2 Quick Drills to Help You Improve Your Foot Strike
- Allison Felsenthal
- Oct 5, 2021
- 3 min read
Having a proper foot strike leads to good running form. When you’re running longer distances, a good foot strike will eliminate the stress you place on your calves, shins, and ankles. Doing this will drastically reduce your chances of getting injured. At the same time, your run will also help you properly place your mid-foot on the ground every step of your run! I recommend this metronome app, Run Tempo, to try out! Set it close to 170-180 spm (steps per minute) to work on keeping your foot speed aligned with the beat! Your foot strike will follow as you tend to keep your feet under your hips with a faster cadence.
What is a proper foot strike?
Foot strike is the beginning of the stance phase of the running gait cycle. Mid-foot striking (thinking heel-to-toe) reduces the stress placed on your calf muscles, allowing your feet to land under your hips, as further explained in this Human Kinetics article here, one of my favorite go-to places for running form, and running drills! Doing this helps you leverage power from your quads, glutes, and hamstrings as a distance runner. Think flat feet as you strike the ground every time. That’ll be MUCH more sustainable throughout a longer race than placing extra stress on your calves with a forefront foot strike or your heels with a heel strike.
Do you ever experience calf cramps? The worst, right? Calf cramps are commonly due to running without placing your entire foot on the ground every time your foot strikes the ground. Many beginner runners tend to have shin splints or calf cramps due to this and other constituents, of course, but it’s not uncommon, and now you might know why!
2 drills to help you improve your foot strike
Drill #1 - Foot-Strike & Cadence Drill
This video shows this drill that Prehab USA showed me to fix my foot-strike and running mechanics.
The goal here was to eliminate any excessive vertical oscillation, otherwise known as jumping vertically and using that energy to quickly make less contact time with each foot and the ground and make sure to make complete contact with the ground with each foot. I had some work to do here, and I still do! But the only way to excel is to live, learn, and grow, right?! RIGHT!
Drill #2 - Resistance Banded Running
I LOVE this drill, which helps with your foot-strike AND your running form. Place a big green resistance band right below your hip bones, leaning from your ankles (not your hips) while running in place as shown. Be sure to have someone heavier than you anchor the band or tie it to something that’ll hold up! DOUBLE WHAMMY.
Here, this purpose was to switch my feet quickly, working on my cadence, my foot-strike, and leaning from my ankles (not my hips, which leads to poor running form).
Mid-foot striking will improve your running
Anything good takes time. That will be a factor in improving your running form and, ultimately, your running as a lifelong runner! Patience will be your best friend while working on your foot-strike.
YES! Your body will be able to absorb the impact from each step while you run with a mid-foot strike. Your calves and Achilles can absorb the force when you contact the ground using this type of foot strike.
Key Takeaways
Mid-foot striking reduces the impact forces on your body, decreasing the risk of you getting inures. While performed correctly and consistently, you'll transform your running form and your mid-foot strike over time to be the best distance runner you can be!
3 Form Cues to Remember while performing these two drills shown above:
Shoulder blades down and back
Allow your fingertips to follow your rib cages as you run
Think (heel to toe) while switching up your feet, making sure to eliminate any forefront foot striking
Time to gather around and practice these drills for a session once a week! Consistency is key! Ask a running coach, a DPT, or running friends to perform these drills with. You'll hold each other accountable while working on improving your running form as a team! Sharing is caring!
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