(28-10-2013, 01:42 PM)marathondan Wrote: I was interested to see The Great One quoting Chi recently, in particular "Land on the mid-sole or even the toes, but NOT the heel".
Conversely I found this old blog post where Danny Dreyer, in context of achilles problems, says "midfoot strike should be changed to fullfoot strike so as to not cause the same confusion you have experienced in the description. When you land on your fullfoot, the ball and heel of your foot are simultaneously touching as you land."
Like all religions, it seems that not all followers (or leaders) are agreed on exactly how to practice it.
But isn't the key phrase "Danny Dreyer,
in the context of achilles problems, says...""
If you have particular tendon problems, but still want to embrace Chi principles, then you have to adapt your footstrike to avoid aggravating it. Isn't that what he's saying?
That said, it was probably daft of me to mention landing on the toes, because I would find that very difficult, not to mention dangerous. And it's not a recommended Chi-Running style -- or certainly not for people over a certain age and corporeal plumpitude. I think I included toes just to emphasise 'anything but the heels'.
I once watched one of the best runners in Reading running in Reading. Young guy -- twenties. He was weirdly thin, and ran without effort, landing so delicately on his toes that he would have barely made any impression on the ground. In fact -- where did I read that? Or is it a Danny Dreyer idea? It echoes MLCMM's kid's coach's description -- that you should imagine trying to run on soft earth or sand without leaving any footprints.
You can probably get away with that if you're an Ethiopian or Kenyan distance runner or the best runner in Reading running in Reading. I can't.
