Please Critique My running Video / Trying to POSE

[William Adams]

Hi, I am re-learning how to run because I have never been good at it. I have taken some video of me running past the camera about ten times and I have uploaded it to youtube. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8Jj5OKcsKA

Please critique my running style, or lack there of, I really appreciate any input that you have to offer. Thanks Bunches,

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

[Elliot Fuller]

Not bad for a start...

It took me a while to notice that you were still heel-striking, but you are.

Try to get a little more used to the forward lean if you can -- check out posetech for some good drills on that, which you can do up against a wall. Also see about running barefoot for a while to start off and get used to the motions.

Your pull overall looked pretty decent. Foot looks good and your legs are staying bent.

Main weakness looks to be the heel-strike, which is inherently accompanied by a forward strike not under your center of mass. Focus on the POSE-FALL part and I think you'll make progress pretty fast, as it seems the PULL part is ok.

But as long as you're heel-striking, you're going to be hitting ahead of yourself, which makes the forward lean pretty difficult. In fact, you almost have the opposite -- it looks like you have almost a slightly backward lean, even, but it's probably just a result/illusion created by the forward strike coupled with the good PULL.

I'm by no means a POSE expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[William Adams]

Thanks Elliot, I will look a posetech and I also realized when I looked at the video that I was still heal striking, thanks for the feedback. If you know of any POSE guys or girls, please ask them to critique my video. Thanks again, happy crossfitting :>)

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

[Colin McNulty]

I'm no expert (must upload a video like that myself one day) but I agree, your foot is landing slightly ahead of yourself. Only talking a couple of inches here, but it's definitely in front of you, rather right below your centre of mass.

[James R. Climer]

You're heel strike might go away if you focus on not
pulling the toes up before the landing, relax the
muscles on the front of the shin and you will land
underneath you vice in front & on the ball to mid foot.

[William Adams]

Thanks for the input James and Colin. I used the first 800 meter run today on the WOD to try and get my foot to land under and to not bounce with limited success. Sometimes I feel like Forrest Gump running but I am getting better little by little. Thanks again...

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

[Rayne Gray]

Hey Billy,

Go for a run barefooted and your heel strike will go away, try it! You will find a natural feel and position which you can then tweak with Pose methods.

Without shoes on it is difficult to heel strike except on the softest surfaces. Then wear the lowest heel shoes you can find and apply the same "feelings" of mid-foot landing that you develope while running barefooted.

FWIW that'a my $.02

Cheers
Rayne

[Jonathan Yoon]

I've all but brainwashed myself with the ChiRunning and POSE Techniques. I've seriously worn out the DVD I borrowed from the library because of it.

Since you're using the POSE method, make sure you do the drills. Do them both barefoot and with shoes on so you can be more body aware. (When I do my drills barefoot, I do them indoors.) This will teach your feet not to heel strike and land either on the ball of your feet (aka midfoot) or atleast land completely flat instead of striking with the heel first.

The hopping-in-place drill that is in the DVD I found actually taught my feet to understand what position they'd be in before I would pull them back up. It's one thing just being in the POSE stance, but without knowing how the foot would feel once it makes contact with the ground - the POSE stance just makes you look like you're doing a photo op. DO THE DRILLS!

[Gary Ohm]

Man, I am so excited to read y'all talking about POSE running and running barefoot. I went headlong into POSE a few years ago. I never could find any of those Puma shoes that they like.

Then I transitioned to barefoot. Rayne is right, you cannot help but stay off your heels when you go barefoot. I had to run on sidewalks here as I have no dirt trails and no bike lanes. You sure do learn to look ahead for stickers and little rocks. But then folk started breaking bottles almost on a nightly basis on my route. Really took the wind out of my sails. I tried barefoot on the treadmill. But the track gets REALLY hot and I actually got blisters.

Anywho, the above suggestions seem right on. It takes a while to get it down. If you go to the posetech forums and post they can help you out as well. Keep up the good work.

[George Mounce]

Lean forward more, you are way straight up and down.

A great drill is to run in place with someone holding your shoulders as you lean into them, if they jump out of the way you should be propelled forward by the action of your hamstrings.