Haile Gebreselassie Video Analysis

How do today's elite athletes run from a technical standpoint? In this video we will look at Haile Gebreselassie's technique from his moving biography "Endurance". Dr. Romanov points out the good and the bad in his technique along with pointers for your own running. Enjoy!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Haile
• Gebreselassie
• Video
• Analysis

[posetv]

@JPHTraining my friend, an Olympic level coach who's been doing this for 40 years can do quite alright with less perfect footage than a less experienced coach.

[newromantic888]

His foot lands directly below or just behind his centre of gravity. No heel, strike, knee yield and wasted energy here. Perfect running motion. Watch the womens marathon to see the worst running actions ever imaginable.

[djmaleda]

This is when me and science don't get along. How can you say he is running the wrong way when he is winning all the time. The fact that he is winning his races proves science wrong. And what makes you think that if he applied the running tecniques you are suggesting that he would get better. It may not work for him. We are all different as individuals, you can't tell me there is one way of running for all. Science is to some extent making us weaker and weaker by making us follow a set way.

[filmftw3]

I mean the guy is short and light weight and very healthy. Thats why he is fast and efficient at running. A fat guy would fall over if he ran like that.

[FruitLiving]

how's my form?

i'm a triathlete and pose run with new balance minimus at the half marathon distance

watch?v=a47YDZI51I4

[kozmon0t]

He is not forefoot-striking, not even close. A few steps the forefoot might strike a little before, but the heel still smacks right into the ground before it's aligned with his hips and shoulders. But he still manages to keep up a turnover of 180.

With a natural forefoot strike, the heel barely touches the ground, if at all.

[TheNaturalRunnerVanc]

landing position is much less important than loading position. I don't see any reference to his hip height which is an indicator of when he is bearing his center of mass (COM). Given how fast he is running there (<30min 10k pace), I could guess his foot is well under, if not behind his COM during full stance phase. Also, there is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' form because of how variable humans are. There is only 'optimal' for each individual, and Geb is running at his most optimal form here.

[tadaa11]

Hes landing ahead because hes moving so fast. By the time he puts his weight down on the foot the leg would be in the proper position under him.