You can’t lift your feet faster to get shorter contact time when running

Many runners know that a short ground contact time is good when running. You simply become more energy efficient the less time you have your foot on the ground. Therefore, it may seem logical that you should try to lift your feet a little faster. Unfortunately, this rarely works. You have your foot on the ground for such an extremely short time that you simply do not have time to react and lift your foot before it has already left the ground. How it works and what really determines your contact time is explained in this video.

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Fredrik Zillén is an running technique specialist that has over the years helped thousands of runners to a more efficient running technique - from the slowest beginners to members of the Swedish national team in running and triathlon who have participated in the World Championships and the Olympics. Fredrik also writes articles on effective running technique for Runner's World magazine.

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[simont]

At 168 cadence each step lasts 357ms, so 238ms contact time is actually 66.66% or 2/3 of the time. Nerve signals travel at least 40m/s, which means from foot to brain, say 2m, is 50ms. More importantly your brain will sense the rhythm, and hence will time any muscle activation to occur at the exact needed time, hence with 0ms delay. Not that it's a good idea to try lifting your feet faster though, it's not a useful way to manipulate your technique. If you want shorter contact time, you need to increase the cadence, or run more forward on the forefoot. Latter may trigger injuries. (Not the FF-strike in itself, but "too high" a FF-strike in relation to your speed will cause injuries).

[Lauritz]

Great explanation with the screen. You also have a wonderful voice and a way of speaking. Thank you!

[tassko]

I liked your technical approach to describing this. Thanks. I have experience with run form and ground contact as it is one of the variables that affect cadence and heart rate especially at higher speeds. I should do more neuromuscular training.

[nordicwilly]

What a fantastic channel! I have been working hard on my form to be able to run again (cranky hips). You have so many form gems on here! Count me a subscriber.

[leonsshare]

Great channel, subscribed, like a 'driving 4 answers' for the body instead of cars

I purchased a stryd footpod a few years ago but haven't used it recently, it quite accurately measures gct, I should dig it back out for my upcoming summer training

[Quepali]

Great topics and explanations. You just got å new subscriber 🙂

I wonder, is it possible to train you body to recover faster?

[malkin]

It’s cLled cadence! Nice editing and videographer

[ruffeyx]

oh i like science and numbers. instantly subs!

[p]

The way to train for shorter ground contact is 2-part: Do drills like ankling or dribbling with ankles dorsiflexed while focusing on powering down into the ground. As like as you focus on those 2 things you will land directly underneath with a quick pulse down and you will bounce. So focus on staying bouncy. And yes YOU CAN keep the cue of Power Down or Down Hard even at the higher paces. Just keep those ankles dorsiflexed but still landing midfoot to toe. Go try it. Youll see. Eventually you running will learn to pull down and back with the hamstrings. Youll feel it in your hammies quite a bit at first actually

[liamroche]

Since the average vertical force on the ground has to be _g_, the acceleration due to gravity, the only things affecting the _fraction_ of time spent on the ground is the average _force-to-mass-ratio_ (acceleration) during ground contact. With that fixed, high cadence also reduces ground contact time (because the total contact time is broken up into more smaller times).

[UrielShark]

Can you make a video about Stride length ?
How to increase it not losing cadence and ground contact time

[kjlkathandjohn]

I simply use music with cadence of 180 beats per minute, and swing my arms at this rate; my feet automatically keep time with whatever my arms are doing. Arm motion to music is not a matter of brain reaction to foot strike, but is a flowing of waves.

[kjlkathandjohn]

Jump higher with each step but keep the same cadence - flight horizontally is from momentum, and a higher jump will allow more flight time to make use of that momentum.
If you can't feel yourself leaping quickly, you won't feel the longer soaring flight time.
Jump extra high to know the sensations, then over time you will fine tune to the optimal jump height for the speed you want.

[stluciestrength]

Great video. How would you recommend jumping rope and what about plyo metric exercises? Which ones and how would you program them? Thanks.

[baydet]

The experiment with screen is not fair since my brain is aware when my feet in the air and when it will hit the ground. In the screen experiment you don’t know when you need to hit the screen

[glywnniswells]

Maybe try striking the ground with less knee bend using elasticity rather than muscle

[honza]

I have one more comment to it: If I am not able to react in such a short period of time (to lift my leg sooner) how can I push myself from the ground? - beacuase I also will not be able to react and start pushing.. I think the answer is that I have to be prepared for pushing from the ground even before I will touch the ground with my foot.

[honza]

Hi. The experiment doesn't count for the fact that I know ahead of time when my first contanct with the ground will be so I can prepare in advance for it and get the foot out of the ground quickly. But such an "artificial" "unnatural" foot movement will not result in optimal running because the stride lenght will be unnaturally shortened.
Eg. try to run on the spot with as fast cadence as you can, lifting feet only few inches off the ground - you get very litlle ground contact time but with no speed gain...

[snark]

Moreover, my legs are different. And I can't change the contact time of different legs!!

[fernandoserrano]

Lifting the foot faster makes you faster if you’re running downhill.