Some experts believe that an athletes running performance comes from perfecting their own natural stride.
Others believe in re-educating the technique and form of an athlete, increasing their performance based on studies and research.
No matter what your belief is, understanding the strengths and weaknesses in your own stride is the first step to perfecting your own running technique.
This is where coaching apps that record and playback slow motion footage, can not only help you analyze and identify key areas in your technique, but they can also provide a unique perspective that can help you discover and further develop your stride, walk, jog, run or sprint.
Top 3 Coaching apps
3. Slopro
SloPro is a good all round video recording and slow motion replay app. It is useful for gaining that unique perspective that we as runners often miss.
All you need is a coach, friend or family member to record your stride on this app. Replay the recorded footage in slow motion and discover your running form and technique.
Try altering your technique and start this process again, you will often find some interesting results. SloPro is free on both Apple and Android.
2. Hudl Technique
Hudl Technique is an app focused on improving an athlete’s technique. It works in a similar way to SloPro, but after the footage is recorded you have the option to highlight your own strengths and weaknesses.
By utilizing Hudl’s predefine drawing tools (circles, squares, ovals and arrows), you can draw feedback on top of the slow motion recording, highlighting key areas in your performance. This handy feature essentially gives you the opportunity to document and further understand your own running technique.
Additionally, Hudl also comes with a side by side video comparison tool. This neat tool can help you compare your own stride with other professional runners. Visually discovering the new ways that you can improve or even discovering the secrets behind the speed and endurance of another athlete.
Hudl Technique has both a free and paid version, and is supported on both Apple and Android.
1. Coaches Eye
Coaches Eye has similar functionality to Hudl Technique. But further enhances, technique discovery and understanding with the addition of a multi-camera record and sync feature.
Essentially it can capture footage streamed wirelessly from other devices in the area. Potentially covering a 360 degree view of your running technique. You could setup your GoPro to record your stride from the front, your iPhone to record from behind and your friend’s android device to record from your left and right hand side.
Collecting and replaying this footage back in slow motion can help you locate your strengths and weaknesses. Providing an ample amount of information useful in; improving and perfecting your running technique.
Coaches Eye can be purchased from the apple store for $4.99 and has a free 3-day trial on Android. Both Apple and Android have optional in-app purchases that enhance functionality.
Start Widening your Perspective
The way we learn how to run is from what we hear, feel and see. We perfect and tune our running technique based on these experiences.
While we focus so much on our own personal perspective, we often overlook the value found in another’s, such as a coach, friend or family member. Coaching apps build on this 3rd person perspective, by providing a unique slow motion view that can help you analyze and develop your step, stride, pace and speed.
They are just one of the many apps that both casual and professional runners should be using to reduce their learning curb and improve their performance.
