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Tall Running Posture

Learn to run tall with relaxed shoulders and a slight lean from your ankles.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Stand tall like a string pulls your head up.

Core: Posture and arms. Beat your own smoothest stride.

Ages
7 and up
Time
8 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Flat grass
Level · skill
Beginner · Running Form

The steps

How it works

  1. Stand tall like a string pulls your head up.
  2. Lean forward from your ankles until you start to jog.
  3. Keep your shoulders low and hands loose.
  4. Do 8 short jogs of 30 yards.

Coaching point

Tall, loose, lean.

Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight or something hurts. Pain in one spot that gets worse each run, or a limp: stop and see a doctor.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Form spotters: one runs easily past while the partner shares one thing they liked, like tall posture or quick feet. Swap.

Challenge

Pick a focus: Less (posture), Core (posture and arms), More (posture, arms and quick feet). Beat your own smoothest stride.

Story

You are a gazelle running tall and light.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own smoothest stride. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free cross country week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

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An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.