Running
Simple
Form Drills For Runners
Can Clean up Your Running Form and
Efficiency
By Jeff Horowitz,
Metro Sports Washington D.C. I have always thought that running must be
one of the easiest things in the world. After all, weve been doing it since we
were 3 or 4 years old, so by now we should be pretty good at it, right?
After more than a decade of marathon racing,
I had come to consider myself a pretty good runner. Then a respected track
coach took a good look at my running form, and he told me about all of the
things I was doing wrong.
Apparently my foot strike was off, I had too
much lateral movement, and my arm swing was incorrect. By the time he was
through with me, I began to think it was a miracle that I could even walk.
But there was hope for me yet. By breaking
down the running motion into distinct movements, and practicing drills to
improve those movements, my form and my speed — improved. You too can
achieve the same results.
Here are five drills that will improve
anyone’s form. Each of them strengthens a particular muscle group and
improves the movement of the body through the running motion.
Before you start your next training run,
pick a straight stretch of road about 50 meters long, or better still, go to a
local track and do these after you’ve had a complete warm-up and
stretch.
Plan to do each of these drills two to four
times, taking only a short rest of 30 seconds between repeats of each
drill.
1. Butt kicks
Just as the name
implies, this drill involves trying to kick your own butt with each step.
Taking short steps, kick your heel back and up as high as you can. This drill
improves heel recovery, which is the part of the running motion where your leg
rises up and coils for the next forward stride. This drill also strengthens the
hamstrings, a primary muscle group used in running.
2. High steps
This drill involves
taking short steps and picking your knees up as high as they can go. Think of
the way those Clydesdale horses on the old Budweiser commercials used to
prance. This drill strengthens the calves and hip flexors, and emphasizes
proper running posture and the lift-off phase of running.
3. High skips
Everyone feels
silly doing this at first, but believe me, it works. Swing your arms strongly
and skip as high as you can. This drill helps build explosive power in your
running stride, and it will help you climb hills and finish strong in your next
race.
4. Stiff-legged running
Run
keeping your knees as straight as possible. It helps to imagine that youre a
Russian folk dancer. This drill will strengthen the hip flexors, which is the
area where the bottom of your abdomen meets your leg a muscle group thats
crucial to the running motion.
5. Strides
Think of these as
slow-motion sprints. Dont run all-out; just run easily, but with the form you
would use in sprinting. This drill gives you an opportunity to see how your
body is moving during hard running, and gives you a chance to correct any
problem areas you might have in your form. It also prepares you body for the
next phase of your workout your actual distance run by lengthening the
stride.
Do all of these drills at least once a week.
They’ll only take a few minutes, but they work for elite runners, and
they’ll work for you. |
