Dex Moore

Falling forward is nooooooooooooot leaning in or bending forward at the waist.

And it’s NOT something you maintain throughout your run.

I’m measuring two different angles here, and understanding the difference is important.

The first angle is what some of y’all think falling forward means. That forward tilt at the chest.

That’s not what we want.

We want to maintain good posture, keeping the torso as close to vertical as possible instead of bending forward at the waist.

The second angle is the one I actually want you paying attention to.

That’s how far your center of mass has passed forward of your support foot.

When you make initial contact, your foot is slightly ahead of your center of mass. (The closer the better)

As you move through midstance, your center of mass catches up to your support foot and passes over it.

THEEEEEN, as your center of mass continues forward of that support foot, gravity contributes to your forward acceleration.

The amount of fall you allow before changing support is one of the things that determines how much speed you can develop.

And remember, this happens stride after stride. It’s not an angle you just lean into and hold throughout your run.

When you bend forward at the waist, you can actually shift your hips backward relative to your chest. You’re changing your posture without necessarily creating more forward fall of your center of mass over your support foot.

Those are two very different things.

Maintain good posture. Find runner’s pose. Allow your center of mass to fall forward over support, then pull back to pose.

If you want to have your technique analyzed, check out the links in my bio!

Get after it! 🫡