What does overstriding look like?

At foot strike

Pause a side-view video on the first frame of ground contact. In an overstride you see a leg stretched out like a walking stick.

• The heel touches first, well ahead of the knee.
• The toes point up.
• The knee is locked or close to it.
• The shin slopes back toward the runner.
• The ankle is a long way ahead of the hip, often a quarter of leg length or more.

Now compare a stride that lands under the body. The knee is bent. The shin is close to vertical. The foot lands only a little ahead of the hip. The difference is easy to see once you know where to look.

At midstance

A few frames later the hip passes over the foot. In an overstride the body has to catch up to the foot. The runner looks like they are sitting back for a moment. The knee bends late and hard. In a good stride the hip is already over the foot and the knee bends smoothly.

The whole stride from the side

Zoom out from single frames and overstriding has a look of its own. Steps are long and slow. The front foot swings out and drops. The head and shoulders bob because each landing stops the body for an instant. Footfalls are loud.

A runner with short quick steps looks the opposite. The feet cycle under the body. The head stays level. The sound is quiet. This is why the standard cue for overstriding is about step length, not the foot.

Short, quiet steps.

Cadence is the usual driver. Slow turnover at a given pace forces long steps, and the easy way to lengthen a step is to reach. See what is a good running cadence.

Overstriding versus a normal heel strike

They look alike at a glance and people mix them up. Both can land heel first. The difference is the position of the foot, not the part of the foot.

A heel strike under a bent knee, close to the hip, is common and often fine. A heel strike a long way out front on a straight leg is the overstride. If you are unsure which you are, read how to tell if you are overstriding. The full explanation is at what is overstriding.

How to check it with Caden

1. Tap Run a new analysis, set up a side-on shot and film 10 to 20 seconds at your easy pace.
2. Tap Breakpoints and choose Foot strike. This is the frame described above, with a skeleton overlay. The landing ankle is circled so you can see how far it sits ahead of the hip.
3. Read the Where your foot lands dial. It turns the picture into a number, landing reach as a fraction of leg length, with a short note.
4. Follow a 4 or 8 week plan on the Exercises tab, then film again. Open Before and after in Stats to see the two foot strike frames side by side.

FAQ

Does overstriding look the same on a treadmill?

Mostly, yes. Treadmills shorten steps a little, so a mild overstride can look smaller. Film outdoors as well if you can. See running form analysis on a treadmill.

Can you see overstriding from the front?

Not well. Reach is a front-to-back measure. A front or behind view shows hip and shoulder line, not landing distance. Use the side.

Does a bent knee at landing always mean no overstride?

Nearly always. It is hard to land far ahead of the hip with a well-bent knee. The straight leg is what lets the foot reach out.