Leaning forward at the ankle, while not bending at the hips is a very important part of good running posture, which helps economy and performance. Leaning forward helps better recruitment of glute muscles (hence better hip extension), and also puts you in a better position to drive the swinging knee forward. Learning to lean forward requires an element of practice and also some strength.
Fall forward fromt the ankle is a simple drill that you can practice as part of warm-up & activation to memorize the skill.
How to do it?
- Stand tall on both the feet with elbows bent at around 90 degrees as shown in figure A.
- While keeping tall, start leaning forward from the ankle as shown in figure B. Be sure to keep the back straight and do not bend at hips.
- Continue to lean forward, and naturally you will transition to standing on the ball of feet as shown in figure C.
- Let the gravity take over, and start running while holding the lean as in figure D.
Check this video as well
When to do it?
This is a form drill to improve lean and to land closer to the body. So practicing this drill before your run as part of warm-up helps transferring the skill to your running.
