Is heel striking bad?

Why heel striking gets the blame

Most runners heel strike at easy pace. Most runners who overstride also heel strike. So the heel gets blamed for a problem that belongs to the reach.

Look at the two things separately. A heel strike is which part of the foot touches first. Overstriding is where the foot lands compared with the hip. You can heel strike with the foot close under a bent knee. That stride is quiet and common. You can also heel strike with the leg stretched out front. That is the one that hurts.

When a heel strike is a problem

Pause a side-view video at foot strike and check the leg, not the foot.

• Ankle well ahead of the hip, a quarter of leg length or more.
• Knee straight or nearly straight.
• Shin sloping back toward you, toes up high.

That pattern sends each landing up a locked leg instead of through a bent one. It is often linked with knee and shin complaints, though a video shows the stride and not the cause. If that is you, the fix is shorter, quicker steps. See how to fix heel striking without changing shoes.

Is heel striking bad for your knees?

Nobody can say from a video. What a video can show is whether your knee is straight at contact and how far out the foot lands. Those two things are what coaches and clinicians ask about. A soft knee under the body copes with landing well, heel or not. If knee pain is your reason for asking, see can running form cause knee pain.

Should you change to a midfoot strike?

Only if the heel strike comes with reach, and even then the goal is the reach. Fix cadence and step length and the landing usually moves toward the midfoot on its own. Forcing a forefoot landing while still reaching just moves the load to the calf and Achilles. Compare the options at midfoot vs heel strike.

Land under you, not out front.

How to check it with Caden

1. Tap Run a new analysis and set up a side-on shot. Film 10 to 20 seconds at easy pace.
2. Open Breakpoints and tap Foot strike. Look at the circled ankle, the hip and the knee angle on the overlay. Heel first with the ankle under a bent knee is fine.
3. Read the Where your foot lands dial. It scores reach, not heel versus toe. A good foot landing score with a heel strike means there is nothing to fix.
4. If the score is low, the Exercises tab builds a 4 or 8 week plan that starts with cadence and quick-feet drills.

FAQ

Do elite runners heel strike?

Many do, especially at marathon pace. What they share is a foot landing close under the hip with a bent knee, not a particular part of the foot.

Is heel striking slower?

Reaching is slower, because every step brakes before it pushes. A heel strike under the body does not brake much. Fix the reach and speed usually looks after itself.

Can shoes fix a heel strike?

Shoes change how the heel feels on landing. They do not change where the foot lands. See running shoes for heel strikers.