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By analyzing the video frame by frame of the forefoot landing motion, I felt that Coach ERIC actively contacted the ground with his left leg upon landing rather than passively falling onto it. I can’t quite explain how I can tell the difference between active and passive, but I run with a forefoot landing as well. I wait for my foot to land and then perform a cushioning motion, but it always feels stiff, with little cushioning effect. I think the reason is that human reaction is relatively slow — by the time the foot senses the landing and then tries to cushion, it’s already too late. Therefore, you need to actively contact the ground and actively perform the cushioning motion. Another point is that ERIC’s foot lands slightly in front of the body, with the heel following down and the knee bending, completing the cushioning before the foot is positioned directly under the body, then transitioning to pushing backward to propel the body forward. When I land, my foot is directly under the body, landing too late and losing the time and distance needed for cushioning. The landing point must also absolutely not be too far from the body. I’m not sure if my analysis is correct.

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"Born to Run" says that when running, you should swing your foot toward your hips. I know this definitely isn’t an intentional backward swing, but rather a follow-through after performing the correct motion, just like the wrist snap after shooting a basketball. But I’ve never been able to find the feeling of swinging toward the hips, and my shin lift is also very low. After analyzing the video frame by frame, I found the reason. Look at the third frame in the image above: the right foot is a few dozen centimeters behind the body before lifting off, whereas my foot lifts off immediately after landing, with the takeoff point very close to the body. I tried extending the stride by lengthening the push-off distance, and indeed, the foot naturally lifted upward as a result. There was another discovery: in the past, I always felt like I was pushing off the ground to lift my body upward, rather than propelling it forward. After extending the push-off distance, I felt there was more forward propulsion than before. Running is like freestyle swimming — ERIC’s motion is like finishing the arm stroke all the way to the thighs before ending the glide, whereas mine is like lifting out of the water at the waist. A shorter stroke means lower efficiency.