Comments on: Midfoot strike, Forefoot strike or Heel strike…which one is best? http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/ ChiRunning Blog By Danny Dreyer Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:10:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: barefootrunner http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-173 barefootrunner Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:10:47 +0000 http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-173 Danny, great post. Linked to it in support of a blog post I wrote today on www.barefootrunner.com. Cheers! Danny, great post. Linked to it in support of a blog post I wrote today on http://www.barefootrunner.com. Cheers!

]]> By: Sat http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-153 Sat Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:36:07 +0000 http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-153 Thanks for this informative post. I was always a heel striker but after I started having pain I did some research and changed my running form. However, it seems that I somehow ended up as a forefoot striker now. I think I'll try the midfoot thing and see if it does me any good. Thanks for this informative post. I was always a heel striker but after I started having pain I did some research and changed my running form. However, it seems that I somehow ended up as a forefoot striker now. I think I’ll try the midfoot thing and see if it does me any good.

]]> By: Mitchell Phillips http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-147 Mitchell Phillips Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:31:53 +0000 http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-147 Danny... great information, keep up the good work and enjoy your running. Mitchell Phillips, Strideuk.com, England Danny… great information, keep up the good work and enjoy your running.
Mitchell Phillips, Strideuk.com, England

]]> By: Hal Nelson http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-134 Hal Nelson Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:06:50 +0000 http://www.chirunning.com/blog/2008/07/25/midfoot-strike-forefoot-strike-or-heel-strike%e2%80%a6which-one-is-best/#comment-134 The Dreyer's ChiRunning method has got me completely off of my heels with dramatic positive benefits! Absolutely no ankle problems anymore from a nasty military parachuting injury. I'm still working out hip issues from a even nastier Mt. Bike injury. Danny's method has actually been healing injuries; mindfulness overcoming youthful madness, eh? Now my shoe-wear shows some of the 'Toe-Off' described above. I have been watching and filming my running since the new shoe-wear pattern appeared 18 months ago. It appears to be due mostly to moments of acceleration. When I accelerate while maintaining the mid-foot strike it is more gentle but not as fast or not yet as fast as a toe-off sprint forward. I have noticed a safety issue in running with a mid-foot strike: sudden changes in direction while running are much faster when I have great posture and a mid-foot strike. For example, I was running at a local school's gravel track which borders where school buses offload. A teenage kid did a running jump off of the bus and directly into my path while I was intensely focusing on posture, mid-foot strike, and quickly accelerating. I was able to unconsciously spin on my mid-foot around the airborne teenager. I have since tried the spin with both toe and heel strike and only the mid-foot allows the spontaneous spin necessary to avoid collision while running. I am a long time student of Tai Chi Chuan, and this result is similar but not exactly the same as my training. In Tai Chi we spin our turns that are under 180degrees on the heel and over 180 on the forward foot ('eternal spring'). But it occurred to me that this result is different due to the fact that I am running. So I tried the spins while practicing the ChiWalking method and the best spins while walking match the method used in Tai Chi. The ChiWalking studies have also greatly improved our frequent epic hikes. Being mindful of maintaining a slightly rear of mid-foot strike also helps agility while hiking. I have been keeping my runs between 7 & 10k while sorting out my hip injury. I'd like to run farther, but persistent and mild stiffness occurs with the longer faster flying of feet. I am considering Rolfing for the hip injury scar tissue. But I have first set aside even more time for a Yoga revival in my already busy life. Whoosh me luck! Danny, thank you so much for saving my love of running. Hal, Albuquerque The Dreyer’s ChiRunning method has got me completely off of my heels with dramatic positive benefits! Absolutely no ankle problems anymore from a nasty military parachuting injury. I’m still working out hip issues from a even nastier Mt. Bike injury. Danny’s method has actually been healing injuries; mindfulness overcoming youthful madness, eh?

Now my shoe-wear shows some of the ‘Toe-Off’ described above. I have been watching and filming my running since the new shoe-wear pattern appeared 18 months ago. It appears to be due mostly to moments of acceleration. When I accelerate while maintaining the mid-foot strike it is more gentle but not as fast or not yet as fast as a toe-off sprint forward.

I have noticed a safety issue in running with a mid-foot strike: sudden changes in direction while running are much faster when I have great posture and a mid-foot strike. For example, I was running at a local school’s gravel track which borders where school buses offload. A teenage kid did a running jump off of the bus and directly into my path while I was intensely focusing on posture, mid-foot strike, and quickly accelerating. I was able to unconsciously spin on my mid-foot around the airborne teenager. I have since tried the spin with both toe and heel strike and only the mid-foot allows the spontaneous spin necessary to avoid collision while running. I am a long time student of Tai Chi Chuan, and this result is similar but not exactly the same as my training. In Tai Chi we spin our turns that are under 180degrees on the heel and over 180 on the forward foot (’eternal spring’). But it occurred to me that this result is different due to the fact that I am running. So I tried the spins while practicing the ChiWalking method and the best spins while walking match the method used in Tai Chi.

The ChiWalking studies have also greatly improved our frequent epic hikes. Being mindful of maintaining a slightly rear of mid-foot strike also helps agility while hiking.

I have been keeping my runs between 7 & 10k while sorting out my hip injury. I’d like to run farther, but persistent and mild stiffness occurs with the longer faster flying of feet. I am considering Rolfing for the hip injury scar tissue. But I have first set aside even more time for a Yoga revival in my already busy life. Whoosh me luck!

Danny, thank you so much for saving my love of running.
Hal,
Albuquerque

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