Most of us do not require extensive training to learn how to run, as it comes naturally to us. One day, we may be blessed with the motivation to put on a pair of shoes and start running. This is one of the beautiful things about running; it does not require significant knowledge, skill, or experience to begin. As we progress, we learn by trial and error, getting past the initial awkwardness. This allows us to grow, practice, and develop methods to enhance our running capabilities. We may begin to ask questions such as how to increase speed or distance, and the most experienced runners are concerned with maximizing efficiency to run longer and faster.
Making simple changes to your running form or technique can improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury, particularly if you’ve never given it much thought. Experienced runners frequently make common mistakes with their running form that can negatively impact their speed.
ARM SWING: CROSSING YOUR ARMS OVER THE FRONT OF YOUR BODY
Back in the day, I had the idea to attach a sports action camera to my chest and join my buddies on a mud run, thinking it would be a blast. Upon reviewing the recording, aside from the unstable footage and dirty lens, the content was not suitable for kickstarting my YouTube career as I had constantly been waving my arms in front of the camera while jogging without even noticing it. This error in posture not only consumes energy but also decelerates your overall speed.
Maintain proper running form by bending your arms at a 90-degree angle and only swinging them forward and back, avoiding any crossing over your chest.
EYE GAZE: LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR FEET WHILE RUNNING
Getting tired and distracted during your run frequently leads to making this technique mistake.
Looking at your running shoes means you’re facing the wrong direction. When your gaze is downward, it’s probable that your shoulders also slump forward, causing your back to follow suit. In addition to lacking efficiency, these stance irregularities can result in muscle compensations, in which the incorrect muscles compensate for weak or inactive ones. Ultimately, this can lead to injury if not addressed over time.
To improve your running form, you should maintain an upright posture while keeping your shoulders back and down, and your gaze fixed straight ahead with a neutral neck. This will ensure an effective stride.
LANDING YOUR FOOT WITH A STRAIGHT LEG IN FRONT OF YOUR BODY
When you overextend your stride, it can cause you to decelerate with a jarring impact and create undue strain on your articulations.
To fix your running form, try taking small and fast steps that land directly under your center of balance. By ensuring that you always maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout your stride, this problem can be easily resolved.
Making corrections to your form may seem straightforward, but it can be difficult as your body tends to remember and adopt certain patterns. There’s a risk of slipping back into previous ineffective movements if you lose your concentration during your run.
If you find it difficult, don’t quit just yet. Avoid trying to alter everything all at once. Pick one approach that appears to be the simplest for you to modify. Enhance your running form through constant practice, maybe record yourself running on the track a few times, and periodically monitor your form mentally until it becomes habitual, and then progress to enhancing another technique.
CRANING YOUR NECK FORWARD
If you tend to drop your head while running, you may soon experience neck strain and discomfort.
The sports injury physio stated that if the head is not properly aligned on top of the neck and shoulders, it can result in an additional 5kg of pressure and tension on the neck muscles and joints.
To improve your running form, focus on aligning your head properly. A helpful technique is to envision a balloon lifting you from the back of your head and elongating your spine.
HUNCHING YOUR SHOULDERS FORWARD
If you tend to crane your neck forward, it’s likely that you’ll also hunch your shoulders while running, which can contribute to poor posture in your day-to-day activities.
When you run while hunching your shoulders, it becomes difficult to take deep breaths and effectively use oxygen as it puts more pressure on your chest and respiratory system.
Incorrect posture of the shoulders may lead to inadequate hip extension. Inability to attain a neutral spine occurs when the upper body is slumped and the center of gravity is moved forward.
As a result, you will have to bring your legs forward to support yourself since your hips won’t be able to extend properly.
To correct your running form, ensure that your neck and shoulders remain relaxed while maintaining an upright posture.
NOT ENGAGING YOUR GLUTES PROPERLY
This form of poor running form is frequently disregarded despite its high occurrence rate.
If your glutes are inactive, it implies that your other muscles will have to exert more effort to sustain your running.
As a result, the running problem becomes difficult to pinpoint. The injury is not primarily felt in your glutes, but can present itself as tightness in the hip flexor, IT band complications, or a variety of other conditions.
To correct running form, focus on activating the glute muscles by either stretching or doing exercises that require them to bear weight. This method is like stimulating and energizing previously inactive glute muscles.
LETTING YOUR KNEES COLLAPSE INWARDS
If your knees collapse inwards as you run, it can lead to a host of other not so good knock-on effects on your running form such as:
- Pelvis – External rotation
- Hips – Internal rotation
- Tibia – External rotation
- Rear foot – Internal rotation
- Forefoot – External rotation
- Foot arch – Pronation
Your entire body posture will be unbalanced, with several joints placed in an unconventional twisted position.
Various injuries could arise from this, such as knee injuries, lower back pain possibly leading to sciatica, plantar fasciitis, aches, and pains, and shin splints.
When correcting your running form, it is important to ensure that your knees are moving straight ahead in a neutral position.
What Is Proper Running Form?
A straight alignment of bodily systems is considered as the perfect running posture.
This implies that your thigh, lower leg, pelvis, trunk, neck, and head are all aligned in a vertical position, with one resting above the other.
It is crucial that every “body system” is in a neutral position. In case of incorrect running form, your hips may shift to the side or your head may lean backwards.
To put it differently, correct running technique involves having your body in proper alignment.
Why Is Good Running Form Important?
If you want to avoid injury, it is crucial to have correct running technique.
In addition, possessing proper running technique enhances your running efficiency as you can focus all your energy on propelling forward.
How To Tell If My Running Form Is Bad
Collaborate with a coach. Although considered a luxury, if the chance presents itself, teaming up with a knowledgeable running coach is an excellent method to identify, highlight, and rectify your areas of weakness in running.
If hiring a coach for running isn’t your thing, try recording yourself!
Get rid of your embarrassment and place your phone as you jog by it.
By watching the video, you can assess your running technique and identify your areas of weakness. If you slow down the footage, you can zoom in on those flawed aspects of your running form and focus on rectifying them.
7 Symptoms Of Bad Running Form
Be vigilant for the following. These symptoms may indicate flawed running technique and should motivate you to assess your running style.
- Neck pain while running.
- Overly fatigued quads or hips.
- Elbows shooting side to side, not back and forth.
- Reoccurring specific muscle soreness.
- Knee or hip pain shortly after running.
- Shoulder pain while running.
If you experience any of these symptoms while running, it is worth taking the time to evaluate your running form.
How Do I Correct My Bad Running Form?
The task of rectifying your incorrect running form may appear to be a daunting challenge.
As you strive to improve your running efficiency and reduce the risk of injury, it is important to remember the following points:
- Look ahead.
- Keep your arms at roughly a 90 degree angle.
- Relax your hands.
- Keep your spine lengthened.
- Relax your shoulders down and back.
- Keep your arms at your sides.
- Rotate your arms from your shoulders.
- Don’t bounce up and down too much.
- Run lightly.
- Keep your cadence quick.
- Stretch and weight train.
PUT RUNNING FORM CORRECTIONS INTO PRACTICE
Maintaining an awareness while running is crucial because there exists a delicate balance between being lost in your thoughts and staying focused. It is true that getting carried away with your thoughts can make the run feel effortless and make you forget about your daily concerns. However, getting too absorbed can compromise your form and lead to poor technique when fatigue sets in. Conversely, remaining present demands more mental focus, but even then, it may not be as therapeutic.
Achieving a balance between automatic flow and being present is crucial. Program your app or watch to give a signal at half or one-mile intervals, and pause for one minute to assess your breathing and form when it goes off.
Assume an upright posture, gaze ahead, intensify your swinging motion in a forward and backward direction and adopt short, brisk strides with knees bent, ensuring that you land under your center of gravity. After gaining confidence in your form, you may allow your mind to wander until the next signal.
Improving your running techniques through awareness and practice can enhance your skill in this activity. A runner who has gained more experience and expertise is capable of running faster and with a lower risk of getting injured.
Are you committing any errors in your running technique? Many times, we may not be conscious of it, as my camera mounted on the chest displayed. To enhance your form, the initial phase is being aware. On your subsequent run, be aware of these typical running form inaccuracies and inform me about your progress.
