Heel Pitch

Heel Pitch measures how quickly the vertical impact force of landing is processed and transferred into a horizontal propulsive force. 

Heel Pitch is a unique Motion Performance Indicator (MPI), available only with LEOMO products.

Summary

• Heel Pitch focuses on the technique immediately after landing and how quickly landing forces are absorbed and converted into the propulsive forces. 

• Heel Pitch is measured as the time between initial contact through the duration of the flat stance phase as a percentage of the total stride time.

• A lower score indicates greater efficiency of force transfer.

Why Heel Pitch is important

In order to effectively transfer the propulsion assessed by Strike AR to the ground, it is necessary to quickly process the vertical energy generated by the landing and move into the acceleration phase to transfer as much of the propulsion as possible.

The figure above shows the landing with the time axis.

At any given speed, a lower Heel Pitch score indicates a lower braking force (and therefore a lower metabolic cost) and a more efficient transfer of energy. An increased Heel Pitch score indicates a higher braking force and therefore a higher metabolic cost. 

The Heel Pitch assesses whether the foot is able to exit the Flat State during the standing phase and quickly move into the next Acceleration Phase. In other words, the shorter the Heel Pitch time shown in the above figure, the better. The diagram above is an example of a heel landing, but midfoot landers will also have a shorter time to Flat State (“Move to flat” state).

A poor score on Heel Pitch is an indication that it is taking longer to process the landing energy. In general, you'll be rated as "lagging", "sinking", or having "weak spring in your step."

Heel Pitch expresses the above time as a percentage of the total stride. This value is a more accurate measure of propulsion efficiency than the typical Ground Contact Time (GCT) and is an indicator of a runner's technique.

The Heel Pitch can be affected to a small degree by speed, fatigue, shoe type, and surface condition, so it should be utilized with care. That said, a major trend could be the specific characteristics of an athlete.

About the value of Heel Pitch

• Heel Pitch is TK is % (0 to 100). Since it is the transition time as a percentage of the total time, it will never be less than 0% and will never be greater than 100%.

• Top-level athletes can make less than 30%

• A low value (low percentage) means that there is less wasted motion to handle the landing energy in the standing phase, and it is possible to quickly move on to the next acceleration phase.

• In other words, the lower the value, the more efficiently you can run.

Heel Pitch	Level	Visual Reference
< 25%	Very efficient	Run with strong stiffness
25 – 29%	Moderately efficient	Stiff enough
29 - 33%	Moderately inefficient	Delayed a bit
> 33%	Inefficient	Sinking, slow

Sensors

• Foot placement

• Use sensor clip

• Attach to shoes with shoelaces

• Insert it from the heel to the toe (To prevent it from falling)

• If the sensor clip is worn close to the toes, it may hit the toes. It is recommended to mount the clip as close to the ankle as possible.

Real-time data & analysis

Heel Pitch can be observed in real-time during the activity.

Coaches can also access the scores in real-time, with the LEOMO LVS.

Related

Part of the Stride Cycle, together with: Recoil AR, Thigh Swing Speed, and Strike AR.