Bonus Blog: Running Drills Explained

Some of the veterans on the team may know why we do running drills before we get started each practice, but I bet some of our newer runners are probably wondering if these funny-looking skips are actually important exercises.  Believe it or not, your coaches aren’t just trying to make you look silly; we are making you do these drills because they help you improve, and are utilized by runners of all skill levels. 

But you don’t have to take it from us.  American Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist in the Marathon, says, “Drills will improve your running form in many ways—by strengthening key running muscles, by improving your range of motion via exaggerating some aspects of the running gait, by improving the communication between your nervous system and muscles, and by making you more mindful of good running form.”

We want you to be sure you’re getting it right, but recognize it might be hard to grasp it in the midst of our practices.  Below you’ll find a good video, with a slow-motion demonstration, of both A-Skip and B-Skip drills.  We’d love you to take a few minutes to watch and study how this athlete performs the drills.  Maybe you can go outside and practice them a little afterwards.  Just a little practice can make a big difference – and doing these correctly can help you become the best runner you can be!

How to Do A-Skip - B-Skip with Proper Form- Find Your Stride with Coach John Smith - YouTube

For extra credit, watch the video below analyzing the running form of Eliud Kipchoge, world record holder in the Marathon.  We can’t promise that you’ll end up looking as effortless and smooth as Eliud, but we guarantee that properly executing the drills will, over time, move you closer to his form!

Eliud Kipchoge's RUNNING FORM - 5 Simple Ways for YOU to Run Better - YouTube

As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please let your coaches know.  We are here to help you become confident, competitive runners, and will do whatever we can to get you there. 

Run Tough!