OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - The footstrike

Clearly a dedicated barefoot runner...

A very heavily discussed technique aspect in running is the footstrike. Most new-school running techniques promotes mid- or forefoot striking as the one and only landing style.
Like all other advice given in text there's a risk involved that the reader takes the words into action but misses one or two key points (ex. starts to tense up in upperbody) or becomes preoccupied about one specific task (your whole body needs to work in harmony when running). Calf muscle injuries are common in people who try to implement this advice since the runner often reaches for the ground with the toes pointed down (plantar flexion) in an unrelaxed "ballerina" style before landing.
Proponents of the mid/forefoot-striking technique claims that a reduction of stride length (cadence increase) prevents heelstriking and helps "correct" technique = landing of the foot. That brings us back to the whole stride length/cadence topic that I brought up in the previous blog post "OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Hips". (If you haven't read that post already, read it now=)!)

So the whole argument of mid/forefoot landing is built on biomechanical principles that it's an energy conserving style of running and that it avoids/prevents injury in ankles, knees, muscles, etc. (In theroy, I find that hard to argue...)

So why is it that so many runners land with their heel first and that it seems so natural? Many people (and scientists) says "blame it on the generous shoe cushioning" that you'll find in most running shoes on today's market. "Try to run barefoot for once and you'll notice what your body does naturally - it will shift to mid- or forefoot landing" (apparently evolution hasn't adapted to Nike Air's quite yet). On the other hand, people that like the built-up, elevated heel found in most running shoes claims that a shift to heel striking in shoes may be as much an adaption to optimize running as the shift to mid/forefoot landing when running barefoot (interesting, but I'm not convinced...)
Check out my previous blog post "DOES RUNNING SHOES CAUSE MORE BAD THAN GOOD". I'm not saying you should throw away your shoes and run barefoot from now on, I just want to bring it to your attention while researchers are trying their best to sort it all out (if that's even possible...)

That's it for tonight. I will try to sum up a conclusion of my post's on OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE soon. But rest assure, more posts on running technique will follow (especially on the POSE Method and the book "POSE Method of Running" that I'm acctually reading right now for the second time...)

/Henrik