4 Ways to Train Yourself Not to Heel Strike When Running

31/05/2025 Bretta Riches Forefoot Running Tips 580

The best and fastest way that’s on recording for reliably correcting your heel strike to a forefoot strike (see here what a proper forefoot strike looks like) is to do more running in minimalist shoes, or even better, do a little barefoot running. This is because the sensory input, or enhanced feel of the ground, is the only way to fully activate your neuromuscular and reflexive systems to coordinate groups of muscles and movements that keep you from heel pounding, while guiding your foot to land forefoot-first.

Running barefoot (above left) or in barefoot-like running shoes, also known as minimalist shoes (above right) are the best tools for training your brain to avoid heel strike, and instead, land with a forefoot strike. The reason for this is our mechanics are most directly influenced by ground-feel at the feet, whereby the full feel of the ground enhances our reflexive responses to encourage the involvement of softer, lighter forefoot strike over a heel strike, while making our feet stronger than ever!

The Science is Settled that Barefoot Running Leads to the Quickest Improvements in Running Form

Barefoot running was found to do a better job at making you enforce a more stable, consistent and proper forefoot strike vs running in thick cushioned running shoes ( Douad et al. 2012; Lieberman et al. 2010; Robbins & Hanna 1987).

Barefoot running delivers a constant flow of sensory input (ground-feel) which allows the brain to sustain foot strike monitoring for extended periods, whereby when you run barefoot, your instinct is always to avoid heel strike, and there’s little counter-evidence against this.

In contrast, unrelenting suppression of ground-feel with thick shoe cushioning results in frequent foot strike errors, while causing the foot to rush down too forcefully, producing a greater downward force.

Why Cushioned Running Shoes Cause Injuries — The thicker the underfoot cushioning, the harder to the foot slams into the ground in efforts to push through all the compressible materials to reach the ground. .Thick cushioned running shoes also increases ground-contact time, causing the foot to grapple longer with the ground, which also forces the muscles and ligaments to work harder to try and stabilize the foot. At the same time, these shoes are often too narrow and inflexible, countering the natural shape and expansion of the foot, leading to an abnormally narrow and weak foot. All in all, despite all the advancements in running shoe technology, there’s nothing about these shoes that proves they provide reliable protection against harmful impacts.

If you don’t want to take the barefoot path, correcting mechanical problems can be also simplified by spending more time running in, barefoot simulated footwear (minimalist shoes), shown below:

Best Barefoot Shoe Brands — Minimalist shoes are designed to mimic the feel of being barefoot. They do this by having a thin, completely flat sole that keeps your foot level with the ground, while allowing your feet to feel the ground to a great extent. Plus, the absence of a raised cushioned heel inches your forefoot strike in the right direction by enabling you to avoid making initial contact on the heel. Not to mention, the wide and flexible fit of a minimalist shoe provides a more natural environment that allows your foot to function, bend, flex and expand normally.

2. Run Barefoot on Harder Surfaces

According to undisputed research, maintaining a proper forefoot strike is optimized when running barefoot on harder surfaces, such as pavement, whereas softer surfaces, such as grass may threaten your ability to land forefooted properly. Additionally, running barefoot or in barefoot like running shoes, improves the ability to notice foot strike patterns on harder surfaces.

Because landing on the heel hurts on pavement, barefoot or pure minimalist shod runners develop a better ability to stay off their heel at touchdown. Other work has found that running, especially when barefoot, on pavement optimally refreshes the forefoot strike as compared with running on mats, or cushioned surfaces.

3. Dont Lift Your Forefoot Before Landing

To reduce heel strike potential during running, dont lift the front of your foot (i.e. forefoot) back upon landing (shown below right), and rather, keep the front of your foot neutral or pointed slightly toward the ground (shown below left)

What is the Difference Between Minimalist and Normal Running Shoes? — Avoid lifting the forefoot upon landing (above right), and instead, relax your forefoot and let it fall to the ground upon landing (above left). This will surely keep off your heels because it ensure that the forefoot makes initial contact.

Running barefoot or in zero drop running shoes are again excellent tools for helping your leverage a forefoot strike because in both conditions, the heel is not propped up on thick cushioning, rather the heel is in neutral orientation with the ground (Giandolini et al., 2013; Lohman et al., 2011).

By fully relaxing your forefoot via ankle plantar flexion, augments a forefoot strike and prevents shin muscle-burnout as compared with ankle dorsiflexion.

4. Always Keep Bent Knees

Keeping both knees slightly bent (shown below), especially at landing, makes it easier to land with a forefoot strike because it increases cadence and reduces stride duration by preventing the swing leg from extending too far ahead of the center mass (Fleming et al. 2015).

Does Foot Strike Matter When Running? — Bending your knee makes it easier to leverage a forefoot strike (above left) because there’s less time for the forefoot to lift upon and at landing, and there’s also less time to over-stride, which is why stride length is reduced. Conversely, a straight knee at landing cause the leg to swing out too far ahead of the body, while causing the forefoot to fling up, exposing the heel to the ground, perfectly facilitating a heel strike and over-stride that produces the highest amount of net impacts

A long line of evidence found that maintain slightly bent knees at all times during running is most safe and most efficient! Read more here on that!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post, you’ll love my YouTube channel, here, why I show why forefoot running is better than heel strike running in every single way!

References:

De Wit, B., De Clercq, D., & Aerts, P. (2000). Biomechanical analysis of stance phase during barefoot and shod running. Journal of Biomechanics, 33, 269–278.

Fleming et al. Acute response to barefoot running in habitually shod males. Hum Move Sci, 2015;42:27-37.

Lieberman, D. E., Venkadesan, M., Werbel, W. A., Daoud, A., D’Andrea, S., Davis, I., et al (2010). Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. Nature, 463, 531–535.

Perl, D. P., Daoud, A. I., & Lieberman, D. E. (2012). Effects of footwear and strike type on running economy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 44, 1335–1343.

Robbins, S. E., & Hanna, A. M. (1987). Running-related injury prevention through barefoot adaptations. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 19, 148–156.

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