BAREFOOT TECHNIQUESSome sharings from the mini clinic on barefoot/minimalist running conducted by Ng Seow Kong today in KL after a LSD for your reference (downloaded from my memory). Good info for shod runners as well. Please feel free to share with your friends. 🙂
1. We tend to run more lightly when we are barefoot. This was demo by asking shod runners to stamp as hard as they can on the groun…d and then repeat with their shoes off. Observation: We tend to stamp more lightly/softly on the ground when we are barefoot.
2. Running is a series of continuous jumping. When we run barefoot, we will run lightly and less impact. This was demo by asking all to jump high and land. Observations: when jump and land, our knees are bend and we land on our forefoot. If we repeat this motion with legs alternating with for…ward motion, this jumping actions effectively became running.
3. If we land on soft surfaces e.g. pillow, sands, our feet and body will try to adjust/balance by pressing harder on the soft surface. If we liken the soft surface as SHOES, then it is not hard to understand that we land harder when are wearing shoes. But if we land on hard surface, our feet will land softer. It is advisable to run barefoot on hard surface, and not soft surface like grass or sand.
4. Our body is design to absorb impact naturally like a spring. Parts of our body that do this are: knees, ankles, arches of feet, hips muscles etc.
5. We need to do drills (exercises) to strengthen our leg muscles when we transition to barefoot running. Some suggestions of drills:
-stand on toes and hold
-spread your toes wide
-move your toes by lifting toes pointing up and down
-rope-skipping
-walk with feet slightly bend inwards (the few small toes should not touch the ground)
-walk with feet slightly bend outwards (big toes off the ground)
6. Running forms are very Important. Attributes of good forms:
-body relax but upright, only slightly lean forward when we want to pick up speed
-head upright and eyes look straight in front, not look down to feet
-shoulders relax but steady
-core/trunk of body steady, not swinging side to side
-arms near body, elbow about 90 degrees, minimum swing
-keep the stride short, this will avoid overstride and heelstrike
-lift legs, avoid too much friction with ground after landing
-increase cadence to compensate for short strides
-always relax the whole body when running
(COURTESY OF CP TAN)
gusghani 