Signs of bad running form you can see on video

Your running form is probably bad if a side-view video shows your foot landing far ahead of your hip, your knee straight at contact, your torso folded or leaning back, your arms crossing your body, or your head pushed forward. Those are the signs that matter. Sore knees or shins after every run are a hint too, but a video cannot tell you the cause. It can only show you the stride.

Here is the checklist. Film a 10 to 20 second side-view clip at hip height and easy pace, freeze it at the moment your foot touches down, and go through it. See how to film yourself running.

The checklist

Tick every one you see. One or two is normal. Three or more means there is a clear thing to work on.

1. Foot lands well ahead of the hip. The most common fault. Draw a line down from the hip. If the ankle lands far in front of it, you are overstriding. A rough guide from a phone clip is a landing reach over 0.25 times your leg length. See how to stop overstriding.

2. Knee straight at contact. The leg lands like a pole, not a spring. Often comes with sign 1. The front knee should have some bend at contact and reach around 20 to 35 degrees by midstance.

3. Shin leaning back at contact. Heel first with the toes up and the shin angled toward you. That is a braking landing. Heel striking on its own is fine. Heel striking with the shin leaning back and the foot far out is not.

4. Torso folded at the waist. Hips behind the shoulders, back rounded. Usually gets worse late in a run. See how to fix running posture.

5. Leaning back. Shoulders behind the hips, chest up and back. Common in runners who have been told to "run tall" and overdid it, and in downhill running.

6. Head pushed forward. The ear sits well ahead of the shoulder. Comes with a rounded upper back and often with looking at your feet.

7. Arms crossing the body. Hands swing across the centre line. The upper body twists to make up for it. Costs energy and often shows up alongside a low arm carry.

8. Arms held high and tight. Elbows pinned, hands at the chest, shoulders by the ears. Usually tension, not technique. Drop the hands to hip height.

9. Back leg barely bends. Scrub forward to just after toe-off. If the trailing leg swings through nearly straight, the stride is a shuffle. Cadence is often low with this one.

10. Bouncing. Watch the head across the whole clip. If it rises and falls a lot, you are pushing up instead of forward. Often comes with a long reach or a big back-kick.

11. Cadence under 160 at easy pace. Count the foot strikes in 10 seconds and multiply by six. Under 160 with sign 1 means the two are linked. See how to increase cadence without a watch.

What is not a sign of bad running form

Heel striking on its own. Where the foot lands matters. Which part touches first matters much less.
A slight forward lean. A few degrees from the ankles is good.
Not looking like an elite. Elite runners at race pace lean more and lift the knees more. At easy pace, nobody should look like that.
A form score in the 60s or 70s. Fair is normal. Under 60 in Caden means there is a clear thing to fix. 75 and above is good. Most runners start somewhere in the middle.

Why it matters

The signs above are the places where energy leaks out. A long reach is a brake on every step. A bounce is lift you did not need. A twist from crossing arms is work the legs did not ask for. Fixing the biggest leak makes the same effort go further.

Some of these signs are often linked with sore knees, shins and hips. That does not mean the form is the cause. If something hurts and keeps hurting, see a physio. Bring the video.

The one cue

If you ticked sign 1, 2, 3, 9 or 11, they usually share a fix.

Short, quiet steps.

If you ticked 4, 5 or 6, use "run tall, eyes 20 metres ahead". If you ticked 7 or 8, use "elbows back, hands loose". Pick one cue. Use it for 30 seconds, four times per easy run.

A 4-week plan by sign

Three sessions a week, 15 to 20 minutes. This is the shape Caden builds from the lowest dial. See running form drills for how to do each one.

If landing is the problem, signs 1, 2, 3, 11.

Weeks 1 and 2: A-march 3 × 30 seconds, slow calf raises 3 × 10, single-leg balance 2 × 30 seconds each side.
Weeks 3 and 4: A-skip 3 × 20 metres, quick-feet strides 4 × 20 seconds at cadence plus 5 percent, glute bridge 3 × 10.

If posture is the problem, signs 4, 5, 6.

Weeks 1 and 2: wall drill 2 × 10 each side, A-march 3 × 30 seconds, dead bug 2 × 8 each side, hip flexor stretch.
Weeks 3 and 4: A-skip 3 × 20 metres, step-ups 2 × 10 each side, glute bridge 3 × 10.

If the back leg is the problem, sign 9.

Weeks 1 and 2: butt kicks 3 × 20 metres, A-march 3 × 30 seconds, ankle rocks.
Weeks 3 and 4: B-skip 3 × 20 metres, quick-feet strides 4 × 20 seconds, split squat 2 × 8 each side.

Then film again. Same view, same pace, same place.

How to check it with Caden

Tap Run a new analysis and set up a side-on shot. Film 10 to 20 seconds at easy pace, or Import a clip.
The results screen shows a form score out of 100. Under 60 means a clear fault. Six dials sit below it: Where your foot lands, Upper body lean, Knee bend on landing, Knee bend at push-off, Arm bend and Head position. Each one maps to signs on this checklist.
Tap Breakpoints, then Foot strike. The landing ankle is circled. If it sits well ahead of the hip, that is sign 1. The skeleton shows the knee angle for sign 2.
Tap Midstance for torso lean and head position, signs 4 to 6. Tap Toe-off for the back-knee bend, sign 9.
Cadence is shown below the dials, sign 11. 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 dial. Re-film in four weeks and open Before and after in Stats.

Mistakes people make

Judging form by feel. Almost everyone feels like they land midfoot and run tall. The video usually says otherwise.
Fixing all twelve at once. Pick the sign that is furthest off. One cue, four weeks.
Filming from the front only. The front view cannot show reach, knee bend or lean. Side first.
Filming at race pace. Your easy pace is where you spend most of your running. Film that.

FAQ

How do I know if my running form is bad?

Film a side-view clip and freeze it at foot strike. A foot far ahead of the hip, a straight knee, a folded torso, crossing arms or a forward head are the clear signs. One or two is normal. Three or more is worth working on.

What is the most common running form mistake?

Overstriding. The foot lands well ahead of the hip with a straight knee. It is also the easiest to fix, usually with slightly shorter, quicker steps.

Is heel striking a sign of bad running form?

Not by itself. Many efficient runners heel strike. Heel striking with the foot far out in front and the shin leaning back is the problem, and that is a reach issue, not a strike issue.

Can bad running form cause injuries?

Some of these signs are often linked with knee, shin and hip complaints, but a video cannot tell you the cause of pain. If something hurts and keeps hurting, see a physio.