Perfect Your Form

To get from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible, remember these simple cues.

- Jonathan Beverly

WHENEVER I’M SPECTATING AT A RACE, I always find myself marvelling at the leaders’ gaits. Their feet barely touch the ground – and their strides are so long! Seeing that beauty in motion may make you want to try emulating them on your next run.

But you shouldn’t. Willing yourself to run differently to what comes naturally – like actively trying to land on your forefoot or mid foot, decreasing your ground contact time, or changing your stride length – can lead to injury and make you less efficient.

Instead, it’s important to make the way you run work for you. How? Start by following proper form cues, which are universally accepted among coaches, scientists, and sports-medicine professionals. Their simplicity is what makes them winners: they’re straightforward enough that you can perform them correctly; and when implemented, they can create changes that enhance your form without altering it.

Of course, there’s a catch. Like many South Africans, you probably sit at a desk all day, slumped over a computer screen – and that does nothing good for your hip and shoulder mobility, or your posture.