10 Basic Running Form Drills from Germany

As a Masters and Senior sprinter, I’m constantly looking for drills. Sometimes as someone who shares but always for ways to improve my own running technique.

In this 5-minute video, you’ll see 10 running drills demonstrated from three vantage points: front, rear and side with occasional slow motion. I find this combination quite helpful because many drills looks similar from a frontal or rear view.

Following the video, I’ve included frame grabs to help you visualize in detail, each of the drills:

1. High Knee Skips

This drill seems to be a bit of a hybrid between “high knees,” bounding and A-skips. I would probably use this early in my a pre-race warm up or early in the drill portion of my workout and I prepare for the running elements of my workout.

2. Butt Kickers

This version of Butt Kickers (or Butt Kicks) is a “knee down” version of the drill. In this version, the heel swinging up and contacting the glute is emphasized. In other versions, there is an additional expectation of keeping the knees up as the heel “strikes” the glute.

3. Ankle Drill

For me, this drill feels like what speed walker looks like if they wanted to dance a little while racing.
Seriously though, drills like this are important for ankle health since the better conditioned your ankles are, the better your sprints will be.

4. Skippings

What struck me about this drill is how similar it could be to “high knees.” In fact, I almost want to call it “low knees.” 🙂

5. High Knee Running

High knees have several benefits. According to New York Road Runners here are a few:

Develops strength and endurance of the hip flexors, the muscles that lift the knees and prevent plodding in the running stride

Develops strength and endurance of the quads

Stretches the hip extensors, which include the gluteal muscles

These benefits lead to a longer stride for faster, more efficient running.

6. Foreleg Extension Marching

7. Straight Leg Running

8. High Knee Bounce Skips

9. Ankle Bounce

10. Bounding

This is probably a drill to work up to including in your routine or to include but with a modified expectation for explosiveness. According to Renee Metivier Baillie, a professional runner and trainer at Recharge, bounding is “the most specific kind of ‘weight training’ that a runner can do.” “Done properly, it develops their power output in a running-specific way, allowing runners to increase their efficiency and top-end speed.”