I’m sure most of you know what I mean by running bouncy. Basically, staying high on the balls of your feet, and really bouncing up and down high, sort of like you’re bounding.
I was watching powell’s 9.75 run and got reminded of running like this. Does it increase your stride length? and when I run like this when im just doing warm up strides, it “feels” sort of faster.
thoughts?
not sure i would call it bouncy, but good hip height off the track definitely helps speed
correct and what happens is the opposite of bouncy. Slower runners have more vertical movement up and down than elite level ones. When the hips are high and running at top speed the hamstrings and quads are not in conflict and are working as one due to the force coming from the hip like a pendulum. This can only be achieved with adequate hip height and is called Lombard’s paradox.
Also worth remembering CF described it as trying to make a wheel go fast, you actually achieve it best by skimming it with minimal contact as opposed to conscious push / pull, same with sprinting.
Nice analogy. I’ll have to try that with a new athlete of mine who runs with low hips and heavy feet. She’s been doing it for years and I’ve been having trouble breaking the habit. She’s been getting better during practice, but reverts back to her ‘normal’ stride pattern in races.
another of the mind cues to try, especially when doing drills is ‘hot coals’ as in you don’t want to burn your feet :p, see how that goes.
I’ve tried that one with little success. Tx though. I will also try ‘silent running’, and maybe some combination of the three.
From what I witness of the elite runners, the foot/ankle does not collapse at all, particularly in Ben.
the “bouncy” feeling you are discussing isa great feeling to have but i wouldn’t force it. with proper forces through the ground this will happen natural as its a rebound effect of the forces in which you are placing.
is “bouncy” almost the opposite of rapid turnover? When I felt my fastest, it felt as though my legs were turning over very quickly. It would feel as though I had another gear in top speed.
I get the bouncy feel when my stride length increases, yet I don’t feel as fast. I can’t compare actual times, although I would guess they are similar or a slight advantage toward the non bouncy.
All the fastest guys bounce.
Bounce baybe.
You’re really asking the wrong question.
It can be many things, but in the instance you refer to it’s a side effect of reaching correct max speed, not the other way round.
It depends on the model you use, if it is speed dynamics then using the calf through the range is a no no.
Is the calf the strongest muscle in the body, if so why not use it.
Totally agreed. Though I have also experianced the bouncing/bounding at below top speeds. What Carl lewis looks like in slow motion replay on the long jump run-way. It sorta looks how I ‘feel’ in warm up strides.
I’m not trying to lift the knee that high or have such hip hieght. The ‘bounce’ of the rear foot feels great. But as you say, it is the result of other things.