Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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There is a popular belief that if the foot does not land directly under the hips, they are overstriding.

But that is not necessarily true.

It is important to understand the difference between when the foot lands and when peak loading occurs.

Take a look a Usain Bolt running in the video above.

His foot lands slightly in front of the body.

This gives time to load up and maximize energy storage in the leg prior to the mid stance phase.

Landing too close may not allow enough time to maximize that energy storage.

Then, he is seen in this particular moment of the running cycle known as midstance phase.

Note that this is where peak forces occur.

At this moment, he is pretty much aligned under the center of mass.

This is now the optimal time to utilize that stored energy to move him forward.

...However, this timing is crucial.

This is also why landing too far from the body may not be optimal.

If you land too far from the body, peak loading may occur more in front of the center of mass.

This may put unnecessary strain on the body as that energy is transfered into propulsion forward.