Landing Pattern / Edge Landing

The words "Heel Landing" and "Midfoot Landing" are among the most frequently used when evaluating running. In general, a midfoot landing is best, but there are many cases where the foot lands on the outside of the shoe, even though it looks like a midfoot landing. The Landing Pattern and the Edge Landing metric also detects such movements.

Does the Landing Pattern / Edge Landing matter?

There is a lot of debate about how to land, but most experts agree that the best landing pattern is mid-foot, as it allows for the fastest transition to the next phase, and improves Heel Pitch (MPI). This may be the reason why many elite athletes execute a midfoot landing (or close to it).

However, in some cases of midfoot landings, the foot is landing on the edge of the shoe (Edge Landing). Since the ankle is naturally slightly turned inward, it is difficult to completely eliminate edge landings. However, too much of this edge landing is not a good thing.

 

A is a midfoot landing, but has a strong edge landing.
B has a toe landing, but his edge landing is not that strong.

If you have an extreme edge landing or a non-flat landing, the landing impact will put a localized load on the landing area and ankle joint, which will not only make you inefficient but also increase your risk of injury. While Landing Pattern detects "toe landing" and "heel landing", Edge Landing detects inefficient (excessive?) edge landings patterns. This is likely to vary depending on the left and right side differences and the type of shoes.

*Edge landings are similar to the so-called "pronation" movement, which is the inward bending of the ankle joint after landing. Strictly speaking, edge landing is not the same as pronation.

Both Landing Pattern and Edge Landing are displayed as the angle of the shoe at the moment of landing: Landing Pattern is the angle seen from the side, and Edge Landing is the angle seen from behind. The Landing Pattern shows the angle as a positive value for a heel foot strike (the toe is up at the moment of landing) and a negative value for a fore foot strike. In both cases, the magnitude of the value is the magnitude of the angle.

A heel foot strike is represented by a positive angle and a fore foot strike by a negative angle.

Edge Landing is also displayed as an angle, but unlike the Landing Pattern, it is impossible to land from the inside of the shoe. Therefore, the value is always positive and represents the angle at the moment of landing, when the outside of the shoe is down. There is no negative value, but it is unlikely to be zero.

About the value of the Landing Pattern

• The unit is [°] because it is the "angle change until flat". The type of landing can be separated according to the value.

• The average value for 5 seconds is displayed.

• A negative value is a toe landing (Fore Foot Strike = FFS) and a positive value is a heel landing (Heel Foot Strike = HFS).

• 0° is the midfoot strike (Mid Foot Strike = MFS), which is rarely perfectly 0°. Generally speaking, ±5° is MFS.

Landing Pattern	Visual Reference
5.0° <	Heel Foot Strike (Inefficient)
5.0 - -5.0°	Mid Foot Strike (Most efficient)
< -5.0°	Fore Foot Strike (Efficient)

 

About the value of the Edge Landing

• The unit is [°] because it is the "angle change until flat". The type of landing can be separated according to the value.
• The value will be greater than zero and will not be negative.

Edge Landing	Visual Reference
< 15.0°	Fairly weak edge landing (best condition)
15.0 - 20.0°	Weak edge landing
20.0 - 25.0	Average edge landing
25.0 - 30.0	Strong edge landing
30.0° <	Fairly strong edge landing (high risk of injury)

Sensors

• Foot placement

• Use sensor clip

• Attach to shoes with shoelaces

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

Real-time data & analysis

Landing Patterns can be observed in real-time during the activity.

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