squat jumps, and lunge jumps will all help achieve the greatest force and frequency.
7) Efficiency Repeats
To practice proper form at race pace without placing a large training stress on the body, runners can do continuous runs of 200 meters at 3k pace followed by 200 meters of jogging. During the 3k pace portion the focus should be on proper form, feeling strong, and moving efficiently.
How to Apply These Movements to Practice
A long duration of time under stress will eventually lead the body to move improperly. Therefore, it is important to practice form/technique while fresh and rested. The methods stated above should be done at the beginning of practice (after a proper warm-up), or as a main workout, in order to achieve the greatest force, form, and speed without fatigue.
Resources
Anderson, O. (2019). Running form how to run faster and prevent injury. Human Kinetics.
Cunningham, R., Hunter, I., Seeley, M., & Feland, B. (2013). Variations in running technique between female sprinters, middle, and distance runners. Int J Exerc Sci 6, 43–51. https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=61f0d4a8-aa04-4dee-8b9b-5ebc4abd33eb%40redis
Dintiman, G. (2020). Essentials of next generation speed training. The National Association of Speed & Explosion (NASE). Healthy Learning.
Magness, S. & Marcus, J. (Host). (2015-present). Drills, skills, and sprinting – the role of the neural component in running. [Audio podcast].
Miller, T. S. (2002). Programmed to run. Human Kinetics.
Téllez, T., Lewis, C., & Arellano, C. J. (2021). The Science of Speed: The Art of the Sprint. Winning Dimensions Sports, LLC.
Thompson, M. A. (2017). Physiological and biomechanical mechanisms of distance specific human running performance. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 57(2), 293-300. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icx069
YouTube. (2012, July 13). Running Drill - A’s - running drills - a march & A skip. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8il_EjiBWQ&t=2s
YouTube. (2012b, July 18). B’s - running drill - B- walks and B-skips - ask dr. Abelson. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl8EasFDRKI
YouTube. (2018, September 27). How to: Alternating leg bounds | sprint bounding. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIjuMzIFREs&t=22s
YouTube. (2021, December 30). Wicket/stick drill for the mid-distance/distance runner. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e40TQVUhsWI
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