Part X · Running drills
Straight-Leg Bounds
Run forward with your knees almost straight and toes pulled up, swinging each leg from the hip and pulling the foot down and back so it lands under you. The stiff ankle bounces you into the next step, light and quick.
The one cue
Stiff legs, pull the ground
The lesson
- 01
Lock in the shape
On grass or a flat path, stand tall with your knees almost straight, not locked, and your toes pulled up towards the shin. Hold that shape for the whole bout.
- 02
Swing from the hip
Swing one straight leg forward a little, like a pendulum, then pull it down and back so the foot strikes the ground moving backwards. As it lands, the other leg starts its swing. Keep the feet low: a small swing, not a high kick.
- 03
Land under you, spring off
Land on the ball of the foot, under your hip, and come straight off it. The stiff ankle does the work, so the contact is short and light. If the foot lands ahead of you, it brakes.
- 04
Hips high, arms working
Stand tall with your hips pushed slightly forward and your shoulders over them. Swing your arms as you run, elbows bent. If your bottom sits back, the knees start to bend and the bounce goes.
- 05
Quick, not long
Let the speed come from quick contacts, not long strides: about the speed of an easy run.
- 06
The test
Light, even taps, the same on both feet, with your calves and the back of your thighs working. When the contacts get loud or the knees start bending, stop the bout.
Watch for
- Bending the knees. It turns into ordinary running and the ankle stops doing the work.
- Reaching the foot out in front. Each landing brakes you instead of springing you forward.
- Toes pointing down. The ankle goes soft and each landing slaps the ground.
- Leaning back with the hips sitting behind you. You lose the tall shape and the legs start to bend.
What are straight-leg bounds good for? They take the knee out of the movement, so the spring has to come from a stiff ankle and the pull of the leg from the hip. That trains a short, quick contact with the foot landing under you.
Are straight-leg bounds the same as straight-leg runs? Close. Straight-leg runs and straight-leg shuffles are this drill: quick, low steps with the knees almost straight. Some coaches keep the name bounds for a bigger version with more time in the air; this page teaches the quick, low one.
What is the difference between straight-leg bounds and bounding? Straight-leg bounds keep the knees almost straight and the feet low, with quick contacts. Bounding uses the whole leg: a big push, the knee driven forward and a long time in the air between steps.
How many, and when? 2 × 10 seconds of quick, light contacts, 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, ankling, A-skips and two-leg pogo hops, so the drills themselves are your warm-up; then jog off into your run. If they are new to you, keep the swing small for the first few weeks, and leave them out on a day a calf, Achilles or hamstring is sore.
Next drill
Alternate-Leg Bounds→The last and biggest drill: a full push from one leg to the other, as far as you can cleanly go.
From the book
14Strong feet. Strong everything.→