Run smoother without more kilometers: this DOMISPORTS guide walks you through drills like heel flicks and high knees to sharpen your technique.
## Introduction Does your running form only get better if you rack up more kilometers? Honest answer: no — a large part of your running economy (how efficiently you turn energy into forward motion) comes down to coordination, not just fitness.
An uneven, inefficient running style wastes energy with every step and raises your injury risk. That's exactly where running drills (Lauf-ABC) come in: a series of technical exercises that isolate and sharpen individual parts of your stride.
Break the movement down into its parts — knee drive, push-off — and you program efficient patterns directly into your muscle memory. The result: you run smoother, faster, and with less strain on your joints and tendons.
## What You'll Need - A flat stretch of ground: A flat, paved path, a tartan track, or a short stretch of firm grass — about 20 to 50 meters is enough. - Fresh, rested muscles: Technique training needs full concentration. Always do the drills after a light warm-up, but before your actual run.
### 1. Ankling This drill trains the spring-like action of your foot and ankle. Stand upright and move forward in tiny steps while quickly rolling your feet from ball to heel — your toes barely leave the ground. The goal is a very short ground contact time, so your Achilles tendon returns energy like a spring.
### 2. Heel Flicks For heel flicks, alternately snap your lower legs backward so your heels flick toward your glutes. Your thigh points almost straight down, your upper body stays upright with a slight forward lean. This strengthens your hamstrings, raises your cadence, and almost automatically forces a clean midfoot landing.
### 3. High Knees and Skips This is about explosive knee drive. Alternately lift your knees to about 70 degrees (skips) or 90 degrees (high knees — at 90 degrees your thigh is almost horizontal). Actively pull your toes toward your shin. Your foot lands on the ball, right under your center of gravity. This active "pawing" motion eliminates braking forces and noticeably pushes you forward.
### 4. Bounding Bounding is an exaggerated, ground-covering stride that emphasizes the push-off phase. Push off powerfully, drive your swing leg up and forward with a pronounced knee lift, and swing your arms actively to help catapult yourself upward. This trains your legs for maximum power — for a longer, more dynamic stride.
## Common Mistakes - Doing drills at the end of a hard run. Fatigued muscles program sloppy movement patterns. Fix: always do drills fresh, right after the warm-up. - Leaning back during high knees. Beginners lean their upper body backward to get the knee higher — this breaks your alignment. Fix: stay upright with a slight forward lean from the ankle. - Passive arms. Your arms don't just balance you — they set the rhythm. If you don't swing them actively, you waste a lot of your energy. Fix: swing your arms with intent.
## Safety Notes Because running drills — especially jumps and skips — place heavy strain on your calf and Achilles tendon, don't overdo them as a beginner. Start with only 1 to 2 exercises and keep the total session to about 10 to 15 minutes. If you feel sharp pain in your calf or tendon, stop immediately.
## Pro Tip Add lateral crossovers (carioca) to your drills: move sideways, alternately crossing your legs in front of and behind your body. This excellently trains the stabilizing muscles around your hip, which keep your pelvis stable during the single-leg phase of normal running.
### How often should I do running drills? Twice a week is plenty, right after your warm-up and before your actual run. More isn't automatically better — clean, focused execution matters more than frequency.
### Do running drills actually make me faster? Not directly, but indirectly, yes. Drills program efficient movement patterns into your muscle memory. Run smoother with fewer braking forces, and you need less energy for the same pace — over time, that makes you faster and more efficient.
### Are running drills suitable for beginners? Yes, but dosed carefully. Start with 1 to 2 exercises and short distances of about 20 meters. The strain on your calf and Achilles tendon is higher than normal jogging — your body needs time to adapt.
### Do I need to do running drills before every run? No. Two fixed sessions a week are enough to get the technique benefits. On other running days, a normal warm-up is fine — otherwise you'd tire your legs unnecessarily before the actual training.