You should NOT land directly under your body when running

Among runners, it is often said that you should land just below your body. But that's really not the case. This is partly because many people disagree about what is meant by "landing" and that the optimum point to put your foot down depends, among other things, on how fast you are running.
Here I try to explain how it works.

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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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[keithbowden]

After years of trolling the internet about running form etc, etc, etc... you've brought me back full circle and made me realise that I need to just run as is! Thank you and your content is refreshing and SENSIBLE!!!

[KaiZ-lu]

You have answered an important question for many runners. When I watch slow motion videos of elite runners, many of them seem to land in front of their centers of mass--sometimes by a couple inches or more. That was very puzzling. What you have said makes lots of sense!

[Kelly_Ben]

THANK YOU!! I used to love running when I was younger, and was quite fast. During Covid, I took a deep dive into YouTube running channels and changed my form slightly, head to toe. I also slowed down. A lot. I figured it was age. All the analyzing, and the inexplicably much slower pace, (we're talking 1-3 minutes a mile slower) sucked the fun out of running. I can't wait to go for a run today, and just run like the relaxed carefree kid i was!

[chilloutvibesforyou]

Finally, some sensible and factual data explaining what I have been wondering and thinking about all the time over my last 55+ years of running.

[Raucherbeinknacker]

Ignition timing is also set before top dead and max force will develop shortly after.☝
And there's also control by rpm to slightly change the timing

[MultiShiv]

This content is Gold! Thank you for making this video! :)

[jonb]

Thanks for clarifying how complex the landing is during the running cycle. I've gotten the best results feeling a neutral contact while running, neither stubbing or clawing into the ground. A lot less blisters that way also! Haha.

[steveflor]

Another piece of puzzle filled in.
Very enlightening. Thanks
Subscribed

[joserobertodecarliscarlis]

Gostei muito das sua dicas, parabéns, gostaria de ver vídeos seu sobre fortalecimento para corredores.obrigado.

[thibod]

🤣🤣🤣! Sometime knowing a little is worst then not knowing anything at all!

I like the fact that your foot should be under your center of mass when the maximum weight is on it! But wait a second! I would not be surprised if this is also depending on the speed at which you are running or maybe not. a slow runner will simply push up more than a fast runner which push more forward as he can travel more than a slow runner while his foot is on the ground. Do I have it right?

So there seem to be something in common to all runner no matter how fast you run which is where your foot is when the maximum weight is on it.

I try to keep my feet of the ground as much as I can that way I keep out of trouble! Is that the right approach? The stride should always be extremely dynamic no matter the speed you are running at? The stride length will vary when you run fast which mean that the muscles at the hip level work harder faster you run.

Great video! 👍👍👍

[talonmort]

good info in the vid, here are my two cents on the "landing" thing.

I think you paused the clips a bit too early. I would count "landing" as "when your foot and leg are expected to support the weight and force of your next stride"
if you pause ALL of the clips at that point you will see the foot they launched from doing it's thing, and the same thing on the "landing" foot every time. If you ignore the foot the runner launched from, all of their posture looks like a casual step forward from a standing position. Like I said you have to ignore one leg, but it looks the same to me every time I pause it when their foot makes full contact and they "could launch"

[Andrw]

Ah! This kind of explains why I feel that I land farther forward in higher stack shoes!

[anniwilson]

How does footwear affect this - cushioned shoes vs minimal?

[Leonidas-eubb]

i never heared that. honestly.
But isn't the backswing velocity and the recovery limb moment also a big factor. At least for me it is.
Fun fact cheetahs are landing way in front of their COM! This supports your argument.

[greece_crypto]

To accelerate We must push back ! and this will not make us fall as you say! (perhaps I have not understood correctly the meaning that you personally want to convey), As a 24-year distance runner at a high level, everything changes according to the mechanics of each athlete,
I try to improve each individual things! What can be seen simply through the cameras does not necessarily mean that it is correct in practice!

We must bring our first contact with the ground with our foot as close as possible to our hip from below in order to reduce as much as possible to "carry" our body backwards, (maybe again I have not understood correctly everything that is mentioned)

Also Kenyans as you show in your videos landing way out of body mass does not mean it is correct ! most of them even have a bad running technique!

[agnman]

Du e så klurig😊. Det borde betyda att de vanliga filmverktygen inte är nåt vidare användningsbara.

[loso]

Its weird watching footage and people trying to say the foot lands directly under you and they clearly are not. They will draw lines on the stills that are not correctly positioned to convince you

[knutbk]

This makes intuitive sense, as do the graphs. Curious if you have a graph illustrating the relationship between optimal forward foot landing in front of the center of mass at varying paces for runners of varying heights?

[Nonixification]

Very good video, its amazing this has to be thought to people I always felt this is a natural thing. But hey I know people who cant even throw a tennis ball.
Also the biggest misconception is that "forefoot" strike is optimal. Jeh maybe for short distance but anything else its most of the time is a bad technique.

[HogbergPhotography]

I see alot of runners "jump" in every step.. I will never be able to run like that -my knees would break in just a few years. My way is a softer approach, because I want to be able to run even when I am 75.