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...just a little bit about me

Sneak a glimpse into how this workshop was born (quite literally). Like any well-written superhero movie, the origin story of anything great is worth hearing! While this workshop has evolved for over 20 years, a pivotal point occurred at the birth of Coach Tom's first biological child.

"You can't win a race from doing your warmup properly, but you can lose a race from doing your warmup improperly." Of the many amazing coaches I've come across in my athletic career, I honestly can't remember which one blessed me with this gem. It has stuck with me, however, and it's something that I routinely stress to my high school student athletes. A couple general rules to follow: 1) Some ...

Think of your turnover or cadence as a song. Can you keep a rhythm and maintain the piston action in your legs? Authors of running books & periodicals, watchmakers, and possibly your fellow training mates all stress the importance of counting your steps and maintaining a certain cadence. The problem with this is that runners come in all different shapes, sizes, and experience level. Thinking lo...

Reciting the phrase "pull pull pull" in your head can help you emphasize hip-driven movement when running. In addition, thinking "run in place" can help you maintain your position. As you learned earlier when doing the wallfall drill, it's not optimal for us to be calf-driven when heading out for a longer run. That musculature is built for endurance, but we don't want it being the main impetus ...

In the final content video of this course, I discuss two commonly brought-up topics: breathing and footstrike.

The armswing should change a little when running up a significant uphill. Now that you understand the mechanics behind armswing, you need to know that, as the terrain you're on changes, armswing should change as well. Before you start thinking that this is going to be a headache on an undulating run, know that this is only really applicable to steep hills or consistently hilly terrain (think tr...

Just as we have intentional cues for running on flat / flat-ish surfaces, there are specific ways we can approach the mechanics to running uphill and downhill! Uphill Running: In discussion of Pillar 3, we reviewed the mechanics of The Footpull. You were instructed to "pull pull pull" when running to ensure that your impetus for movement was hip-driven. When running up something noticeably uphi...

The wallfall drill can be a useful tool to help correct things that just feel "off."

This quick video serves as a transition between drills.

We build the foundation with the four pillars! The Four Pillars of Sound Running Form are: 1) Posture 2) Armswing 3) Footpull / Pistoning 4) Cadence / Rhythm

Combining the figure-4 footpull with the wallfall drill, and repeating this starting method, will help you learn how to execute the things you've learned in this workshop. It all starts with a proper jog in place. Nail the armswing and be intentional with your leg pistoning. When you're ready, allow your center of gravity to pitch forward (from your ankles... NOT by bending at the waist), and y...

Every time you catch yourself in a poor postural position is a chance to learn! Let's be real, you're not going to be perfect after starting to put posture on your awareness radar. Shoot, I teach and coach about it, and I'm consistently checking myself. What you should focus on are the opportunities to address your position. Embrace the positivity and don't be too critical of yourself when it s...

Pillar Two: Armswing from a Long-sitting Position for Uphill Running

Final Thoughts: Some of My Favorite Drills

Final Thoughts: Partner Drills Demo

Pillar One: Posture Demo w/o Wall

Pillar Two: Lead into the Wallfall Drill

Pillar Four: A "How-To" Combine the Wallfall & Piston Drills

Final Thoughts: Learn to Move Like a Kid

Final Thoughts: The Wallfall Drill in Relation to the Calves

Pillar One: Posture Demo at Wall

There is a certain relationship between cadence, the degree in which a runner is leaning from the ankles, and speed. It is up to us to learn how to manipulate these variables to accomplish your goals. As I said back when we talked about cadence, every body is different. One runner's cadence won't necessarily "fit" another's, while one runner's lean / position might vary based on body type facto...

Pillar One: Outro - No More Cross-body Armswing!

Pillar Two: Armswing Intro

Pillar Three: The Footpull

Pillar One: Transition from Wall to Functional Check

Pillar One: All About Posture

Final Thoughts: Wall Drill for Sprint -vs- Distance