There is clearly a bunch of ways to get faster. There is not one thing to do that is going to make you faster but sometimes to get faster it is not about what you do, it is how you do it.
When I say “how you do it” that means how your body moves. You need to have that sweet form that flows like a quiet river. You need to become best friends with the term “no wasted motion”. As in every move your body makes while running should be one that contributes to creating more force, or having a faster turnover.
What is this Wasted Motion you speak of?
Realistically wasted motion can be anything that you do while running that can be done in a faster way to cut time down. Or it is any motion that is not done through its full plane of motion that is not allowing you to use your power to the fullest.
What can this wasted motion Look Like?
- Head/Neck
- any movement
- head tilted back,
- bobbing back and forth,
- sliding to each shoulder
- Arms
- Weird wrist actions
- Weird arm twists and turns (many of these)
- elbow bent less than 90 or more than 90,
- Hands come up and cross body
- Hands swing back and to far outwards
- Shoulders
- Not swinging enough giving you a quicker arm motion
- Swinging too much giving a big arm motion
- going side to side
- Legs
- Knees not coming up far enough,
- No heel recovery (when foot hit’s the ground it does not go to the butt first it just swings through to the chest),
- Knees coming up out to the side
- Feet
- Duck feet
- Pigeon feet
Remember doing the small things right is not just about looking pretty when you run, it is about running more efficient, and running in a way to produce more power.
What do you need to look like?
Head/Neck
- ü No movement
Body
- Minimal movement and or twisting
Arms and shoulders
- 90 degree elbow in front of body hands should come up to eye level
- on the back swing the elbow can open up just a little bit but not a lot
- not running side to side
Legs
- Knees up so they are parallel with the ground
- should strike the ground under your hips
- heel should come up to butt while the leg is cycling back up towards the chest
Key Notes
- Knees need to get up because if not then is power is being wasted
- Arms compliment legs if the arms are not as efficient as they could be than there is a good chance the legs are not either
- The body needs to be as still as possible not for sake of being faster, but to prevent injuries.
Watch the video and watch for these things I have pointed out. I always watch myself run over and over again and the more I do it the faster I get. If you can point out the mistakes you make while running and focus on fixing them you speed will greatly improve.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Just wondering when you are sprinting when the knees are at the highest point and then the foot strikes the ground after coming down; does that happen passively as in the foot just drops down to the ground after the knee reaches the highest point or do you actively and forcefully accelerate the foot down to the ground for the next stride? thanks
Great question! Every movement is active, so from the time you drive your knee up, you drive it back down to the ground and push the track behind you. That is why some people pull there hamstrings, because the muscle isn’t strong enough to deal with the force and breaking when the foot strikes the ground.