I shot this video of my daughter Ida’s running form yesterday. It was an impromptu video so I apologize for the shaky cam but I didn’t have a tripod. That’s my son Reggie that she smacks on the butt halfway around the track.
No one can teach a six year old to run, or more to the point who would want to? When most little kids run they naturally run well. I have pictures of professional runners that I use with clients and the running form that these pros exhibit has nothing on my daughter Ida. They are almost mirror images.
Not all professional runners run this way. There are many different variations in technique that I have talked about before but what we see in the video is pure running form the way nature intended it.
The things to look at on the video, beyond the joy that her running form brings to her whole being, are
- The natural back kick of her legs
- She is always leaning forward, and
- Notice that her feet fall directly under her hips with every step.
When I started running, and I have never been anything more than a recreational runner, I was a heel striker that developed shin splints and knee pain and had to stop. Then when I wanted to start running again and began to look into running form and different techniques, it was what you see in the above video that I am trying to emulate.
I haven’t had a single running injury since then and when I think about how much my daughter and son run around the playground and park without ever complaining about pain or injury it begins to make sense that we are born to run and need not break down while we are doing it.