Running Technique - Don't Flap the Hands

Written by Webmaster

Sunday, 18 January 2009

By Dick Moss  It's common to see runners flapping their hands as their arms move back and forth. With their palms pointing down, they allow their wrists to relax, allowing their hands to flop up and down on each arm movement. Most claim it helps to keep their arms relaxed as they run. For others, it's simply an unconscious action. Surprisingly, this error in technique is frequently seen among accomplished athletes as well as casual joggers. However, it's a technical quirk that should be avoided because it makes runners less efficient. Here are two reasons why: 1. LONGER LEVERS According to basic physics, a longer lever is harder to move than a shorter lever. Here's a demonstration. Straighten your arms and swing them as fast as you can. Then, without stopping, bend your arms to a 90 degree angle. They will be able to swing much faster and with less effort. That's because the length of a bent arm, when measured downward from the shoulder joint, is only the distance from the shoulder to the elbow - about half the length of a straight arm. When the wrists are allowed to dangle, the length of the arm (when measured downward from the shoulder joint) increases, becoming the distance from the shoulder to the elbow plus the distance from the wrist to the tips of the fingers (which are dangling below the level of the elbow). This lengthens the length of the lever that must be moved, making it slower and harder to swing. 2. TOO MUCH RELAXATION IN THE BICEPS When swinging the arms, the focus should be on backward movement, not the forward swing. It's the backward movement of the opposing arm that corresponds to the backward thrust of the drive-leg, and that's where the propulsion comes from in running. A good cue for the arm action is to focus on driving the elbows backward when swinging the arms. In contrast, the forward swing of the arms should be a more relaxed movement, not a driving action. It should be initiated by an elastic stretching of the biceps and shoulder muscles as they reach the end of their backward range of motion. These muscles stretch and rebound the arm forward, keeping it relaxed and saving energy. And here's where flapping the hands can cause problems. Rotating the wrists so the palm faces down causes the biceps to relax. As a result, the biceps don't stretch as the arms are driven backward and can't contribute to initiating the forward swing of the arms. It's one case where too much relaxation isn't good! BETTER TECHNIQUE A better technique is to cup the hands slightly, so the thumb rests on top of the slightly bent index finger. The palm should face sideways - not upwards - throughout the arm swing. This will place the hands in an ideal position to minimize the length of the arm-levers and produce a good elastic rebound of the arms after being driven backwards. Dick Moss is the editor of Physical Education Update.com, the Fun Stuff for Physical Education Newsletter and the Physical Education Update Blog. Online Schools Share Your Opinion. (0 posts) Tag it:

Last Updated ( Sunday, 18 January 2009 )

 

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