Hi ,
It looks like you're using an ad blocker.



The revenue generated from the adverts on the site is a critical part of our funding - and it's because of these ads that I can offer the site for free. But using the site for free AND blocking the ads doesn't feel like a great thing to do, which is why this box is so large and inconvenient. Some sites will completely block your access, but I'm not doing that - I'm appealing to your good nature instead. Did you know that you can allow ads for specific sites, whilst still blocking them on others?

Thanks,
Ian Williams aka Fetch

Oscar's Everyone Day

Sunday 22nd June 2025
In 2021 Oscar the Grouch proposed one day each year where "we unite as a community and EVERYONE records an activity of some sort - a dog walk, a run, a swim, a ride, ski if you want...".

Sadly we lost Oscar in March 2024, so now we dedicate Everyone Day to him. Thank you for the inspiration you gave us Oscar.
or for an ad-free Fetcheveryone experience!

"Physics of falling says professional athletes are running wrong" - article.

4 watchers
Sep 2015
10:09am, 30 Sep 2015
6,731 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
GordonG
article in New Scientist newscientist.com

I'm sure there'll be plenty of Fetchies with opinions about this...
J2R
Sep 2015
10:50am, 30 Sep 2015
163 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
J2R
It's always interesting to read stuff like this. But I have to say I would tend to give a little more credence to science which attempts to explain why the world's most successful runners run the way they do, what it is about what they do which works, rather than suggesting that they've got it all wrong.
Sep 2015
10:59am, 30 Sep 2015
6,919 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
simbil
It's a flawed argument - you cannot use 'angular momentum' in one part of the gait without correcting it in another - so it gives no net gain when running on the flat.

There were arguments about this for about a billion pages on the efficient running thread :)
Sep 2015
11:15am, 30 Sep 2015
6,732 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
GordonG
i assumed there would be, simbil, which is why i ducked after posting the link! :-)
Sep 2015
11:16am, 30 Sep 2015
6,728 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
Binks
With these kinds of things elite runners tend to already be years ahead of what is explained by science. Like in the case of the Kenyans and the Altitude, there was something unexplained going on making the Kenyans better than everyone else. It became known in time that they happened to live high up and this helped a little bit.

Running isn't going to improve from what some guy in a lab has done. There are millions of runners out there and they are a huge optimisation experiment it itself which leads to the best methods. Best thing to do it to look at those who are already the fastest.
Sep 2015
11:21am, 30 Sep 2015
19,978 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
eL Bee!
I only focuses on ONE aspect of the gait cycle, which is what adds to the confusion.
An awful lot happens at the same time, and people tend to think in terms of static models which, although useful, are limited in their usefulness.

And the arguments on the MERS were way too complex for your average joe to get their heads around!
Sep 2015
11:25am, 30 Sep 2015
19,979 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
eL Bee!
Besides - the 'physics of falling' actually shows that the top elite runners are actually doing it better than everyone else!! :)
That and genetics, obviously!
And protein...... apparently ;)
Sep 2015
11:27am, 30 Sep 2015
2,066 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
Ninky Nonk
Couldn't agree more about use of statics to explain dynamics el bee. People seem to not fully understand or forget newton's laws of motion.
Sep 2015
1:25pm, 30 Sep 2015
30,136 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
Nellers
"The angle of the dangle is directly proportionate to the lust of the thrust". Is it that one, Ninky Nonk, or am I confusing it with Ball's Law?;-)
Sep 2015
1:55pm, 30 Sep 2015
5,764 posts
  • Quote
  • Pin
The_Saint
quackwatch.com

About This Thread

Maintained by GordonG
article in New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28246-physics-of-falling-says-profes...
  • Show full description...

Related Threads

  • batshit
  • science

Report This Content

You can report any content you believe to be unsafe. Please let me know why you believe this content is unsafe by choosing a category below.



Thank you for your report. The content will be assessed as soon as possible.










Back To Top

Tag A User

To tag a user, start typing their name here:
X

Free training & racing tools for runners, cyclists, swimmers & walkers.

Fetcheveryone lets you analyse your training, find races, plot routes, chat in our forum, get advice, play games - and more! Nothing is behind a paywall, and it'll stay that way thanks to our awesome community!
Get Started
Click here to join 114,408 Fetchies!
Already a Fetchie? Sign in here