Proper athletic running techniques like correct and proper running posture is crucial to prevent running injuries. Jogging and sprinting are considered as forms of athletic running. This type of running can burn up to 50 percent more calories per mile than walking, making it a very effective means of exercise. A lot of young people consider running a very refreshing form of exercise. But in athletic running, you must be aware of the proper ways to do it for your enjoyment and satisfaction and to prevent hurting yourself.
However, athletic running requires that you should move with the correct posture. Wrongly done, athletic running can cause sore knees, shin splints, pulled muscles, twisted ankles or stress fractures.
To avoid these injuries, you have to follow good athletic running techniques. These techniques also enable you to run safely and comfortably.
First, locate your center of mass. This is usually your torso. Leaning slightly forward places your body on the front side of your foot.
This action prevents you from heel’s landing, thus taking advantage of the reflexive action of your foot. Furthermore, leaning forward will be easy for your body to prevent landing badly when you stop suddenly.
For athletic running, you should also have a good posture. This means you should not slouch. By having a good upright posture, your spine will support your entire upper torso effectively while your lower limbs move.
Experienced runners run at 90 strides or 180 steps in one minute. This is the recommended speed , translated as energy expenditure while running. You should strive to reach this pace. When you go at a lower stride, it can cause energy to be released in movements other than resisting air friction.
In athletic running, people think that the legs should move like a pendulum. Your leg swings in front, utilizing muscular strength to regulate the swing and to bring it backward. Then you use muscular power again to cease the backward movement of the leg to accelerate forward. This is actually inefficient.
Therefore, in athletic running, a circular motion of the legs that is centered on your torso is more efficient. Your foot motion forms an imaginary circle, capturing the most of the kinetic energy. The way how a Kenyan runner runs is the best example of using circular motion of the legs. The high lift of his heel is achieved by the angular momentum of his feet without using a lot of muscle power.
By having a good posture, a slight forward lean and a circular movement of your legs, you are now ready for the athletic running!
