Part X · Running drills
Alternate-Leg Bounds
Run in long, exaggerated strides: push hard off one leg, drive the other knee forward and up, float through the air, then land on the ball of that foot under you and push straight into the next one. It is running made bigger and slower, one stride at a time.
The one cue
Push back, knee forward
The lesson
- 01
Start from a jog
On grass or a flat path, jog a few steps, then lengthen each stride until you are pushing off one leg and floating to the other. Start with modest bounds and let them grow over the first few.
- 02
Push all the way
Push the ground away behind you until the ankle, knee and hip of the back leg are straight, one line from toe to hip. That push is where the bound comes from.
- 03
Drive the knee and arm
As you push, drive the other knee forward and up, thigh about level with the ground, and swing the opposite arm forward hard, elbow bent. Knee and arm move together and set the rhythm.
- 04
Float, then land under you
Travel forward along a low, rising line, not straight up. Bring the front foot down so it lands on the ball of the foot under your hip, knee a little bent and in line with your toes, then push straight into the next bound.
- 05
Stay tall
Chest up, eyes forward, hips high. Do not dip forward at the waist or let the knee cave inwards as you land.
- 06
The test
Each bound as long as the last, both legs the same, landings quiet and quickly turned into the next push. When the bounds shorten or the landings get loud, the bout is over.
Watch for
- Bounding for height. You go up and come straight down, lose speed and land harder.
- A half push. If the back leg never straightens, it is just exaggerated jogging and the bound stays short.
- Reaching the foot out in front. It lands ahead of you, brakes the bound and jars the knee.
- Sinking into the landing. A long, soft contact loses the spring, and the next bound starts from a standstill.
What is bounding in running? A drill in which you run with exaggerated, springing strides, pushing hard off each leg and spending longer in the air than in a normal stride. Every landing is on one leg and every take-off is a full push.
What is the difference between bounding and skipping? Bounding switches legs on every jump, like running. Skipping takes off and lands on the same foot before stepping to the other, so each foot touches the ground twice in a row.
Is bounding good for runners? It trains a powerful push and a stiff, springy landing on one leg, the load a running stride has, only bigger. On their own, jump programmes show little or no clear effect on running efficiency, so treat a few bounds before a run as practice for the stride, not a shortcut.
How many, and when? 2 × 10 seconds, with 35 seconds of walking between, on grass or a flat path. They come last in the drills at the start of a run, after marching, high knees, B-skips and power skips; then jog off into your run. Bound as far as you cleanly can; if bounding is new to you, keep the bounds modest for the first few weeks, and leave them out on a day a calf, Achilles or hamstring is sore.
From the book
14Strong feet. Strong everything.→