Racewalking Technique

Learning to WalkObey the Definition FirstBecoming a legal race walker requires walking without violating either part of the USATF definition. Most likely when you start to race walk the previously underutili!ed muscles required to e"ecute the technique are not strong enough to propel you properly at fast speeds.Most #eginning walkers$ initial paces are in the range of %&'&& mins(mileto %)'&& mins(mile* thus initially you are not likely to #reak the first part of the definition requiring constant +to the human eye, contact with the ground.The second part of the definition of race walking is the one that gives most novice walkers pro#lems.Therefore we #egin the walking technique lesson here.-nce you master the technique required for the second part then focus on allthe other techniques e"plained here to help you walk faster.-#serve Figures A to F.They illustrate the correct positioning of my leg the instant my left leg strikes the ground as my #ody passes directly over the leg and #eyond and .ust as my left foot leaves the ground #ehind my #ody.FigureAFigureB

Figure CFigure DFigure E

Figure FBut what looks simple on the page in front of you can actually #e a little tricky to master as least at first./ook at Figure A where my heel has .ust made contact with the ground. A few things happened simultaneously. 0ust #efore contact as my leg was swinging forward it straightened with toes pointed up+a#out 1) degrees from the ground, while my heel struck the ground.Achieving this smooth synchroni!ed action is the key to success. Between Figure A and Figure 2 the #ody moves forward over the left leg.This is the second point at which walkers tend to violate the rules of race walking.The leg must remain straightened until it is in thevertical position.3n Figure 2 my leg is almost in the vertical position while it remains straightened.-nce the leg is #eyond the vertical position as in Figure 4 you may #end it.5owever when it comes time to lift your foot off the ground if your leg is still straightened you get an e"tra thrust forward #y pushing off your rear foot +Figure 6,.Through proper fle"i#ility and strength your leg stays straightened longer and you o#tain this advantageous thrust. 3deally the leg remains straightened until the heel of your rear foot lifts off the ground.Figure F shows my stance .ust after rear7foot push off with an o#vious #end in my leg.3t is impossi#le to race walk with any efficiency and keep the leg straight as it swings forward. 8otice that as my rear +left, leg leaves the ground my front +left, leg is already in position.Also note that the legs do not createa symmetrical triangle. More of my stride is #ehind my #ody than in front. This is achieved through proper hip action which will #e e"plained shortly.9ace walk with the techniques e"plained thus far and you can tell people you are a legal race walker al#eit not a very fast one yet.:6T; #ack into the definition makes .udging more su#.ective.A race walker may lose contact with the ground as long as this lifting is not visi#le to the human eye.The pro#lem occurs in defining what is meant #y visi#le to the human eye.-#serve the following walker'Isthisvisibletothehumaneye?ZoomedinviewIsthislegal?@oomed in and fro!en in time it$s possi#le to see that the walker a#ove has #riefly #roken contact with the ground* #ut can the human eye catch that in real timeA8ot likely. Therefore she is not violating the definition and is legal.3 have argued elsewhere that if a videotaped walker is off the ground for one frame or less the human eyecannot perceive the lift.My peers however may contend that less?or more?time is required to distinguish loss of contact.Thus is the case with all su#.ective rules.:ou might therefore reasona#ly conclude that the rule intends for flagrant lifters to #e disqualified.Unfortunately the definition of race walking is not that simple.For e"ample o#serve the photo to the right.Bould you disqualify this walkerA The question remains unanswera#le #ased on a single photo. Always remem#er the definition says to the human eye.There is no instant replay in race walking.3f you are a #eginning race walker odds are you will not lift. Frankly you are not walking fast enough. To#e certain videotape a workout from a side angle.Make certain the camera is a complete track7width away from you and walk at race pace. Study the tape one frame at a time.3f you see a dou#le support phase you have nothing to worry a#out. 3n contrast if you lift for two or more frames a disqualification awaits in your future.The gray area is if you appear off the ground for only one frame. :ou pro#a#ly will receive cautions #ut hopefully not the three proposals for disqualification that lead to a removal from the race.Can You Be Too Legal?After spending so much time learning to walk legally you might #egin to wonder' is there harm walking too legallyA-#serve the photographs #elow. Both walkers are completely legal. Actually they are overly legal. By leaving the rear foot on the ground too long they #ecome inefficient.traighten the Leg !The second rule of race walking is the one that gives fledgling race walkers difficulty. The following si" figures show the progression of a legal race walker from .ust #efore her rear foot leaves the ground +Figure A, until .ust after the same foot strikes the ground in front of the #ody. Bhen her rear foot leaves the ground it swings forward with the leg fle"ed at the knee +Figure B,. She #egins straightening her leg as it moves forward using her quadriceps to e"tend it +Figures B to 4,. -nce her foot makes contact with the ground the leg must #e straightened and no longer fle"ed at the knee +Figure F,.FigureAFigureBFigureCFigure DFigure EFigure F@oomed in and fro!en in time it$s possi#le to see that the walker a#ove has #riefly #roken contact with the ground* #ut can the human eye catch that in real timeA8ot likely. Therefore she is not violating the definition and is legal.3 have argued elsewhere that if a videotaped walker is off the ground for one frame or less the human eye cannot perceive the lift.My peers however may contend that less?or more?time is required to distinguish loss of contact.Thus is the case with all su#.ective rules.:ou might therefore reasona#ly conclude that the rule intends for flagrant lifters to #e disqualified.Unfortunately the definition of race walking is not that simple.For e"ample o#serve the photo to the right.Bould you disqualify this walkerA The question remains unanswera#le #ased on a single photo. Always remem#er the definition says to the human eye.There is no instant replay in race walking.3f you are a #eginning race walker odds are you will not lift. Frankly you are not walking fast enough. To #e certain videotape a workout from a side angle.Make certain the camera is a complete track7width away from you and walk at race pace. Study the tape one frame at a time.3f you see a dou#le support phase you have nothing to worry a#out. 3n contrast if you lift for two or more frames a disqualification awaits in your future.The gray area is if you appear off the ground for only one frame. :ou pro#a#ly will receive cautions #ut hopefully not the three proposals for disqualification that lead to a removal from the race3f a walker$s leg is still fle"ed at the knee when the leading foot makes contact with the ground the quadriceps musclescontract eccentrically over the length of the whole muscle to prevent further fle"ion of the knee. This is commonly referred to as creeping. This can #e seen in the lead walker in the figure to the lower left. 2ompare this to the straightened leg of the walker in the rear of the same figure.Bhen the forward leg of the walker to the rear of the figure makes contact with the ground it is straightened with the walker$s quadriceps visi#ly rela"ed. For a closer viewlook at the figure to the lower right. This walker$s o#viously rela"ed quadriceps muscles and a properly straightened leg clearly demonstrates legal technique. 8o violations here;-nce the leg has straightened it must stay straightened until the leg passes the vertical position.Actually keeping the leg straightened #eyond the vertical positionis fine and even desira#le. -#serve the leg position in the image on the right' the walker not only follows the definition she also keeps her leg straightened after passing the vertical position.This leads to increased forward drive and removes any dou#t from the .udge that your leg is straightened long enough.Bhile violations involving loss of contact tend to occur more often at short races #ent7knee calls frequent competition at longer distances. The longer a race lasts the less lifting occurs* conversely creeping tends to increase.3ne"perienced race walkers typically struggle more with straightening the knee whereas elite walkers face greater pro#lems with lifting. Bhile strong competitors try to avoid either violation they usually walk as close to the periphery of the definition of race walking as possi#le.Impro$ing the *oer +od!Foot ,lacementImagine there is a thin, straight line e-tending in front of !ou and don the path !ou alk# %If !ou go to a track, use one of the lane lines#& When alking at a pedestrian pace, ithout using an! race alking techni.ues, each foot ill land on adi"erent side of the line#Then, as !ou increase !our pace a little, !our feet land )ust on the edge of the line#In contrast, hen !ou race alk, !our feet land in an almost e-act straight line# After !ou learn to use !our hips efcientl!, !our foot placement changes slightl! to imitate this near straight/line placement# +ut please beare0 hen !ou tr! to mimic this action ithout using !our hips, !ou place an unneeded stress across !our knee#1e$er allo !our feet to cross o$er the line as depicted belo# Foot trikeBhen your foot strikes the ground land on the #ack of your heel and point your toes as high as possi#le. -nce your foot makes contact roll it forward keeping your toes pointed up and off the ground until the entire leg supports your #ody$s weight. The goal when your heel strikes the ground is to position the foot close to a 1)7degree angle with the ground. After heel strike smoothen your stride #y rolling onto the midsection of your foot and through to your #ig toe. Avoid slapping your foot against the ground. 3f you feel or hear a slap stop stretch your shin and start again.Bhen you walk with your toes pointed you use your shin muscles more. 5ow long you keep your toes off the ground is directly related to the strength of your shin.5owever #e aware that holding your toe up upon heel strike may cause a #urning sensation in your shins.Bhen you feel this soreness stop and stretch the shins out using the Seated Shin Stretch or the Standing Shin Stretch.Slow down a little walking with pedestrian technique* then after a few minutes try the new technique again.The shin pain should go away as you #ecome #etter conditioned if it does not seek assistance from a medical professional. Croper planting of the foot with a smooth roll through also helps avoid premature knee #ending.Crove it to yourself. Try to land flat footed with your leg straight.3t$s not very easy especially if you race walk with any speed. Because of #ody #uild some walkers naturally place their feet with toes pointing out or in.-#serve U.S. 8ational Team mem#er Sean Al#ert in the figure to the right. Al#ert$s foot points outward nearly at a 1)7degree angle.3t should #e pointing straight ahead.Unfortunately this foot position occurs #ecause of #ody structure* it may #e a contri#utor to the many in.uries that have plagued Al#ert over the years.3f you face similar pro#lems do not try to change your foot placement as you learn to race walk.3nstead focus on usingyour hips properly so that your footfalls occur in a straight line even if the feet are not parallel.Bhile improper foot positions are less efficient the alternative?forcing yourself to correct foot placement unnaturally?may cause e"tra stress on legs feet and knees leading to strain and in.ury.Carry That "nee Lo#To remain efficient race walkers must pay careful attention to how their legs swing forward after push off. 4rive your leg forward with the knee as low to the ground as possi#le. Bhile some upwards motion is necessary to #reak contact with the ground it should #e minimi!ed. Therefore when the rear foot lifts up it rises only an inch or two off the ground. This is seen throughout Figures A to 2.By the time your foot swings under your #ody it is almost parallel with the ground +Figure B,.

4riving your knee high as your leg swings forward not only wastes energy #ut also gives you the appearance of walking illegally.Appearances are a #igger issue than .udges care to admit.-#serve the following figures showing a high knee drive. A walker with this style gives the appearance of e"cessive loss of contact with the ground even if there is a dou#le support phase.

The $ear FootMany race walkers do not hold their rear foot on the ground long enough. The longer you leave your rear foot on the ground the more efficient your stride for many reasons':our hips are a#le to pivot thus lengthening the stride and allowing time for your leg to swing forward and your heel to strike the ground.The motion stretches your hip muscles as they swing the leg forward and the resulting refle" pulls the leg forward faster. As the faster7moving swing leg propels your #ody forward with greater force you gain even more speed. :our #ody e"erts a force against the ground due to gravity. Bhen you stand still this force is completely vertical. By keeping the foot on the ground longer the ground reactive force of the #ody$s weight #ecomes more hori!ontal than vertical when you lift your heel and move to toe off. This force helps maintain contact with the ground while contri#uting to forward #ody propulsion.Toe Off and a Final Push6fficient race walkers do not let their feet lift passively off the ground* instead .ust #efore the rear foot #reaks contact with the ground they actively push the #ig toe against the ground. 3f you add this simple flick you feel a slight float to your stride. 4one properly overall race walking technique #ecomes less mechanical and movements feel as if they are flowing together in a forwardmotion. 4one improperly an overly hard push off causes over7striding and flagrant loss of contact with the ground. 2are must #e taken to carry your foot forward in a relatively straight line after you push off. Bhen your foot leaves the ground and is swinging forward try not to twist the foot to the side as your leg progresses. -#serve the following figures that demonstrate proper and improper foot carriage. -ften this improper foot carriage is caused #y weakness or tightness of any of a num#er of muscle groups. http022#racealk#com2hoto