Landing on the balls of the feet is considered effective. But landing on the toes may cause injury if you're a distance runner. Although it's effective for sprinting and short bursts of speed, landing too far forward on your toes isn't recommended for longer distances. It could lead to shin splints or other injuries.
Many experts suggest that mid-foot striking is the preferable way to land when running and applies to both long and short distance runners and sprinters. By striking with the mid-foot, you can maintain your forward momentum and minimize additional stress on your joints.
When it comes to sprinting, landing on the balls of your feet is ideal for speed, efficiency and injury prevention. Leaning too far forward and pushing off with your toes will compromise your technique and won't give you enough power to drive you forward at top speed.
To run with proper form, you should focus on landing your feet as close to under your hips as possible. This will help to reduce the braking forces that your body experiences with each stride. Keep your running cadence high to achieve this, and aim to run with a midfoot strike.
“A lot of people think they need to push off the ball of their foot when they run, but the structures in the foot are not meant to do a heavy push-off,” Johnson says.
To prevent injuries to your lower body, use a midfoot strike, and avoid hitting the ground with your heel. This allows your foot to land directly under your hip as you drive your body forward. A heel strike may cause your leg to slow down your stride and stress your knees.
"Our comprehensive review suggests that telling someone to run on the ball of their foot instead of their heel may make them less efficient, at least in the short term. Additionally, there is no evidence either way on whether running on the balls of your feet reduces injury."
Try to land with your foot as close to flat as possible — too much toe in the air, with a subsequent slap from an excess heel strike is bad for your body and bad for your run. Roll your foot from heel to toe as if your sole were curved like a partial wheel.
Is a midfoot strike better for running? Yes, a midfoot strike allows your body to better absorb the impact forces while running. Heel striking results in a more abrupt ground impact as the calf and achilles are not able to absorb forces at ground contact.
The heel striking technique is exactly as it sounds: The heel hits the ground first followed by the mid-sole and toes. Most runners use a rearfoot strike because it often feels more natural compared to forefoot or midfoot running. 3 Heel striking also stretches and strengthens the calf muscles and ankles.
For faster sprint times it is important to limit the amount of time that your foot spends in contact with the ground during each stride. This is why sprinters run on the balls of their feet and sprinting spikes all have the spikes positioned on the forefoot.
Mid-foot and toe-strike running allows your body to use the force and momentum that you're creating to your advantage." This is because if you're landing in the front of your foot—or on your toes—you're on the ground for less time, which gives you the benefit of increased speed.
Distance vs speed for beginner runners
The more you run, the better your aerobic base gets. And when you build a large aerobic base, you improve your capacity to endure for longer and farther before you start to fatigue. Running faster means, you are building your stamina to be able to run at faster paces.
Regardless of what people think runners should do, the vast majority heel strike. A US study looking at runners at the five-mile stage of a marathon found that more than 93% were heel striking – although when they divided people up by ability, fewer of the faster runners landed on their heels.
Why Lift Your Heels When Running? Picking your foot up beneath your hip as your leg swings forwards engages the hamstrings during mid-swing phase of your running gait. This reduces the load placed on your hip flexors, as they pull the swinging leg through on to the next stride.
So here's one simple way to get a softer foot fall: take shorter, quicker strides when you run. To test this technique, focus on taking smaller, faster steps. This motion leaves your feet on the ground for less time. And, because of the quick pace, you'll be encouraged to lightly touch your foot.
Although, most recreational runners are rearfoot strikers, most studies have found the majority of elite distance runners are forefoot or midfoot strikers (Hasegawa et al 2007).
In addition to holding a cup in place, wearing a jockstrap or compression shorts can help keep the testicles pressed against the body. While they are not as protective as a cup, they are better than no support for use in contact sports.
Toenails turn black and blue from friction and wear -- from rubbing against the sock or from hitting the toe or even the top of the sneaker. Blood can accumulate underneath the nail and lift the nail off the nail bed, making the nail prone to falling off.
What Is Runner's Toe? Runner's toe happens when your toenail turns black from the stress of running. When your toe repeatedly rubs on or slams into your shoe, it can cause stress to your nail. This leads to bleeding under your nail, which starts to look black.
Why do some runners 'hit the wall'? Usually, hitting the wall refers to the point where your body is depleted of all its stored glycogen. With that come feelings of exhaustion both physical and mental: you can barely move and your brain either turns to very negative thoughts or hardly seems to work at all.