DASH – The art of running properly

DASH – The art of running properly

Do you know how to run? Not just run . . . really run? I’m talking sprint. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “of course I know how to run, who doesn’t?”—apparently, a lot of people. I was one of those people, thinking I knew how to run—but I definitely didn’t. And even if you aren’t an avid runner, a casual runner, or don’t even like speed-walking for that matter, this new way of learning how to run will be fun and entertaining enough to make you forget all your preconceived notions about running!

New kids on the block, Dash Team London, is a new London-based group that allowed the Fit
Londoners team to take part in the classes they are running. Dash, which just opened up classes in January of this year, has hit the ground running—literally. Their classes, which can only hold a maximum of ten people, are filling up or practically filling up every week—and they’re only growing more popular. Their teaching technique is so pure and simple, it seems everyone has overlooked it when trying to run. Their class consists of simple exercises (that will make you realise how uncoordinated you are) that allow you to learn what your body should be doing when it’s running. These exercises include: walking with high knees, but focusing on foot placement and movement with every step; quick-stepping in place to focus on the movement of your arms and where they should be placed in your peripheral vision; and learning how to fall so that your body is able to recognise momentum, lean into it when the time is right, and dash.

Don’t fear though, even if you feel like the most uncoordinated person while doing the exercises, they’re only meant to help you with muscle movement for what your body should be doing while sprinting. Strangely enough, the sillier you feel doing the exercises, the better it will be when you are running, because your body will know what it’s meant to be doing. After the warm-up exercises, you start the actual workout, and the best part? It’s only 10 minutes of real work. Yup, just 10 minutes. Don’t just assume it will be easy though—you have to stay moving the entire time. The instructors will have you sprint a certain distance and gauge the fitness levels of the group, and work with you in between each sprint. They help with your take-off (remember the momentum exercise?), with your explosiveness in the beginning, and learning how to control your arms and trick your mind into thinking you’re not tired (the trick is to move your arms faster than your legs and you’ll actually go faster).

At the end of the class, you realise that for only 10 minutes of work, it was actually a lot harder than you thought. But those post-exercise endorphins are definitely worth it, and will keep you coming back for more. But it’s guaranteed that after a class with DASH, you’ll come away knowing more about running than you ever thought possible.

Post courtesy of Hailey and Marina from Fitlondoners

Find your nearest DASH class here

Check out our facebook page

By |May 3rd, 2016|Health|0 Comments

Leave A Comment