Whole Foot Strike.
Not heel. Not forefoot. Whole foot. Not heel. Not forefoot. The whole foot — then roll off the big toe.
What it is
Landing on your whole foot — not just heel or toes. When your foot lands during running it should land as flat as possible, whole foot at once. Then it rolls off the big toe. The motion looks like a wheel — the foot falls, then rolls forward.
Why it matters
Long distance running is something the human body is made for. It makes logical sense that we would use the whole foot for long journeys. Neither bouncing on the balls of your feet nor landing with your heel is better than the other. Landing on the middle of your foot is where the money is.
The neuroscience
Whole foot striking distributes ground reaction forces across the entire plantar surface, reducing peak loading on any single structure. It promotes natural pronation through the subtalar joint and allows the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon to work as an integrated spring mechanism, optimizing elastic energy return.
How to practice it
- 1Focus on landing as flat as possible — whole foot at once
- 2Roll off the big toe at the end of each step
- 3Think of your foot as a wheel — lands flat, rolls forward
- 4Don't overthink heel vs forefoot — just land flat
- 5Practice during walks first, then easy runs
Beginner
Focus on flat landing for 1 minute per kilometre
Intermediate
Maintain whole foot strike for entire easy runs
Advanced
Maintain under fatigue in long runs and tempo work
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