[captinpain]

captinpain on November 5, 2006 at 8:53 pm #12350

Yes, I'm a toe runner and I'm sure there are many on this board. My coach has been stressing running more flat footed and I've definately gotten a lot better than where I was a year ago.

Anyways I was just wondering what are the benefits of running dorsiflexed apposed to on your toes. I can assume that the achilles would be more efficient and effective with a dorsiflexed foot, but when I wacth Tyson Gay he doesn't seem to have very good dorsiflexion when he runs, either he doesn't or I'm just watching a bad video.

So basically, how beneficial is dorsiflexion while sprinting?

[Mike Young]

Mike Young on November 5, 2006 at 11:29 pm #58448

You don't want to run on your toes and you don't want to run flat footed or heel-to-toe. Ideally, you want to be running on the ball of your foot. This may appear that you are running flat footed but you should actually make initial contact on the ball of your foot. This will elicit the greatest elastic response of the muscles in the foot and gastroc-soleus complex. There are two other benefits of a neutral or slightly dorsiflexed foot when sprinting. On the downsweep of the swing phase the foot begins to come back under the body. When the foot is in a neutral or slightly dorsiflexed position it gives the foot a split second more to get under the body. This could be as much as 2-3cm. Doesn't seem like much but it makes a big difference. The second benefit is related to the previous one. A neutral or slightly dorsiflexed foot places the fascial linkages of the posterior anatomy train on stretch. This increases negative foot speed (the rate which the leg comes back under the body). This helps to reduce braking forces at ground contact because of a closer contact position to the athlete's center of mass and the greater negative foot speed makes for a less disruptive fround contact.

ELITETRACK Founder

[flow]

flow on November 6, 2006 at 1:36 am #58449

so just before groundcontact it is not advisable to plantarflex?
that would go hand in hand with a few things i read.  ok ill sum up what i understood now:
elite sprinters will run with neutral or dorsiflexed  feet until groundcontact,
they will not have there knee fully extended/  the leg will not be fully stretched
plantarflexion will occur during or after ground-contact,  and not before.

attached is a nice powell study

[Mike Young]

Mike Young on November 6, 2006 at 5:26 am #58450

EVERY runner plantarflexes prior to ground contact. Not however that I am referring to the ACTION of plantarflexion and not necessarily a position of plantarflexion. As a result, the athlete is ideally in a slightly dorsiflexed position prior to ground contact and plantarflexes slightly in preparation to ground contact such that their foot is neutral or VERY slightly plantar flexed at ground contact. If the foot did not plantarflex slightly and remained in a dorsiflexed position it would be impossible to do anything but heel-to-toe running.

ELITETRACK Founder

[flow]

flow on November 6, 2006 at 5:34 am #58451

thx.  i had one of too many retarded moments there -.- 
the "command" to plantarflex and partly its results accure before (as preperation for) groundcontact. 
got it : )

[captinpain]

captinpain on November 6, 2006 at 6:51 am #58452

K, thanks for that Mike, makes more sense now