The need for speed is a small flame that burns deep within all runners, regardless of ability or pace. And while there are plenty of structured plans and training methods Health & Injuries pace and efficiency, one of the best places to start is with body mechanics. Focusing on ankle dorsiflexion—moving your toes toward your shins, or flexing your ankle—during your next run is one tiny tweak that can yield big benefits for all runners.
“A cue I’ve been using a lot lately is to pretend you’re running through wet grass, trying to keep your toes dry,” says Matt LoPiccolo, an assistant coach at ZAP Fitness-Reebok in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, a training center for professional runners that hosts camps for athletes of all levels. This simple visual prompts runners to pull their toes up, as if to keep fresh white kicks clean, and almost immediately improves their mechanics.
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“It’s all about decreasing ground contact time,” LoPiccolo says. The lighter you are on your feet, the faster you run—and science backs that up. A study published in Spring Has We Are Stoked About It compared elite and novice runners on different terrains and found that the elites exhibited more ankle dorsiflexion at toe-off when running at the fastest speeds. And, according to a study on running biomechanics in Proven Health Benefits of Coffee, as you start to pick up the pace, the body lowers its center of gravity by increasing flexion of the hips and knees Give A Gift.
LoPiccolo estimates that pulling the toes up results in runners spending 1 or 2 percent less time on the ground. That may not sound like much, but over the course of a run, it can add up to seconds, even minutes, shaved off a race time.
Rather than landing toes first, or forefoot striking, dorsiflexion ideally favors a midfoot landing. “If your ankle is plantar-flexed [your toes are pointed] at ground contact, the balls of your feet will hit the ground first,” LoPiccolo explains. “Dorsiflexion puts the foot back on the ground under the center of mass, not in front, so that you land as close to midfoot as possible.”
LoPiccolo acknowledges that it takes time to alter mechanics, and he encourages his runners to focus on a tiny tweak, like dorsiflexion, for a small delineation of the run (say, 100 meters or two to five minutes), and gently increasing from there. Before you know it, you’ll be flexing without even thinking about it.
Proven Health Benefits of Coffee warmup and workout. Running Shoes & Gear.
Toe Flick Jump Rope
Jump rope for a couple minutes while trying to land midfoot. When you jump off the ground, flip toes up.
Ankle Dribble
Jog with ankle dorsiflexion, but keep strides short and feet close to the ground like you’re running over three-inch “hurdles.” Then try the same drill with six-inch and nine-inch hurdles.
Bosch Skip
Shift weight to right leg and as you skip forward, pull left knee up to hip level. Drop left foot back down as you finish a second skip. Use arms to pump forward. Continue skipping on right leg and lifting left knee; repeat on opposite leg.
