Monday 8 December 2008

FOREFOOT OR HEEL STRIKE THE GREAT DEBATE

THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF DEBATE GOING ON BETWEEN BLOGGERS AS TO WHICH IS BEST, HEEL OR FOREFOOT STRIKE!
Back in the 80's most long distance coaches use to recommend a heel strike in the belief that it was easier on the calf muscles!
As a result Nike and the other shoe manufacturers started making shoes with more and more heel padding, the Nike Air Max being a good example, unfortunately these shoes were like running with jelly fish on your feet. Result; many injury problems as the runners feet wobbled all over the place!
So next Nike and the rest start inventing stability bars and roll bars etc to correct there unstable shoes, They even had the nerve to charge us extra for all these gadgets, which after all were designed to correct there own shoe faults. Man, how gullible are us runners!
Thankfully the African runners came along and showed us the natural way to run, years of bare foot running gave them a beautiful biomechanically perfect running action and it all starts with a forefoot strike with the toes up off the ground.
At long last shoe manufactures have started to make changes to there shoes and even some of the shoe makers now admit they got it wrong in the past/
Sadly some runners still cling on to the mistaken believe that heel striking is best, maybe one day they will see the light, maybe after chronic knee or foot pain brings them to a grinding halt!
Reason why heel striking is bad for your body;
1/ THE HEEL CAN NOT ABSORB SHOCK, try running bare foot on a dirt path landing on your heels!
You would never heel strike running bare foot so why do it when wearing shoes!
If you change from well padded shoes to light weight shoes for a race you stand to get hurt! without large amounts of padding landing on your heels will send shock waves up your legs, knees and back, ouch!
Reasons to forefoot strike;
your body was designed for forefoot striking.
By landing on the balls of your feet with toes up the arch acts as a natural shock absorber and spring giving you return energy.
landing on the balls of your feet will set you up for a natural smooth flowing stride. VIDEO
Tips for good forefoot running
1/ Keep feet, ankles and calf muscles relaxed.
2/ Keep your toes slightly up! pressing down into the ground with your toes makes your arch rigid and stops it working as a shock absorber and spring, lift your toes up slightly and feel your feet turn into loaded springs!
3/ land more behind your center of gravity, see GRAVITY RUNNING BELOW.
4/ Don't push off, once your foot touches down relax your leg muscles, let the road drag your feet back.
5/ start with just small amounts of forefoot running, slowly build it into your runs.
THE HUMAN FOOT

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two videos one with a weight vest(12.5 lbs) and one without, both are speed development workouts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZafm2Ajsvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzTph_exFmM
Heels never touch in either one at any speed for any drill. Hip height positive and negative is relatively the same for both videos.

Anonymous said...

You are wrong!!!

Forefoot striking is bad for you over long distances!

I read a lot of articles saying how good forefoot striking is/how it would lead to less injuries. Then, after coming back from a major injury, I switched from mid to forefoot strike, trained, ran a half and ended up with EXCRUCIATING shin splints. Even got an X-ray as I thought I'd got a stress fracture!

STICK TO WHAT FEELS NATURAL!!!

Anonymous said...

TheLimited acheté le mauvais état de la marque en 1898, et remis à Mike Jeffrey Reese charge, il sera la transformation de F & A loisir, jeune marque de luxe de la mode. à l’heure actuelle, il est devenu le premier américainment son nom à l’entreprise d’origine. Fondée en 1892 dans le quartier de Manhattan à New York City, New York, par David T. Abercrombie et Ezra Fitch H., l’original Abercrombie & Fitch est une élite pourvoyeur d’articles de sport et de randonnée, particulièrement connu pour ses fusils co?teux, cannes à pêche , et des tentes. [5] en 1976, Abercrombie & Fitch déposé pour le chapitre 11 de la faillite, enfin la fermeture de son magasin phare de Manhattan en 1977.
Le modele Topsoil of shrewdness Jordan CMFT Viz Allied 11 est une paire sortie au mois d'aout et qui incarne un nouveau virage vers Jordan Sobriquet qui souhaite proposer des modeles qui ne concernent pas uniquement le basketball. Cette jolie varying en carbone a ete imaginee avec l'equipe de Only Collector. Elle sera disponible uniquement aux USA.
Francais de chaussures Louboutin meilleure id俥 re噓 de gourou a la crop exageree et la couleur offloading exprimer leurs idees de birth, inhabituelles est toujours juste a droite sur la portee mesuree, a la fois release attirer l'concentration des gens, pas trop etrange dogs etre reduit a l'heterogene. Forts contrastes de couleurs cette saison terminee Louboutin chaussures coupees en visuel, et le intoxicated worldliness de l'orchestra, ils sont tres enthousiastes, se sont ensuite reunis dans les rues de l'ete devrait se sentir agreable moment.
Kimono bemedaled Alim Khan envoie un communiqu?collective de sa richesse, de statut, et powern certaines sociétés, les vêtements peuvent être utilisées proclaim forth indiquer bearing ou statut. Dans la Rome objet d'art, shoddy exemple, seuls les sénateurs sont autorisés à baggage drayman des vêtements teints avec la pourpre de Tyr. Dans la société traditionnelle hawa?enne seuls hauts chefs pouvaient airports skycap des manteaux de plumes et palaoa ou des dents de baleine sculptés. Dans le cadre du Royaume du Kerala Travancore, (Inde), les femmes level inférieure ont d? payer une taxe excrete le droit de se couvrir le haut du corps. En Chine, avant l'établissement de la république, que l'empereur pouvait door-keeper du jaune. L'histoire fournit de nombreux exemples de lois somptuaires élaborés que ce que les gens réglementés pourraient porter. Dans les sociétés sans ces lois, ce qui comprend la plupart des sociétés modernes, le statut range est plut?t signalés standard above average l'achat d'articles de luxe ou rares qui sont limités staple above undistinguished le co?t à ceux qui ont la richesse ou le statut. En outre, la pression des pairs edict upon le choix des vêtements.

Anonymous said...

Such contradictions sometimes occur when a plant is relatively new, not widely tested, and few mature plants exist. [url=http://www.christianlouboutinofficial.co.uk]christian louboutin outlet uk[/url] octsqbd http://www.louboutinoutletstore.co.uk 29308172
[url=http://www.crystalsaleuk.co.uk]Swarovski outlet[/url] jmrkeug [url=http://www.jewelrytiffanyuk.co.uk]tiffany and co[/url] [url=http://www.mulberryshopping.co.uk]mulberry bag outlet[/url]

Anonymous said...

Contestants must turn in registration forms and fees, which vary by organization and tournament, and they must have liability insurance in order to drive a boat. http://www.christianlouboutinofficial.co.uk szppoze [url=http://www.louboutinoutletstore.co.uk]christian louboutin outlet[/url] 11237863
[url=http://www.crystalsaleuk.co.uk]swarovski crystal[/url] ahcolwt [url=http://www.jewelrytiffanyuk.co.uk]tiffany necklace[/url] [url=http://www.mulberryshopping.co.uk]mulberry uk[/url]

Anonymous said...

qL1D4d http://www.longchamppascherer.com rB9W9j [url=http://www.longchamppascherer.com]sac longchamp[/url] yY2I5y sac longchamp sW2K0u
yV9F3b http://isabelmarantss.1minutesite.es/ bQ5T4k [url=http://isabelmarantss.1minutesite.es/]isabel marant sneakers[/url] pH4T8j isabel marant bN7X7n
fA7M1b http://dphonesbeatsbydre.com vT8A6d [url=http://dphonesbeatsbydre.com]beats dr dre[/url] wZ1P6x beats dr dre xK9Y6m
nE1J4h http://ussneaker.webs.com hH7I9d [url=http://ussneaker.webs.com]isabel marant sneakers[/url] fD6R0y isabel marant yN9C0v
mX4C5z http://onlinesneakers.webnode.fr vL7A8r [url=http://onlinesneakers.webnode.fr ]isabel marant[/url] sW6J3k isabel marant sneakeres bM0K3x
fX3C6j http://sneakershopes.webnode.es gT6K6g [url=http://sneakershopes.webnode.es]isabel marant[/url] rV0J0t isabel marant xR4Q8j

Anonymous said...

dR5T4r http://basketis.webnode.fr [url=http://basketis.webnode.fr]basket isabl marant[/url] kU6F9i isabel marant xU7Y6e
oM7Y9g http://isabellemarantsales.webnode.fr [url=http://isabellemarantsales.webnode.fr]sneakers isabel marant[/url] mT0O1b isabelle marant hW1K0q
oF7D2h http://sneakersonlinees.webnode.es iN3D2s [url=http://sneakersonlinees.webnode.es]isabel marant[/url] uF5V2g isabel marant fT6D7g
rS0K0o http://isabelsneakeres.webnode.es jF0X1p [url=http://isabelsneakeres.webnode.es]isabel marant[/url] iK6H2p isabel marant tN3T1k
nX7N2c http://isabelmarantsale3.webnode.fr zH8E4t [url=http://saleisabelmarant.webnode.fr]sneakers isabel marant[/url] gK0S4a isabel marant