This time we are going to do a brief running analysis of Bob as he runs a 400m on the track
in a side view. I thought this would be interesting to look at, considering that I haven't really
posted much analysis videos for this distance. To have a little more context on this runner,
he is a very fast middle distance runner, but more notably for distances around the
1500m and up. During this specific time he had nationals coming up during that upcoming
weekend. Now, during this specific workout, he ran 400m in 58 seconds, which is pretty
fast. This takes place around the 120-150m portion of the race. Here, he presents with
a step rate or cadence of 180 steps per minute. This may seem a bit low for a 400m; however,
it may be because he is coming off a curve. He actually quickly picks up to 190 steps
per minute shortly after this clip, which is more appropriate for a short distance like
this. Now, lets move on to the foot landing. Here he presents with more of a forefoot landing.
This kind of landing is appropriate as he is transitioning to a higher step rate as
I mentioned earlier. By landing in this manner, this naturally decreased ground contact time
to be able to take quicker steps. Next, lets look at the foot position relative to the
body. This was tricky due to camera angle and limitations in frame rate, so you cant
get the exact moment. It seems like he is overstriding initially; however, it seems
like during weight acceptance of the foot, it quickly pulls back, and lands relatively
close to the body. Now, when measuring shank angle, you have to keep in mind the angle
of the camera as it is a bit slanted and when you look closely, you can see that he pretty
much lands with the shin perpendicular to the ground, which is a characteristic seen
in elite runners. Now, lets move on to this frame. Here, he seems to present with the
leg lagging very slightly behind the body. I am paying attention this because during
higher intensity runs...the moment the foot comes off the ground, you typically want it
to come forward right away to take the next step. Now in this specific case, this is a
very minute detail and may not significantly impact his running; however, it is something
he can tweak to optimize his running. The next thing we will look at is the vertical
bounce. This is actually a bit trickier to see as the camera zooms in and out a bit during
this specific clip; however, he does not present with any significant abnormalities with this.
He may present with slightly more bounce than expected, but again this is very minute and
would probably decrease with the last tip on decreasing the amount of time the foot
is in the air to increase step rate. Next, we will look at this frame. At this moment,
he presents with a relatively straight knee during this moment. Again, this is a super
minute detail, but I typically dont want the knee to be completely straight here as this
gives a better angle to hit the ground hard to produce more force going forward in high
intensity runs. Next, lets move on to the arm swing. Here he presents with a bit less
arm swing than I'd expect; however, this is because there is more trunk rotation going
on here. These areas are working together to counter rotational forces coming from the
leg pushing off the ground. Now, I think this is appropriate at this moment; however, if
he starts to go for a true sprint, especially during the last stretch of the race, typically
people stabilize more at the trunk and increase the arm swing. Finally, lets look at the head.
Here, he is looking straight ahead with a neutral head position, which is fine. Overall,
Bob is an incredible runner. While I mentioned a few things he can work on, they honestly
may not make dramatic changes in running economy and speed; however, they are just small tweaks
he can work on. Regardless, he presents great running form in this specific side view. Just
remember that for a true analysis you want to look at running from other angles; however,
I try to only keep these quick analysis videos in a side view to prevent myself from ranting
too much. Anyway, let me know what you guys think and any questions you may have. And
as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!