Upright Mechanics

The high stance: Ears over feet

Once the athlete has completed his acceleration phase, he enters the "vertical mechanics" or maximum speed phase. Here, the biomechanics change radically.

It is no longer about pushing backwards, but about bouncing on the ground. The basis of this technique is an extremely tall and rigid stance.

The trainer should look for vertical alignment where the ears, shoulders and hips are directly aligned over the point of foot contact.

This posture raises the center of mass, allowing for a naturally longer stride.

If the athlete runs "sitting" (hips low), they collapse with each step, increasing ground contact time and losing speed.

The key instruction is to "run high," maintaining the vertical tension that allows the body to act as an efficient spring.

Contact below the hip

The most common error at top speed is overstriding, where the athlete attempts to lengthen the stride by landing with the foot far in front of the body. This generates immediate braking forces.

In correct mechanics, the foot should attack the ground with an active downward motion, contacting strictly under the hip. The athlete should not wait to touch the ground; he should assault it.

By striking below the center of gravity, braking forces are minimized and the vertical force that projects the athlete back into the air is maximized.

Since contact lasts less than a tenth of a second, there is no time to push off muscularly; the movement depends on the reactive stiffness of the ankle and hamstrings.

The heel recovery cycle

To maintain a high stride frequency, the leg must rapidly recycle from back to front. This is achieved by efficient heel recovery mechanics.

Immediately after takeoff, the heel must travel upward, approaching the glute in a compact motion.

This shortens the leg's leverage, allowing the hip to bring it forward at high speed. Avoiding the excessive and slow "back kick" is crucial.

By folding the leg quickly under the glute, the knee shoots forward and upward,