One foot in front of the other.
This isn’t going to be some long, drawn-out diatribe about what kind of “strike” is best. I just wanted to take a quick second to make an observation.
The buzzword when debating this topic is “footstrike” (see also: foot strike, foot-strike, Fuß strike and mul strejk). At the same time, those doing the debating, or rather stating (of which I too am guilty) speak mainly of the way our feet land on the ground while wearing shoes. That being the case (most of the time) I think that the term “footstrike” is a misnomer.
You see, when wearing just about any shoe (before anyone goes commenting on this, please not that I said JUST ABOUT ANY, which means, not all), the heel is higher that the metatarsal area (of the shoe not the foot). So, essentially, we are running on a wedge. Now, there are varying degrees of “drop” in shoes and there are racing flats which are not flat at all. In all of these shoes, when we try to take pictures and videos and such and analyze the footstrike of the runner, we are limited by several things. One, they are wearing shoes and we cannot see the bottom of their actual foot. Two, the amount of movement that takes place in someone’s footfall in the last couple of millimeters is huge and it is all but impossible to tell how someone’s SHOE will actually land when it is still an inch or so off of the ground. Three, even in high speed video, which Pete from Runblogger.com has done a great job of compiling, you’re largely still looking at feet IN SHOES, and thus we cannot see what the FOOT is doing (though Pete does have some fantastic barefoot videos in slow-mo).
So I propose this, in this eternal debate, full of hard-headed type-A’s (sometimes including yours truly), we try to agree upon something. When the “strike” you happen to be debating is in shoes, call it “shoestrike” (see also: shoe strike, shoe-strike, Schuh-Streik and sko strejk). When speaking of something where you can actually see the FOOT, NOT THE SHOE (yes, this likely means barefoot, which is an entirely different topic), then and only then, should we call it “footstrike”.
Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am the social media manager and a customer service rep for Newton Running. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brandon Wood and Coachprs, Coachprs. Coachprs said: RT @IronBrandon: On footstrike http://su.pr/8DITHM [...]
Well, my Funny friend Brandon(FFB as opposed to BFF), that would get you an A+ in Philosophy…of physiology of running…if there was ever such a class! LOL! Looking forward to hear you tonight! Still have to download and listen to last Wed. show…
Brandon, Let me start by saying that I totally agree with everything that you are saying. I am not extremely knowledgeable about running mechanics, but from a totally logical standpoint, you seem to be 100% correct.
That said, this is just semantics. In the winter when it is cold out and I have gloves on my hands, do I say that I start the car with my glove since my hands don’t actually touch the keys?? Of course not. Shoe fall, Foot fall, same thing.
I think you know that though and were trying to make the point that with shoes on, we truly do not know what the foot is doing. I would also include that the shoes will affect the apparent foot/shoe strike as well. The more built up the heel is, the harder it is to tell if you are running forefoot or midfoot.
On the point made though, Bravo. Excellent point. One question. How do we determine what kind if foot strike we truly do have with these shoes on??
Oh yeah. I remember. Take them off and run barefoot. (I think I remember hearing that somewhere before.)
You are exactly right! I just hear/see/read people referring to pictures and video of runners all the time where the subjects are wearing shoes. In the same paragraph there is usually something saying something like, “and notice how they’re heel striking”. This is where I have the problem. There is almost never any kind of acknowledgment of the shoes in the pictures/video, nor is there any acknowledgment of the incredible amount of movement that takes place in the last inch or so before the SHOE hits the ground. In fact, in elite runners, even MORE movement takes place in that last inch due to the fact that the runner’s body is moving it’s center of gravity forward at such a fast pace.
At the end of the day, yes, it is just semantics. If people would acknowledge the things I mentioned then I wouldn’t even have thought to bring it up myself!