Bracing Drills to Protect Barefoot Runners – Part 2:

As a follow-up to one of my much earlier blogs, this is posted due to the consistent breakdown of my runners in the bracing component of the Squat/Scoot technique of barefoot-minimalist running. 

If you recall, one of the key parts of mastering the squat-scoot is bracing the whole core.

This allows you to stay low, tight, light and compact during the running action. It also allows you to run safer, faster and with more power. The following drills add to the previous repertoire in moving you closer to squat-scoot barefoot running perfection:

1. Prone plank with 1 arm forward lift and hold. Alternate arms every 30 secs. x 2 reps

2. Prone plank with 1 leg lift and hold. Alternate legs as above

3. Prone plank from hands with 1 arm lift as in #1 above

4. Prone plank from arms with 1 leg lift as in #2 above

5. 1 arm push-up with hand on bench. Hand positioned under mid chest. Lower & hold for 15 secs x 4 reps. Switch arms

6. tricep dips on bench. Start with fingers facing forward and knees bent. As dip (lower self toward floor), slowly crawl out till legs extended. Slowly crawl back x 3 reps

7. bridge with arms off floor & 1 leg extended. Hold for 30 secs. Repeat with other leg x 3 reps per leg.

Doing these 1 to 2 times per week will help lock in the bracing aspect as you fight to overcome the downward pull of gravity. You will land light consistently, thus virtually eliminating the risk of running injuries – barefoot will become your new ‘normal’!

coach Jeff

Don’t forget to register for the MADD 5 km road race & breakfast on Sunday, June 9 at J.C. Saddington Park in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada.

 

#Barefoot #Running Drills on Track and Grass Infield #InjuryFreeRunning

My Team Over The Top Port Credit (Canada) Youth Running group includes boys and girls from ages 9 to 15. I teach them my Squat-Scoot technique of mid-foot running, the cornerstones of which are:

• Tight
• Light
• Compact
• Forward

Part of the learning process includes barefoot running drills on a gravel/clay-based track with a natural grass infield located in our town of Port Credit, Canada. The kids do NOT have an option re: going barefoot on the track for the warm-up drills but I do allow them to run barefoot on the perimeter of the grass track, on the track itself or in their minimalist footwear on the track (NONE of them wear ‘coffins‘!). Most of them chose to go barefoot on the infield during our running segments.

Try some of the following drills if you seriously want to either go run barefoot or run lighter and safer in your running footwear:

1. barefoot on the track forward, quick-cadence jog for 10 metres x 4 reps

2. as above but backwards

3. as above but side to side shuffle

4. as above but side to side crossover shuffle

5. running on spot lifting knees high then flicking heels to butt for 30 secs x 3 reps

Infield Barefoot Drills:

1. 1 legged hopping forward – short, low hops with quick turnover – 10 metres x 4 reps per leg

2. repeat above backwards

3. forward running – 15 metres easy pace, 15 metres mid pace, 15 metres max pace x 6 reps

4. 1-legged stationary power squat jumps x 60 secs. Repeat on other leg

5. 1-legged 5-count Burpees x 60 secs. Repeat on the other leg

We do these once per week over a 10 to 12 week clinic. Each track session includes workouts like 400 metre drop-downs, ladder drills, 30:20:10 drills and so on. As mentioned above, all but 1 of the kids go barefoot on the grass infield track perimeter. Gradually, they will go barefoot on the rough track itself. That’s when they’ll be true barefooters, running injury-free with power!

coach Jeff #InjuryFreeRunning

Don’t forget to register for the MADD 5 km road race & breakfast on Sunday, June 9 at J.C. Saddington Park in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada.

Team Over The Toppers Dominate!

On Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, 2013, my TOTT runers performed wonderfully in all Mississauga, Canada road races – from 5ks to the full marathon. All but one of the team achieved either a 1st ever result or a Personal Record. Note the following:

1. Megan Keenan age 14 completed the 5 km race in 23:15 – a PR by 2 minutes

2. Emma Leon age 11 completed the 10 km race in 51:13 – her 1st ever 10 km race – she cam e2nd in her age group and beat all of the relay teams from her school

3. Patrick Hogeveen age 13 completed the 1/2 Marathon (staying at his mother’s pace) in 2:08:31. He could have easily gone under 1:50 racing solo – maybe next time

4. Jill Amirault age 15 completed the 1/2 Marathon in 1:45:54 – her 1st ever 1/2 placing her 7/47 in the girls’ U19. She was 1st in the GU16

5. John Bouchard ran the 1/2 Marathon in 2:28:30 – not his best time ever but solid none-the-less

6. Nancy Waite ran the1/2 Marathon in 2:21:35 – a PR by over 5 minutes – this after overcoming a strained ankle incurred during a fall whilst training

7. Annette Carter ran the 1/2 Marathon in 1:57:22 – a PR by over 6 minutes. She was flying

8. Megan Leon age 18 (Emma’s older sister) completed the full marathon in 4:03:13 – her 1st ever. Her older sister, Rebecca, did the same marathon as a 17 yr. old with TOTT 3 years ago. Megan did the race in her Barefoot-Science inserts & Vibram FiveFingers with no issues. She would have been under 4 hrs if it weren’t for 2 washroom breaks (too bad but this can happen!)

Coach Jeff is most proud of his team. There were a few who dropped out due to missing too many training sessions – again, this happens in life. The great news is that all of my runners go barefoot or in minimalist footwear of some sort (even my youth clinic gang who are as young as age 9) WITHOUT INJURY!

The TOTT gang now gear up for:

* the Bread & Honey 5 or 15 km race on Sunday, June 2 in Streetsville, Canada

* the MADD 5 km race on Sunday, June 9 in Port Credit, Canada

* the Team Unbreakable 5 km race on Sunday, June 16 as above

* the Fun Play barefoot running session led by Barefoot KenBob Saxton from Huntington Beach, Ca and coach Jeff on Monday, July 1 from 4 to 5 p.m. at thr Runner’s Mark store in Port Credit, Canada

* the summer gym training sessions beginning on Thurs., July 4 in Port Credit

As you can read, there are busy months approaching for coach Jeff and his running ‘troops’!

 

coach Jeff