What Happens After Heel Strike?

According to extensive research on impact mechanics, heel striking coupled with an extended knee at landing results in a longer over-stride angle (shown above), meaning the foot lands too far in front of the hips. This produces a high brake force duration period, meaning the body decelerates for a prolonged time with the ground, which produces greater-than-normal impact on the shins, knees and lower back. The only way around these problems is to adopt the forefoot running technique because it has the opposite effect such that it prevents over-striding by improving knee flexion at landing. This softens your step and works best for enabling the arch and the Achilles to contribute more elastic energy efficiently whereas in heel strike running, these elastic structures become ineffectual springs. Read more here!