Running, written by Chris Van Holmes

Running is such a basic skill that we often take it for granted. We can
all do it, some are good at it, but very few understand what they are
doing. It's like walking only faster, you might think. But it's not!

Walking is taking it easy. One foot is always on the ground and as you
move through your step, you roll off your foot heel to toe. Although
your feet and legs are moving, you aren't exerting very much energy.
Your upper body is relaxed and you're shoulders are over your hips.
Running is hard work. Both feet are off the ground during each step and
you are up on your toes. You are pushing hard with every step, your
arms and shoulders are pumping and you're leaning forward.

In Ultimate, acceleration, and the speed or changes in direction it
generates, is the most important factor in determining potential
ability. (That is one reason football players are often measured by
their 40 yd speed). When you run faster, your opponents can't keep up
and can't get away. Running well, and fast, is a simple matter of
applying a few basic principles to what you are doing. Think about
these basics as you run and sprint and you'll find yourself faster, and
more powerful, than ever.

What goes into running? Below are the factors that determine how fast
you can run, turn, and change speed.

Step rate - steps taken per unit time.
Stride length - distance from one footfall to the next.
Speed - how fast you are moving = step rate X Stride length
Force - energy applied per unit time.The strength and speed of
your muscle contractions determines the force your
legs generate.
Power - work done per unit time. This comes from a combination
of number of contractions (step rate) times the force of each
Acceleration - rate of change in velocity. Power determines
your ability to accelerate.
Lean angel - angle from vertical of your body's axis. This
determines how much of your force is converted into
forward motion.

In order to go fast we should combine our fastest step rate(SR) with
our longest stride length(SL). Unfortunately there is a trade-off
between these two. The fastest step rates are by tap dancers. The
longest stride lengths are by long and triple jumpers. Imagine if we
could combine these two! If we graph SR vs. SL, and the resulting
speed, we would get something like this:

<Missing Graphic!>

What this means is that we can take lots of very short steps or a few
very long steps. This curve determines how we should run depending on
our goals.

The most power, and acceleration, comes when you are running in the
range to the left of A. With a high step rate, the muscles in your legs
are contracting more often and generate more power. If you want to
accelerate (stop, start, speed up, slow down, or turn), run in this
range.

Your fastest speeds come in the range between A and B. The running
speed in this range is pretty constant. One thing to notice here. If
you run in the range closer to A(higher step rate) than B(longer
stride) , you will have more power for acceleration because you are
taking more steps!.

Beyond B, you are reaching too far forward to generate much force. Your
foot lands in front of you and during the first part of the step you
are pulling yourself forward instead of pushing.You can really feel
that in some of the pliometric exercise described at the end of the
chapter.

The lean angle determines the percent of the leg force that gets
converted into a horizontal direction. Some people are very effective
at getting a good lean as they turn or reverse directions on a cut.
They stop with only one or two steps and are off in another direction.
They do this with a combination of strong legs and setting up a good
angle for pushing off. Sprinters start by leaning way over, supported
by their hands, so that all of their push becomes forward momentum. The
more you lean, the more force you can exert in the horizontal plane.
The trick is to not fall over - or have your feet slip out from under
you (good cleats are crucial).

What can we do to improve our acceleration? Of course the answer is
practice. First work on increasing your step rate. This means
shortening your stride and speeding up your arm swing. The high knee
pliometric accomplishes this. Try to step as quickly as possible with
very little forward motion. The most effective practice I have found
for improving step rate is descending stairs. With one hand hovering
over the railing, (falls are possible) step quickly down each stair. As
your step rate increases with practice, it will begin to feel more and
more like skiing.

Arm swing is also very important in step rate. Your arms and legs work
together as harmonious pendula. If you want a quicker step, bend your
elbows more, (shorter pendula oscillate faster) and speed up your
swing. You'll find that your legs happily follow. Your arms also come
into play on tight turns. Have you ever seen someone wildly rotating
one arm as they turned to follow a cutter. This gives more stability
(through gyroscopic forces) for better lean angles. Try running in a
tight circle with normal arm swing. Then try it with the outside arm
swinging in a big circle. You'll find you can go faster and/or run a
tighter turn.

Your stride length is a more passive variable than step rate but you
can work on it. Here, your reaching pliometric steps help you extend.
Lunges give your muscles strength through their entire length. Of
course, proper stretching helps a great deal.

Since lean angle depends on the strength of your legs it is a little
more difficult to work on directly. Try stopping within one step. Plant
one foot in front of you, turn to the side, and put your other foot
next to the first. If you are leaning enough, you'll stop and be in a
position to push off in the opposite direction.

Weight training can improve the force you generate with each step.
Remember to work the muscle groups through their full range to maintain
the speed of contraction. All the pliometrics put together help
coordinate your muscle groups.Your acceleration is especially improved
when you combine the knee raises with the butt kick. When the parts of
your legs are working together, your step rate, stride length, and leg
push are all increased.

Simple tricks to help your Ultimate acceleration:

1) On defense, take shorter (more) steps than your opponent.
This will give you more power for acceleration.
2) Downshift (shorter steps) to speed up.
3) Shifting your arm swing will shift your step rate and stride
length.
4) Stay low when anticipating a cut to get a better lean angle.