If you want to become a better runner begin by running better, the truth is by the time most of us enter our thirties our bodies gotten how to run efficiently either through atrophy a repetition of the same workout over and over and over we stopped recruiting the full range muscle fibers necessary for our best running form. Technique drills we acting muscle fibers correct muscle imbalances give us back our youthful stride and help protect us from injuries. technique drills always begins the proper warm-up, this includes at least 15 minutes an easy job in and 45 strides we don’t do any static stretching is that decrease our power even lead to injury. For the drills themselves it’s best to use racing flats for lightweight trainers, we won all white shoe that will flex with her fack.
Will start with a trio of skipping drills Christian is demonstrating our first real Schoolyard Skipping, which is just what it sounds like simple skipping staying nice and loose with the form swing and technique drills we often exaggerate running movement as we have training their bodies to the full range of motion. Also remember that we move our arm in sync with our upset leg, when we haven’t skipped for a while there’s a tendency to work the arm in leg on the same side.
Don’t do that, after forty to sixty yards to the drill we jogged back to the start line then once there we started stride not a sprint for the same forty to sixty yards, this is one of the ways we hardware our new muscle fiber recruitment into are running form after finishing their stride we walk back to the start line and don’t hurry there is zero benefit to be gained from rushing recovery between drills.
Sissy is taking are skipping one better with her second real hi skipping, this time instead of just getting forward says he’s driving vertically offer toes quick for some height while simultaneously reaching high was our upset at arm. As if he was trying to touch an overhead tree branch wheel and undertake of foot coming back down to heal before rolling forward switching feet and repeating the action, don’t rush this drill the outs is correct execution not moving forward quickly.
Once again jog back to the start then follow with another stride, first we did skipping then hi skipping and they’ll step into the mix myself to demonstrate long skipping this is not for the beginner you want to have a few sessions on your belt before tempting long skipping. This time the emphasis isn’t on height it some distance we spring twice of the same foot then switch to the opposite foot, for the tricky part is role as the arm pump one amid skip this helps to realign our bodies for a proper landing. Our next York Mills is aimed at improving arm will begin with flat-footed marching for this drill we march flat-footed so don’t come down on your toes their heels, focus on working the quadriceps and hip flexor also keep a nice upright posture imagine that your puppet on a string was one string pulling your head straight up while two others work your knees our motion tends to be a little more limited for this drill.
Sissies performing our fourth role high knees this time we standard hose using a piston like motion to rapidly with their knees and then driver toes back toward the turf, our motion mimics are like motion and it’s okay to lean back a little if that helps with your knee left one caution don’t be too overzealous with this drill you don’t wanna lick your knees so high in heart that you talk in your lower back. Next up is bounding, in Belding were springing from one foot to the other were hopping with style drive of your foot aim for the sky and take off like Superman or Michael Jordan On his way to a slam-dunk. When you land on your opposite foot your let your knee bent to absorb the impact then instantly spring forward again.
Okay next up are for miscellaneous drills now dole rolling your eyes, I know these are lot of drills but we don’t have to do all of them every single time out. For foot shuffles we want to stay in the balls of our feet then shuffle forward as quickly as we can was came up with her but move only inches at a time focus on keeping your upper body lose and try to keep me love to a minimum, this drill challenges your nervous system and it works too prone your muscles on the outside your lower leg that last little Kicks you get off your toes with each stride twenty to thirty yards enough as always finish with a jog in stride.
This next thrillers Burt Kicks and a pretty much what the name implies, the obs its stay on your toes then just snap your foot up to kick your butt, don’t work this drill too hard and don’t worry you can’t quite reacher butt lots of us masters athletes can’t keep your head up keep good posture and focus on the drill not forward motion. Cariocas one of those drills it’s not for everyone well it’s great for working full range of motion for the hips it’s also too much it move it for some older runners, Carioca involves moving laterally will swing your hips and swinging your arms across your body. Ultimately move one leg behind your body to bring it across the front looking the high in the front swivel the 20 yards focusing on one leg than twist 180 degrees at work the upset for another 20 yards.
For the final drill for the session we’re gonna do skip kicks, skip kicks are not for Masters runners with tight hamstrings if your hamster right for you have lower back issues don’t do this drill. I like to call this the rock its drill, skip and kick ,and skip and kick, and skip and kick, and skippin and kick. We lift our knee and extender leg in the Skip then switch legs and the again. When you finish your drill you are finished with your workout, ready let’s do it, you want to tack on an easy 20 to 50 minute run.
Like the strides this will help the hardwire neuromuscular games it here running stride and you want to do your drills, once a week or at least a couple times a month during your base training phase when we were young wheat bran chump climbed up trees skipped in summer school weekly tag capture the flag and hopscotch we work all your muscles and we became official runners out even thinking about.