Audio

Video

You might’ve seen runners doing these fancy high-knee skips during their warmup. Looks simple, right?

Just a little rhythm, a little bounce. Easy.

Then five seconds in when you try it yourself… your brain short-circuits and your body forgets which arm and leg move at what time.

Here’s how to finally make the a-skip drill click for a distance runner with no drill experience all you need is one rail and four steps.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

In this episode I’ll be going over

– What an A-skip actually is (and why it matters with science to back all of this up)

– The 4-step pattern to unlock it, even if you’ve never done form drills before

– How to use a wall or rail to teach your body coordination

– The biggest mistakes runners make and how to fix them

– plus a free downloadable training plan to help you apply all of it to your own running life

USP

I’m Daren DLake, run coach, biomechanics nerd, and former track runner that couldn’t do a-skips when I first saw them.

Now I use a skips to help me run sub 3 hour marathons and complete Ironman tris in 10 hours al so that I can help 10,000 self coached runners figure out this form dril thing 1% better each day.

Let’s get into it.

THE PROBLEM

Most runners skip A-skips. And not just in their warmup—I mean skip them entirely.

Why? Because they’re harder than they look.

And no one breaks down the actual neuromuscular pattern.

They just show a polished version in some 30-second Instagram reel,

Charlie Hawkins

*https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O9wh-huxbxU*

*https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xBLPV3FyoY4*

expecting you to copy it like you’re a movement photocopier.

But for a distance runner with zero track background? That’s setting you up to fail.

Common beginner fails:

– Arms and legs move in sync instead of opposite

– Knees stay low, ankles flop

– Rhythm’s off, timing’s weird, everything feels awkward

– And it’s embarrassing, so you avoid it

Run Science Nerd Break #1 — What A-Skips Actually Train In Your Body

A-skips aren’t just some show-off drill.

They train:

– Hip flexor coordination

– Ankle stiffness + elastic return

– And fast ground contact—aka the holy trinity of running economy.

Running form isn’t natural.

Natural doesn’t mean optimal.

Left untrained, your body always chooses comfort over performance.

(use study fram here – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22089481/

Scientists in France discovered that elite runners spend about 150-200 milliseconds on the ground per step—that’s faster than you can blink. And here’s the kicker: you can actually train this bounce with drills, not just by running harder.

THE SOLUTION

Don’t start with the full A-skip.

Break it into four simple pieces. Use a rail or wall to anchor the pattern.

Try to have a mirror/reflective surface near you if possible to help correct your form. Or if you don’t have that use a camera with front camera on to see yourself on the screen (and to watch back later)

Let’s walk through it.

CTA #1 — Fight Algorithm Gods

If you made it this far—you’re a real one and I appreciate you.

All you gotta do to support this?

– Watch to the end

– Like

– Share

– Or drop a comment: Do you do a-skips? If so, was it easy to start with? If not, why don’t you do them?

This… helps more self-coached runners like you find this.

Step 1: Learn the Four Moves Separately

One hand on the rail. Other side does the work.

This step is broken into 4 sub parts: part a Hop + Ankle Snap, b Arm Drive, c Knee Drive, and d Reset

We will focus on one leg/one side at a time.

Use a rail or wall with one hand. Your rail hand stays still. Your free arm and leg do all the work.

After doing each turn around/180 degrees to work the other side

STEP A: Hop + Ankle Snap

– start off with your weight opposite the rail

then Shift your weight to the leg facing the rail by Doing a small hop in place.

– As you hop, snap your ankle down like you’re scraping gum off your shoe.

Cue: “Hop and snap.”

STEP B: Arm Drive (Down + Back)

– As you hop and snap, drive your free arm down and back like you’re elbowing someone behind you.

– Keep the arm tight to your side. Don’t swing across your body.

Cue: “Snap the foot, drive the arm.”

STEP C: Knee Drive (Up)

– While your arm drives back, lift the opposite knee up high.

– Stop when your thigh is flat (knee at hip height).

– Keep your foot flexed (toes up).

Cue: “Knee up, foot flexed.”

STEP D: Reset (Down + Up)

– Let the knee drop straight down under your hip.

– At the same time, reset your arm by bringing it back up.

– Then go again from Step 1.

Cue: “Drop and reset.”

Full Sequence Summary:

1. Hop + Snap → 2. Arm Drive → 3. Knee Up → 4. Reset

“Hop and snap. Arm back. Knee up. Drop and reset.”

Now repeat by turning around 180 degrees to work the opposite leg/arm.

STEP 2 — Assisted A-SkipStill holding the rail. Now connect the 4 steps.

Start slow. Let rhythm come last. Focus on getting it right. This might take a few days or a week or two. Stay patient

– 10–20 skips per side

– Rail helps your balance so your brain can focus on coordination

– Don’t overthink the bounce—it’ll come

*Start slow. Let the pattern shape the rhythm.*Focus on getting it right before you add speed or movement

STEP 3 — Free A-Skip

Now let go of the rail.

– Same pattern, now with rhythm

Do it in place to fully understand it (no need to move)

– Once you get that, then Do 2x 20m very slowly.

do a slight lean forward to get momentum. You’re not running

– Focus on light ground contact, not height

– Also remember – You’re not bounding—you’re bouncing

“Clean rhythm. Not higher.”

Run Science Nerd Break: Why This Works

The goal is to train elastic return through the ankle and hip—not power or height.

Think of it like rehearsing one frame of your stride, slowly and precisely.

(use this study – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2019.00053/full )

German biomechanics nerds found that runners with springier ankles use 5-7% less energy at the same pace. Think of A-skips as turning your ankles into pogo sticks—more bounce, less work, same speed

But here’s the thing – knowing these 4 steps is only half the battle. The real question is: how do you actually program this into your training without overdoing it or underdoing it? That’s exactly why I created…

Use This To Get Better at A-Skips Now

A 30-day A-skip & form drill plan.

It tells you when to do each drill, how many reps, and how to progress without overdoing it.

Free download. QR Code, Link below or link in show notes.

Bonus: You’ll also get a sneak peek at something deeper I’m building.

But let’s be real—we’re all busy runners. You need a practical way to implement this without overthinking it.

STEP 4 — Beginner Weekly Plan

Here’s how to actually use this:

– Do 2–3 rounds per session

— We are only focusing on a-skips so this should take 3-5 minutes total.

— Use this as a warmup before your run. You can literally just do this then start running.I actually highly suggest you do these types of form drills to prime your nervous system for actual running.

– Train this 1 time per week for 2 weeks, then 2times per week.

– Each round is…

→ Step 1 drills

→ Step 2 assisted skips

→ Step 3 free skips

– When 8 out of 10 reps look clean, drop the rail and you can do this outside.

— Give yourself 4-6 weeks to really figure this out and record it every week to see your progress and put it side by side

Variations & Progressions

Once you get really good you can start looking to speed things up and getting extra pro looking.

Add a double bounce in each leg followed by a quick “switch” to the other leg.

This looks easy but is really hardd to get the rhtyhm of.

Then add a triple bounce once you get the double.

It also acts as a fun plyometric workout too.

COMMON ERRORS BY RUNNERS

In Card CTA: Strength Workouts 5x

Problem	Fix
Knee too low	Repeat knee drill
Foot slaps ground	Do more ankle snaps and keep foot pointed up aka Dorsal flexion
Arm crosses midline	Cue “elbow back”, head up, neck hanging like a christmas tree ornament
Off balance	Use rail, slow it down
Pain or discomfort	Stop + regress, never force it. Go see a running or sports specific physical therapist to help you

WHY IT MATTERS

Once you can A-skip with control, everything in your stride improves.

– Your hip flexors fire faster

– Your ankles snap back quicker

– Your rhythm smooths out

And here’s the secret: this one drill builds speed, without needing to run faster.

But remember, belief is the foundation that makes all of this work. When you genuinely believe in the process and trust that these movements are rewiring your running brain, your body follows suit with measurable improvements.

I dive deeper into how belief drives physical performance in my upcoming book, The 1% Better Runner, where I show you how small technical improvements compound into massive results.

Use these 4 drills before doing a-ski

Again, if you want to implement this right now go and download the free training plan and quick start guide.

And as a bonus you’ll sign up for my weekly 5 minutes or less email newsletter that goes deep on topics like this, vo2 max, strides, threshold and we have a bit of fun in there cuz running should be fun.

But a-skips are a bit advanced. if you want to learn the 4 basic form drills that I use all the time to keep myself running properly – check out this episode here, or hit the link below or in the show notes of your podcast player.

A-Skips