Back in October I had the opportunity to sit down with Rik Scarce and film two hours of footage for a running documentary he is producing. I will be posting some clips of this interview over the next several months.

Here’s a short clip on why the toe off or propulsion phase of gait is much different from what is described in walking mechanics and should be avoided to reduce injury. If you run with an exaggerated heel strike with an outstretched leg, your entire body has to them follow through and pass over the foot. In doing so, you end up placing a large amount of force onto the great toe. When one lands with a midfoot or forefoot strike, there is less force being placed onto the great toe joint as the knee and thigh tend to drive forward and avoid the “proplusion” to the ball of the foot.