A big misconception I hear and read all the time is that running form doesn’t matter. You’ll probably encounter points like:

• “Changing your running form is a waste of time, and it won’t help improve your performance.”

• “just run in a way that feels “natural” to you”

Now don’t get me wrong, your running form has to feel natural and efficient, but you can and, I believe, SHOULD actively work on your running form to improve your running efficiency and performance.

In this article, we review the importance of running form, and ways to improve or fix it. Let’s get started!

How Important is Running Form?

I typically don't do this, but I Googled the phrase "running form doesn't matter" and found a Reddit forum. I wanted to see the arguments for why someone would believe they shouldn't work on their running form.

Well… the most common answer was just stating “form doesn’t matter” and that running form will look different for everyone and you should run what feels natural to you.

Which I agree with! We SHOULD run in a way that feels natural, smooth, and efficient. Unfortunately, over striding and other impairments may not actually feel slow, or inefficient.… but they may feel natural to you.

I’m not here to call out people on Reddit or other forums for posting comments like these, and the goal is to learn from this. The answer is this: running form is important and, in addition to helping you improve performance, it can be the reason for aches, pain, or injuries.

Exercises to Improve Running Form

The great thing is, there are many ways you can improve your running form – running form drills, mobility, strength training, and jump training to name a few:

Drills

As you practice running form drills, you’ll teach your nervous system and body to land closer to your center of mass. This is like learning to walk, throw a baseball, or shoot a basketball.  It takes time, dedication, and the proper exercises.

Mobility

As you improve your hip mobility, you’ll improve your push-off and have a stronger push-off position. Mobility training ensures that your running form during all of the running phases is efficient, such as in the hip extension and knee drive.

Strength Training

Strength training is an important part of improving your running form. It allows runners to work on the specific movements of the runner based on body mechanics, posture, coordination and proprioception. More importantly strength training improves efficiency and helps keep you injury-free. 

Jump Training

Yes, being a better jumper can actually improve your running form. As you get better at jumping your cadence will most likely increase. To improve your jumping, try doing some jump squats, box jumps, and jumping split lunges.

Additional Tips

These tips work to improve your strength and mobility:

In addition, remember these things to improve your running technique:

• Keep your head up 

• Avoid overstriding (when your foot lands in front of your body)

• Maintain a straight and tall, upright posture

• Relax your shoulders

• Avoid bouncing while running

Final Thoughts on Improving Running Form

The bottom line is: your running form matters! It is important to focus your attention on improving your form. Running with the correct form will improve performance and efficiency, and reduce the risk of injury. 

If you have any further questions about improving your running form, the running physical therapy specialists at Alpha Project Phyzio are happy to help!

We provide running form assessments to help runners fix their form to maintain long-term health and hit peak performance.