Uploaded February 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Landing in front of the body does not mean you are overstriding.
You will see this from ALL runners, including world class sprinters and marathon runners.
...with the special exception of accelerating.
Yet, there are certain coaches that will look at a runner's footage and say that the foot has to land under the hips.
If the runner is not... he/she is overstriding 🤦‍♂️
People get so focused on where the foot initially makes contact, but there is not even much force going through the foot anyway.
I will show you a great visual demonstration from TCU’s locomotor lab to highlight what I am talking about.
When Usain Bolt’s foot makes contact, you can see that the foot still lands in front the body.
However, there is really not much force being applied into the ground.
After foot contact, we move through the loading phase.
You can see that as the foot moves under the hips, the forces increase and peak right around where the foot is basically under the body.
Now, let me clarify something here...
“Trying to land under your center of mass” can be a useful cue for certain runners to help them land closer to the body and find a more efficient stride.
However, people need to DIFFERENTIATE between a cue and a movement pattern.
EXPECTING runners to actually land under the center of mass is an ISSUE because unless you are accelerating, it is simply NOT possible.
So don’t set UNREALISTIC expectations.
-
If you are interested in more short form content, check out my instagram (@jpgloria.dpt): instagram.com/jpgloria.dpt
-
Also, I am finally opening up more slots for my run coach services. If you are interested, check out my website: jpgloria.com
Landing in front of the body does not mean you are overstriding.
You will see this from ALL runners, including world class sprinters and marathon runners.
...with the special exception of accelerating.
Yet, there are certain coaches that will look at a runner's footage and say that the foot has to land under the hips.
If the runner is not... he/she is overstriding 🤦‍♂️
People get so focused on where the foot initially makes contact, but there is not even much force going through the foot anyway.
I will show you a great visual demonstration from TCU’s locomotor lab to highlight what I am talking about.
When Usain Bolt’s foot makes contact, you can see that the foot still lands in front the body.
However, there is really not much force being applied into the ground.
After foot contact, we move through the loading phase.
You can see that as the foot moves under the hips, the forces increase and peak right around where the foot is basically under the body.
Now, let me clarify something here...
“Trying to land under your center of mass” can be a useful cue for certain runners to help them land closer to the body and find a more efficient stride.
However, people need to DIFFERENTIATE between a cue and a movement pattern.
EXPECTING runners to actually land under the center of mass is an ISSUE because unless you are accelerating, it is simply NOT possible.
So don’t set UNREALISTIC expectations.
-
If you are interested in more short form content, check out my instagram (@jpgloria.dpt): instagram.com/jpgloria.dpt
-
Also, I am finally opening up more slots for my run coach services. If you are interested, check out my website: jpgloria.com
