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| This quick primer on race walking technique defines proper textbook form and is an excerpt from the book Race Walk Clinic - in a Book.
A race walker’s feet land in an almost exact straight line. After you learn to use your hips efficiently, your foot placement changes slightly to imitate this near straight-line placement.
Many race walkers do not hold their rear foot on the ground long enough. The longer you leave your rear foot on the ground, the more efficient your stride. Leaving the rear foot on the ground longer stretches your hip muscles like a slingshot and the resulting reflex pulls the swing leg forward faster, gaining you even more speed. In addition, your body exerts a force against the ground due to gravity. When you stand with your foot beneath your torso, this force is completely vertical. By keeping the foot on the ground longer, the ground’s reactive force of the body’s weight becomes more horizontal than vertical when you lift your heel and move to toe off. This force helps maintain contact with the ground while contributing to forward body propulsion.
When your foot strikes the ground, land on the back of your heel and point your toes upward at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees with the ground (Figure 13 & 15). Once your foot makes contact, roll it forward, keeping your toes pointed up and off the ground until the entire leg supports your body’s weight. After heel strike, smooth your stride by rolling onto the midsection of your foot and through to your big toe. Avoid slapping your foot against the ground. If you feel or hear a slap, stop, stretch your shin, and start again. When you walk with your toes pointed up, you use your shin muscles more. How long you keep your toes off the ground is directly related to the strength and flexibility of your shin. Proper planting of the foot with a smooth roll through also helps to avoid premature knee bending. |
