Proper running form, explained from a side-view video

Proper running form means your foot lands close under your hip with a slightly bent knee, your torso is tall with a small lean from the ankles, your elbows are bent near 90 degrees and swing back, and your head sits over your shoulders. That is it. There is no single correct style, but there is a range that most efficient runners fall inside, and it is easy to see on a side-view video.

This page walks through the stride at three moments: foot strike, midstance and toe-off. These are the freeze frames a coach looks at.

Why the side view

A front or behind view shows hip drop and side-to-side movement, which Caden's side-view analysis does not measure. The side view shows almost everything else: where the foot lands, knee bend, lean, arm angle and head position. If you only film one angle, film this one. Phone at hip height, 6 to 8 metres away, easy pace. See how to film yourself running.

Foot strike: the moment of contact

Freeze the clip at the first frame where the front foot touches the ground.

Foot near the hip. Draw a line straight down from the hip. The ankle should land close to it. A rough guide from a phone clip is a landing reach under about 0.25 times your leg length. Further out than that, with a straight knee, is overstriding. See how to stop overstriding.

Knee slightly bent. Not locked. The knee should already have some bend at contact so the leg can absorb load like a spring.

Shin close to upright. In a good landing the shin stands over the foot. In an overstride it leans back toward you, heel first, like a brake.

Which part of the foot lands first matters less than you think. Heel, midfoot or forefoot are all fine if the foot is under you. Plenty of fast runners land heel first. The fault is reach, not the strike.

Midstance: the foot is flat and loaded

Scrub forward a few frames to where the foot is flat and the hip is directly above it.

Knee bend on landing, about 20 to 35 degrees. This is where the leg takes the most load. Too straight means a stiff, jarring landing. Much more bent than 35 usually means you are sinking and losing the spring.

Torso tall, small lean from the ankles. A few degrees forward is typical. The line from ankle to hip to shoulder should be nearly straight. If the hip is back and the chest is forward, that is a fold at the waist, not a lean. See how to fix running posture.

Head over shoulders. Chin level. Eyes on the ground about 20 metres ahead, not at your feet.

Elbows near 90 degrees. Hands relaxed, about hip height, not crossing the centre line. The arm swing is front to back, not side to side.

Toe-off: the push

Scrub to the last frame before the back foot leaves the ground.

Back leg extended behind you. The hip should open so the thigh is behind the body. A short, shuffling stride never gets here. The thigh stays under the body and the push is weak.

Heel lifting with knee bend to come. Right after toe-off, the back knee should fold as the leg swings through. That fold is what makes the leg quick to bring forward. Very little back-knee bend is a common sign of a low cadence and a plodding stride.

Elbow driving back. At toe-off, the arm on the same side as the front leg is at the back of its swing. Elbow behind the hip, not out to the side.

Cadence ties it together

Count every foot strike in 10 seconds and multiply by six. Most runners at easy pace fall between 155 and 175 steps per minute. There is no magic number. But if you are under 160 and the foot strike frame shows reach, raising cadence by about 5 percent usually pulls the foot back under you. See how to increase cadence without a watch.

The one cue

If you remember one thing from this page:

Run tall, land under you.

Tall fixes the torso and the head. Land under you fixes the reach and usually the knee. Say it for 30 seconds at a time, a few times per easy run. Do not hold it for the whole run.

A 4-week plan to run properly

This is the general shape Caden builds when several dials are close and landing is the lowest. Three sessions a week, 15 to 20 minutes.

Weeks 1 and 2: position.

A-march, 3 × 30 seconds. Tall posture, foot lands under the hip.
Wall drill, 2 × 10 each side. Hands on a wall, lean from the ankles, drive one knee up and place the foot back under you.
Slow calf raises, 3 × 10.
Single-leg balance, 2 × 30 seconds each side.
Cue "run tall, land under you" on two easy runs.

Weeks 3 and 4: rhythm.

A-skip, 3 × 20 metres.
Butt kicks, 3 × 20 metres, for the back-knee fold.
Quick-feet strides, 4 × 20 seconds at cadence plus 5 percent.
Glute bridge, 3 × 10.
Cue on every other kilometre of one easy run.

Then film again the same way. See running form drills for what each drill does.

How to check it with Caden

Tap Run a new analysis and set up a side-on shot. Follow the framing guide.
Film 10 to 20 seconds at easy pace, or Import a clip.
Tap Breakpoints. Caden has already frozen the frames at Foot strike, Midstance and Toe-off with the skeleton drawn on and a note for each. Drag the slider to step through nearby frames.
Go back to the results screen. The six dials, Where your foot lands, Upper body lean, Knee bend on landing, Knee bend at push-off, Arm bend and Head position, are the checks on this page with a number on each. Cadence sits below.
Read the coach's tip for one cue per metric.
Open the Exercises tab for a 4 or 8 week plan built from your lowest dials. Re-film in four weeks and open Before and after in Stats.

Mistakes people make

Trying to look like a sprinter. High knees and a big forward lean belong at sprint speed. At easy pace they make you bounce and tire.
foot landing on the toes on purpose. It overloads the calf and rarely fixes the reach.
Leaning from the waist. "Lean forward" is often heard as "bend forward". Lean from the ankles, and only a little.
Holding the arms up high. Tense shoulders, hands at the chest. Drop the hands to hip height and drive the elbows back.
Judging form by feel. Feel lies. Film it.

FAQ

What is proper running form?

Foot landing close under the hip with a soft knee, torso tall with a small ankle lean, elbows near 90 degrees swinging back, head over the shoulders. Cadence usually between 155 and 175 at easy pace.

Should I heel strike or forefoot strike?

Either can be fine. What matters is where the foot lands relative to the hip, not which part touches first. Fix the reach and the strike usually looks after itself.

How much should I lean forward when running?

A few degrees from the ankles. The line from ankle to shoulder should be nearly straight. If you have to bend at the waist to feel a lean, you are leaning too much.

Where should my arms be when running?

Elbows bent near 90 degrees, hands loose at about hip height, swinging front to back. Hands should not cross the middle of your body.

How do I know if my running form is correct?

Film a side-view clip and freeze it at foot strike, midstance and toe-off. Compare against the checks on this page. See signs of bad running form for a checklist of faults.