Part X · Running drills
Single-Leg Balance to Run
Stand on one leg in a running pose, other knee up and opposite arm forward, and hold it still for 3 to 5 seconds. Then lean forward and run 5 or 6 quick steps off that leg. Slow down, stand on the same leg and do it once more: two goes fill one 20-second bout.
The one cue
Still on one leg, then go
The lesson
- 01
Hold a running pose
Stand on your left leg, knee soft, weight spread across the whole foot. Lift the right knee in front of you and bring the right arm back, the left arm forward, as if caught mid-stride. Stand tall, hips level.
- 02
Be still
Hold it for 3 to 5 seconds, properly still. A little movement in the foot is normal; the hips and chest should not sway. If you cannot hold still, shorten the hold rather than wobble through it.
- 03
Go from the standing leg
Lean forward from the ankle and let the lifted leg come down into your first step, pushing off the standing leg. Run 5 or 6 quick steps: brisk, not a sprint.
- 04
Twice, then switch
Slow to a walk, keep facing forward, stand on the same leg and hold again, then run again. Two goes fill the 20 seconds; if time is left, walk. The second bout is the other leg.
- 05
The test
The hold is genuinely still, and the first step goes straight from it with no shuffle or extra hop. Notice which leg wobbles more; that is the one to be patient with.
Watch for
- Rushing the hold to get to the running. The still part is the point, so the drill turns into a standing start.
- Swaying from the hips or waving the arms to stay up. You are no longer still, so shorten the hold until you are.
- A shuffle or small hop before the first step. The push no longer comes from the leg you balanced on.
- Sprinting flat out. The drills are still warming you up, and brisk is all this one needs.
How long should you be able to stand on one leg? Healthy adults under 50 can usually hold about 45 seconds with eyes open and 13 to 15 seconds with eyes closed, as their best of three tries; both drop with age. This drill asks for only 3 to 5 seconds, because the point is to be truly still in a running pose, not to stand for long.
Why is single-leg balance important for running? Every running step lands on one leg, and that leg has to hold you steady before it pushes. In sport, balance training lowers the risk of ankle sprains, most clearly in people who have sprained one before. A few seconds before a run is a rehearsal of that, not a balance programme.
How many, and when? 2 × 20 seconds, one leg per bout, two hold-and-run goes in each, with 25 seconds of walking between, on a flat path or grass. It comes third in the drills at the start of a run, after ankling and carioca, so the drills themselves are your warm-up.
Next drill
Pogo Hops Two-Leg→The ankle that held you still now has to bounce. Pogo hops turn it from a steady base into a spring.
From the book
14Strong feet. Strong everything.→