The Running School meets Britain’s Commonwealth Gold medal winning Decathlete, Dean Macey
20th November 2009
Dean Macey officially launched the second Running School franchise partnership at The Riverside Chiswick Club in London. He had this to say “The Running School is such a great concept and in my view can teach all sportsmen and women, as well as kids, of all abilities to improve their running technique and therefore increase speed, performance and agility in their sport” To read more of this article head over to Sky Sports by clicking the link below.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12975_5704739,00.html
Evening Standard – Born to run
27th May 200927 May 2009
The right technique can help you get into your stride, says Sophie Goodchild. Here we try a way to jog yourself fit.
The sunny weather and post-London Marathon euphoria have seen the streets and parks suddenly full to bursting with joggers.
If you are considering joining their ranks for the first time, you may think all you need do is put one foot in front of the other and pound the pavements. But running is tough on your joints and a poor technique can lead to injuries.
Expert Mike Antoniades from the Running School in Chiswick says many novice runners don’t know how to run properly: “Twenty-first century living is not good for us.
“Many of us don’t know how to move correctly because we spend so much time behind desks. And heavy handbags don’t help because women forget the importance of using their arms.”
Mike is one of a new breed of fitness coaches who can help maximise your performance either in person or via your mobile phone.
Special training packages can be installed on your phone with advice on technique.
We sent three writers to sample some of London’s best training programmes designed to aid effective, injury-free running.
THE RUNNING SCHOOL
What is it? A training programme which analyses your technique to pinpoint areas of weakness.
The teacher? Mike Antoniades, professional coach and sports lecturer. He trained Kirsty Gallagher for the Channel 4 series The Games. What happened? Mike believes you have to learn to walk properly before you can run. So I took some steps on a treadmill and my efforts were captured on video. His analysis was instant — I’m a “shuffler”.
My front thigh muscles do all the work instead of the powerful muscles down the back of my legs and in my bottom. It is unsurprising that I have a substantial derrière and find running unnatural and awkward. And my arm technique is not much better.
They should be driving the pace for the legs and setting the speed for the body by moving forward from the shoulder. But the video clearly showed mine making feeble swings.
So on to a real run. Unfortunately the results were pretty similar. Paula Radcliffe breaks records because she picks her heels up and uses her glutes.
I don’t pick my heels up and I also channel all my energy into my thighs. The result is I drag my legs forward with each step.
Verdict? Seeing myself on video was a revelation — especially how much I stick my bottom out.
Mike is an inspiration. Once he had corrected my body movements, everything else just clicked into place. For the first time in my life, I was comfortable and confident running instead of feeling I’d been born with mismatched limbs.
Cost? £240 for Adults, £180 for Kids
Telegraph Week-End – Children’s exercise: taking it all in their stride
Once a week nine-year-old Ben Dempsey shuts his books, hurries out of school and heads for a strange new kind of lesson that may shock some but could potentially revolutionise attitudes to child health and fitness. Ben is being taught how to run.
This doesn’t just mean joining a club for a quick trot around. More seriously, Ben is taking instruction in the basic art of putting one foot in front of the other, at speed: running as a skill, in other words. He even gets homework. And though some might claim that dashing about should be childishly instinctive, Ben’s running teacher claims that formalising the instinct boosts self-confidence, curbs obesity and, perhaps most significantly of all, instils exercise habits that can last a lifetime.
Ben’s father, Laurie Dempsey, is certainly convinced. Currently paying £40 a time for his son’s hour-long sessions at The Running School in Chiswick, West London, he says, “I don’t mind the cost at all. The difference it’s made already to Ben’s footwork, his running and his whole stance and set up is absolutely brilliant. And he enjoys it.”
Behind the new scheme is top-level sports coach Mike Antoniades, who made his name aiding athletes such as Olympic sprint champion Christine Ohuruogu. Helping elites with injury recovery and speed development, Antoniades developed the theory that ordinary children are missing out on decent exercise and need specialised attention to get them moving.
By making them more efficient at running, he reasoned, you could reduce long-term injuries and help them enjoy one of the most effective forms of exercise available.
“I see a whole generation of youngsters who are not getting enough physical activity and it’s affecting their biomechanics,” says Antoniades. “I’m seeing teenagers and people in their mid-twenties with back problems.”
His answer is simple: “Nobody teaches children how to run. We assume it is something that should come naturally. Yet if you were to play a game of rugby or tennis, you would seek instruction because it is a skill. Running is also a skill. It’s not instinctive. Out of 100 kids, only 10 will be naturally co-ordinated and the rest will struggle.”
His children’s courses offer six one-hour lessons costing a total of £240 and are currently aimed at eight to 14 year-olds, with a toddlers class for three-years and up planned for this summer. Using a treadmill or nearby park, children are assessed in short running bursts of 20 to 30 seconds. Their style is then corrected. Lessons and running homework hammer home fairly simple, but significant pointers.
A child may lean forward when running, putting too much stress on the back. Or might strike too hard with the heels, juddering their frame. They may fail to use their arms properly, causing the body to twist. By attacking problems like these, says Antoniades, you make for a faster, more efficient, less painful run. And children are likely to continue with something they are good at. “It’s important, instilling a discipline that will go on into life.”
Antoniades plans to franchise his Running School (which also takes adults), believing that no one else takes the subject seriously enough. “Clubs? What they do is get them tired. No one sits them down and teaches technique. After the London Marathon there will be so many people wanting to run and the majority will give up after a short time because it’s painful. Parents are bringing children to me because they are not enjoying PE or games. One seven-year-old’s mother said he wasn’t enjoying PE at school because he’s the slowest. In 15 minutes we changed the way he ran.”
One word of warning. Antoniades believes that under-14s should not run long distances, recommending instead that they try several 50-metre runs with breaks in between rather than slogging through a mile or more.
And what does Ben Dempsey think of his running lessons? A potential football star playing with youth squad, the Charlton Academy, he says, “I enjoy it, but it’s a bit difficult, you have to keep all these things in your head. But it’s doing me good. I’m faster.”
For details of The Running School courses call 020 8563 0007 or visit www.runningschool.co.uk
Run faster and more effectively with ‘The Running School’
By Beat Your PB on April 22, 2009
Sports Dimensions , one the UK’s leading multi-disciplinary sports injury and rehabilitation clinics based in Chiswick in West London, has launched a new innovative running programme called ‘The Running School’. The Running School teaches athletes about simple running biomechanics, balance and form and includes all the key technical factors involved with running faster, more efficiently and remaining injury-free.
Mike Antoniades, Founder of The Running School, and coach to a number of professional triathletes and track & field athletes to Olympic standard says: “We have designed modules to teach athletes how to run faster and more effectively as well as how to avoid common sports and running injuries. Many of us have never been taught how to run. We think its something that we pick-up naturally and we don’t realize until the pain begins that we are actually running inefficiently which can lead to injuries.”
How it works
The Running School programme will provide you with answers to questions including:
• How to use your arms while running?
• What is the best way for the foot to land?
• How can you run faster?
• How to reduce repetitive strain injuries?
• How can you change your inefficient running style?
The Running School believes that most of the injuries that runners get are because of landing shock. The running style that many novice runners and many seasoned recreational runners adopt is very inefficient and causes stresses and strains on the body, which causes the majority of runners, about 65%, to get injured every year, and the numbers are much higher when they enter a race and start increasing the volume or intensity of their running. The reason? Most haven’t been taught how to run.
Mike Antoniades adds: “After injury or surgery the biomechanics of how we move can change, and if not corrected and addressed this can lead to further injury or a slower recovery from the initial injury. The Running School techniques can also be used to re-train and re-educate runners post injury or surgery and as part of their rehabilitation programme. I am very excited about this new venture. I’ve not doubt at all that The Running School will help children and Runners of all ages, run faster, recover from injury quicker and increase levels of performance and enjoyment of sport.”
Want to run faster and more effectively?
For further information please contact: The Running School™ -www.runningschool.co.uk .
TRI247 – The Running School
By TRI247 on April 4th, 2009
Sport Dimensions launches ‘The Running School®’ franchise for healthcare and fitness professionals in the sports, health and fitness industry.
Sport Dimensions, one the UK’s leading multi-disciplinary sports injury and rehabilitation clinics based in Chiswick in West London, has launched a new innovative running programme called ‘The Running School’. The Running School teaches: children, recreational runners and elite-performance athletes about simple running biomechanics, balance and form and includes all the key technical factors involved with running faster, more efficiently and remaining injury-free.
Mike Antoniades, Founder of The Running School says: “We have designed three modules to teach: children, recreational runners, or elite-performance athletes how to run faster and more effectively as well as how to avoid common sports and running injuries. Many of us have never been taught how to run. We think its something that we pick-up naturally and we don’t realize until the pain begins that we are actually running inefficiently which can lead to injuries.”
The Running School is available as a business franchise opportunity for Health & Fitness professionals such as personal trainers, physiotherapists looking to add to their service offerings, create a new revenue stream for their business. The Running School can also become part of every sports department at schools, colleges and universities looking to incorporate a specific running module as part of their existing sports science, schools or education programme. The franchise package includes everything to get you started, including staff training and sports science education, operations manual, sales and marketing material as well as software.
The new Running School programme involves analyzing individual running biomechanics and creating tailored coaching sessions to improve running technique, performance and above all enjoyment. The 6 week training programme is based on an individual’s fitness ability and initially involves six training sessions. In the first session is spent analyzing and assessing your biomechanics, the way you move, the way you walk and jog. The coaches will look at any weaknesses that the individual may have and then start correcting your biomechanics and in simple terms improving your running technique.
The next five training sessions are dedicated to teaching and coaching the correct technique, based on your fitness level and what you want to achieve. Homework is also given so that you can follow when you are on your own. The training will be based on your individual fitness levels and include a Running School Handbook on running programmes, nutrition, strength work and & stretching guide. The training sessions can be spread over six weeks or can be completed in a shorter period of time.
If you look at advice and training programmes for novice or fun runners in magazines, books or on internet websites you will find a lot of advice on volume of training, frequency of training, running clubs, shoes, clothes, heart rate monitors, places to run etc. You will not find advice on:
- How to use your arms while running?
- What is the best way for the foot to land?
- How can you run faster?
- How to reduce repetitive strain injuries?
- How can you change your inefficient running style?
Most of the injuries that runners get are because of landing shock. The running style that many novice runners and many seasoned recreational runners adopt is very inefficient and causes stresses and strains on the body, which causes the majority of runners, about 65%, to get injured every year, and the numbers are much higher when they enter a race and start increasing the volume or intensity of their running. The reason? Most haven’t been taught how to run.
Mike Antoniades also adds: “After injury or surgery the biomechanics of how we move can change, and if not corrected and addressed this can lead to further injury or a slower recovery from the initial injury. The Running School techniques can also be used to re-train and re-educate runners post injury or surgery and as part of their rehabilitation programme. I am very excited about this new venture. I’ve not doubt at all that The Running School will help children and Runners of all ages, run faster, recover from injury quicker and increase levels of performance and enjoyment of sport.”
For further information please see: www.runningschool.co.uk
Getting Kids Running… The Right Way
by Mike.Antoniades 1. April 2009 03:32
Running Free Magazine / April 2009
If you believe running enhances your life, it’s only natural to want to pass your passion for the sport onto your children. But, as The Running School’s Mike Antoniades says, there’s alot more to teaching your kids about running than just taking them out on one of your regular sessions…
You come in after a 30 minute run, that seemed to last the best part of the day. You look like something the cat dragged in, knees and back aching, lungs burning, feet on fire. The next thing you know the kids are tugging your arm shouting, “Can I come with you and run next time? Please, please, I can do it, its easy!”. Sound familiar?
And perhaps you think, ‘Yes, it would be good to get the kids into running. It’ll be great for them to get some time a way from the TV & computer screen if nothing else (not to mention hopefully wearing them out so they’ll go to sleep earlier).’ Oh and then there’s Sports Day coming-up and you don’t want them coming in last in the egg and spoon race!
The Wobbles
So, next time you go out you take them with you to the park and watch them shuffle along the ground just like you with occasional bursts of speed, arms flailing like an octopus, just like you, co-ordination all over the place. It’s going great, for about three minutes, and then they start saying they’re tired and have had enough. Already! This is no good, you don’t want them to get in the habit of giving up too soon. So, you begin the advice. “You can’t be tired already, try and keep going just a bit more,” you say. And then it’s, “No! Not like that… Faster… Stop swinging from side to side… No! Stop thumping the ground…”
Your instinct as a parent is correct. Our kids do spend too much time sitting on their backsides every day, watching television, on the internet, playing computer games, in class, being driven around. This is changing their biomechanics – the way they move and the way they hold themselves – and even their moods and ability to concentrate. Children’s bodies should get two to three hours of exercise every day. Sadly, few get even 30 minutes per day. So, running is a good habit for them to pick-up early in life.
But, stop and think for a moment, who taught you to run? Chances are, nobody did. You just got up and ran.
Getting it Right From the Start
You might have read advice and tips in magazines, books, or on the net, probably centred around volume of training, frequency of training, running clubs, shoes, clothes, heart rate monitors, etc. But it’s unlikely you’ll have come across anything that has really helped you develop and improve your technique.
Most of the injuries runners get are because of landing shock. The running style that many novice runners and even seasoned recreational runners adopt tends to be very inefficient and causes stresses and strains on the body. I believe this is the reason the majority of runners, about 65%, get injured every year – and the numbers are much higher when they enter a race and start increasing the volume or intensity of their running.
To avoid this we need to be taught the proper techniques of good running. You can buy all the expensive shoes, clothes and gadgets you want, but without learning the right running technique it’s almost like buying a car, picking out the model, the colour, organising payment and then remembering you don’t know how to drive! Running, especially running fast, is a skill and just like any other skill it can be taught and it can be developed to a high level. Through using some basic techniques you and your kids can learn to run faster, safer, and get more enjoyment from your training.
Brain-Body Training
Remember, children are not mini-adults and you can’t expect them to copy what you do in your training programme. When we learn a new way of moving (like the fi rst time we run) our brain and muscles develop a movement pattern, which is like a map, so it can remember the movement the next time we repeat it.
The problem is you can’t simply perform the movement once and save it. You have to repeat the sequence over and over until that particular movement pattern is permanently ingrained in your muscle memory. That is why youngsters, when they are learning a new skill, are initially erratic, jumpy and unsteady, but then begin to smooth out their movements. They become more effi cient in the process until eventually it happens automatically.
Children learn very quickly compared to adults. At the Running School we can change the running technique of an eight or nine year old in 60 minutes and have them comfortable with their new technique, but it can take two to three sessions to change the ineffi cient running technique of an adult.
Start Young
Parents ask me when is the best time to get their children started in running. I tell them that, although movement training should begin as soon as possible after the 7th or 8th birthday depending on the growth rate, the optimal time for training movement and running is between the ages of nine and 12. Without getting too deeply into human biology and sports science, this is because there is still the possibility of developing and steering the central nervous system at this age and youngsters have the potential to acquire high levels of coordination and agility.
We are not talking about sending children out on long distance runs here. That would be counter-productive to what we trying to achieve, which is to teach the technique of running. Kids learn better when they are fresh and having fun. The exercises should be enjoyable and, yes, intense, but of short duration – about eight to twelve seconds.
Training in more basic, functional, movement can and should begin between the ages of three and six years old. With the correct teaching methodologies toddlers can develop balance, coordination, awareness, agility and sport skills from a very early stage, which gives them a tremendous advantage if they decide to take up a sport or be active later.
The Keys to Good Technique
So, how can you help your child to learn to run? The most effi cient running motion is when the body has very little up and down movement (bouncing). The arms are relaxed, but moving like mini pistons backwards and forwards, and the legs are cycling with the heel coming up above the back of the knee when it is off the ground. This is what you’re aiming to teach them to do by concentrating on the following:
Feet: The feet should be landing under the body (centre of gravity) not ahead of it. Overstriding causes a braking action and slows runners down.
Landing: They need to learn to land lightly on their feet. The best and most efficient way to run is to land on the balls of the feet, not on the heel. When we tech children this is what we advise as the ideal. But if someone’s been a heel-toe runner for a while it can be diffi cult to adjust. We advise starting by practising landing lighter on the ground and trying minimise the time the foot spends on the ground. At fi rst it’s a good idea to practice for 10 minutes at a time to get used to it.
Lower Leg Cycling motion: Teach them to move their legs in a cycling motion, like riding a bike. They should pull their heels up towards their backside as well as lifting the knees.
Arms: Good coordination of the arms with the legs eliminates bounce and gets runners moving forward rather than upwards. The arms should be bent at the elbow at about 90 degrees and the movement should be back and forward. The fingers should be closed but relaxed (as if holding an egg) and the hand should be moving to the chin and the hip.
Don’t try and get your child to take everything on at once, it can take several sessions to learn each technique. Work on each one until it becomes fl uid and then move onto the next.
The Running School
• The Running School is a unique centre dedicated to teaching people of all ages ‘How to Run’. A detailed to teaching and coaching running technique, based on fi tness levels and what you want to achieve.
• Courses start weekly from 8 years old to 80.
• “We teach you how to run and then… we teach you how to run FAST!”
• For more information on improving your running and on franchise Information log on www.runningschool.co.uk. Tel: 020 8563 0007
Cool Runnings
16th December 2008
Cool Runnings
Training for the London Marathon but plagued with injuries, Sky News’ Josh Whittington seeks help from a doctor with a difference.
I used to think I could run. Nothing special mind you – certainly nothing to cause Paula Radcliffe to lose any sleep. But I played a lot of sport, loved jogging and all the parts felt like they were going in the right direction. So why did I always get injured? From the age of 16 it seemed to be one problem after another – knees, ankles, feet and back – all the usual suspects gave me problems at some stage. Like most people who aren’t elite athletes, I put up with the twinges, rested them, occasionally got some physiotherapy and hoped they would go away.But they didn’t, and I was worried I’d have to stop playing my favourite sports, put away the running shoes and rule out any thought of strenuous activity. And the worst thing was I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d been doing wrong.
Last week, I discovered a way of finding out. The timing was perfect. I have a place in the London marathon in two weeks’ time and the pressure is on. Typically, I injure my foot during training and am worried it will put me out of the race. In hope, I make my way to shadowy arches at Stamford Brook Tube station in west London to visit Sport Dimensions, a kind of hospital for ‘sick’ runners.
The team at Sport Dimensions put running styles under the microscope, analyse the results, then help you get better. I meet my ‘doctor’, Mike Antoniades, a performance and rehabilitation director, and after a quick change I tentatively start walking on one of the several treadmills scattered throughout the cavernous centre.
For the next 45 minutes, I’m put through my paces. From a nice walk, to a slightly less comfortable jog, all the way to an extremely uncomfortable uphill sprint, Mike analyses every move I make. He watches me close-up (claiming to identify a few problems just from watching me walk) and videotapes the entire procedure for a more detailed investigation. It is a tough work-out but, as Mike explains, he needs to see my body reacted to being physically exhausted to see how my biomechanics change.
He doesn’t have to carry me off the treadmill when I finish but I’m breathing hard when Mike and I take a look at the video. He explains several things wrong with my action – many of the problems fit straight away with suspicions I already have. Years ago, I injured my right knee and I don’t put enough weight on it. I didn’t realise how drastically it was changing the way I ran – instead I was putting heavy pressure on my left foot and that had led to it troubling me in training. Other things were more of a surprise: I wasn’t using my hamstrings enough; I flicked my right leg out; slumped forward and twisted my midriff. The list was long and less than glorious. Importantly, Mike tries to help rather than simply pick out weakness because he can.
As he explains everything, I watch myself run on the video (I had never seen myself running before) and I start to understand the causes of my recent injuries. The problems were solvable, Mike tells me.
He claims to be able to help and rehabilitate just about anyone – from elite athletes to weekend warriors and your average couch potatoes. Even if it’s just to help you walk better. It’s not a quick process, and can take anywhere between 12-18 sessions over 6-8 weeks. For Mike and his clients, it is a question of reprogramming the body to correct movements.
There is complex science behind it all, but for the layman the equation is this: to change the way your body moves, you need to store the correct movement in your ‘muscle memory’ so you can repeat it without thinking – particularly when you get tired. To do this takes training and time. At £40 per hour session, it is not a cheap proposition and ultimately it’s a question of weighing up how important an active lifestyle is to you. But if you’re spending most of your time watching sport enviously from the sidelines or hobbling into the physiotherapy, it is definitely a great option. Of course there are no guarantees but I get the feeling if anyone can put you back on track, it is Mike and his team.
For me, my last run with Mike on the treadmill is a mini-revelation. I haven’t felt as fast or strong since I was a young lad dreaming of running in the Olympics. The London Marathon should be a doddle!
The golden rules of running:
- Don’t bounce too much
- Try not to over stride
- Make sure you use your hamstrings
- Land on your feet lightly
- Relax your shoulders
- Make sure you use your arms
- Don’t twist your midriff side to side
- Your head and upper body should not be bent forward
- Try not to jog slower than you could walk
