Form fundamentals
Overstriding
Landing with your foot ahead of your hips creates a braking force every step.
What it is
Overstriding means your foot contacts the ground out in front of your center of mass. The straight leg can't absorb impact, so the force travels up the shin into the knee — and you're literally braking before pushing off again.
Why it matters
Overstriding is the #1 form issue linked to running injury. It's directly tied to shin splints, runner's knee (PFPS), stress fractures, and the dreaded IT band syndrome. It also makes you slower for the same effort.
How we detect it
Each frame, we compare the horizontal position of your lead foot to your mid-hip at the moment of foot contact. If the foot lands more than a few centimeters ahead of the hip in more than 20% of frames, you're overstriding.
How to fix it
The fix is rarely "step shorter" — that just makes runners shuffle. The fix is cadence (step rate). At 180+ steps per minute, it becomes geometrically harder to land out in front. Use a metronome app, set 180, and run easy miles to it for 2-3 weeks.
Recommended drills
- •A-skip drills (3x30m)
- •High knees (3x30s)
- •Metronome runs at 180 spm
- •Calf raises (3x15)
Run these 2-3x per week. Expect to feel a change in form 4-6 weeks in.