When clients ask me how to improve running form, the first thing I do is use the Grass Test and the Gravel Test to see what their current form is like. From these tests, I can quickly understand if there are any areas of their running form that actually need improving, and what tricks they can use to learn how to improve running form. In this article, I’ll show you a couple of the most common techniques I use, including how the grass test and the gravel test work, as well as what to look out for. There are many other techniques you can use, so if you are interested in diving into the details after reading this, I have a complete course that covers everything to improve running form.
A quick note about change
If you are a beginner runner, you can probably make changes to your running form without issue. If you have been running for a while using a particular running form, once you figure out how to improve your running form, you’ll need to be careful how you make any changes. Specifically, any changes should be introduced gradually. This will allow the muscles time to adapt to any new motions and range of movement. Start with just a couple of minutes each run, before going back to the previous style for the rest of the run. Gradually increase the time using improved running form each week as you get used to it.
How to improve running form with the Grass Test
Some people run a bit like they walk. They kick the lower leg through underneath the body and then wait for gravity to pull the whole body and leg down to the ground. Because the leg has the whole weight of the body landing through it at once, often too far out in front of the body, this can feel like a thud, putting too much pressure on the shins and knees. It’s often associated with knee pain or shin splints. To check for this, run across some grass. The grass is ideally a couple of inches long, so not long grass, but not freshly-cut short grass. If you see or hear the feet kicking through the grass with a long “swoosh” noise, this is a good indicator that some improvements to running form are needed.
Specifically, the feet need to be lifted out of the grass and placed back down into the grass from above. To achieve this, you need “Knee Drive” and “Whip”:
Knee Drive is lifting the knee up and forwards quickly enough so that, after the foot pops off the floor, the foot travels quickly forwards above the grass. Imagine trying to break a wall in front of you with the knee and it will only break if you knee it quickly.
Whip is pushing the leg back down towards the floor quickly, with purpose and power, so instead of waiting for gravity, the foot is propelled down towards the ground, landing much closer underneath the body, seeking out the floor. Once it finds the floor, the foot is immediately stable and ready to softly support the weight of the body landing on the leg.
In the video below, you can see the before and after, which will help you identify how to improve running form:
How to improve running form with the Gravel Test
Following on from the concepts above about placing the foot on the ground quickly and lifting it off the floor quickly, the actual moments of foot placement and foot lift are important in relation to the ground underneath.
The foot should be placed in such a way that it there is no forwards motion inside the shoe. Imagine you were barefoot – you’d lose skin if you tried to land while sliding forwards. I call it “Scuffing“.
When lifting the foot off the floor, there should be no backwards motion inside the shoe. Again, if you were barefoot, you’d lose skin if you tried to pull it backwards like that. I call it “Scraping“.
It’s important to get this right to avoid wasting energy and also to avoid getting blisters and is part of how to improve running form. It’s even more important on hills. By getting it right, I was able to run for 50 miles along a hilly route on a warm day without any hint of blistering or hot-spots.
You can test for Scuffing and Scraping by finding a loose gravel path and listening for any scuffing sounds as you place feet down or any scraping sounds as you lift feet off. In the video below, watch the gravel in each slow-motion section and then listen to the gravel in the real-speed sections:
If you find it difficult to place your feet down without scuffing or lift them off without scraping, then find a smooth, hard surface (like a footpath) and run on it barefoot for a few seconds. Feel what happens under your feet while running like this. See if you can identify any movements that you could use while running in shoes to improve your form.
Why is learning how to improve running form important?
When you improve your running form, you’ll notice you are more relaxed, both in the legs and all the rest of the body too. You’ll find it easier to run fast and easier to run further. You might also notice less blisters. If you have knee pain while running or get shin splints, then improving your running form will help with those too.
