Second in the series of articles from Last of the Time Lords…
I am continuing to monkey around exploring the different forms of efficient running. I do so with an unbiased open mind as I search for understanding.
In my previous blog I detailed how my athlete and I were trying to get to grips with the Pose method. This continues to be work in progress and we are looking at this long term.
In the last video it was apparent the athlete still had a bit of a K-bend (exaggerating her lumbar curve). My Pose book remains out on loan. From what I can remember Dr Romanov states the need for good alignment and to lean from the ankles rather than the waist, but he doesn’t go into a great deal of depth on the subject. Poor alignment can of course lead to injury problems, but also without correct alignment the direction of the foot will be off no matter how timely the pull.
eL Bee gave me a great example of how with the correct alignment of the pelvis you can benefit from the muscle elasticity of the hip flexors without actively using them:
- Stand in the Pose stance with both feet on the floor and knees bent. Increase the lumbar curve and stick your backside out. Place one foot about a foot’s distance in front of the other, transfer the bodyweight onto the forward foot whilst holding the lumber curve. Now lift the trail foot up. What happens? Nothing. It’s a dead movement.
- Instead of extending the lumber curve, rotate the pelvis by lengthening the lower back and pulling with the lower abdominals. Place one foot about a foot’s distance in front of the other, transfer the bodyweight onto the forward foot. Now lift the trail foot up. What happens? The knee should ping forward of it’s own accord using muscular elasticity. Cool, eh?
Use the Force, Young Jedi
A week ago the athlete complained that she had some muscular back ache after a short run. This appears to have been caused by overpull, which I am told is a common beginner error. Ian suggested “It starts by first of all not pulling enough, then the subject fixates on the pull too much and still a bit late. As soon as we start to fixate and let the conscious mind take over stuff slows down”.
There is an importance to understand what the drills are for. Initially the Pony seemed a bit, well, rubbish. This may actually be the most important of Pose drills in that it teaches you to break contact with the ground with the minimum of effort. This drill helps to develop the feel for the pull, which is very light. As speed picks up it’s the momentum of the limbs that make the ankles go higher, not the pull.
As we look to correct her overpull we have been trying lots of Pony and forward Pony drills. With the forward pony it is, as always, important to remember to pull the feet up rather than push. The pull creates a vertical movement and with just the tiniest of leans it’s possible to move forwards. It’s funny, you can concentrate on a tree or an object and with a very slight lean the force of gravity takes you in the direction you want to go without you seemingly making any kind of running action.
The athlete is developing her perception of the lean. I liken the amount of lean to being the clutch control, the accelerator is the rate at which you pick up your ankles. As she plays around with the combination she says it feels smooth, it feels fast.
I was going to jot down so much more in this blog. For now, much like the transition of her running technique, this remains work in progress.
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