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REVIEW ARTICLE
A New Direction to Athletic Performance: Understanding
the Acute and Longitudinal Responses to Backward Running
Aaron Uthoff
1
•Jon Oliver
1,2
•John Cronin
1,3
•Craig Harrison
1
•Paul Winwood
1,4
Published online: 1 March 2018
ÓSpringer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Backward running (BR) is a form of locomotion
that occurs in short bursts during many overground field and
court sports. It has also traditionally been used in clinical
settings as a method to rehabilitate lower body injuries.
Comparisons between BR and forward running (FR) have
led to the discovery that both may be generated by the same
neural circuitry. Comparisons of the acute responses to FR
reveal that BR is characterised by a smaller ratio of braking to
propulsive forces, increased step frequency, decreased step
length, increased muscle activity and reliance on isometric
and concentric muscle actions. These biomechanical dif-
ferences have been critical in informing recent scientific
explorations which have discovered that BR can be used as a
method for reducing injury and improving a variety of
physical attributes deemed advantageous to sports perfor-
mance. This includes improved lower body strength and
power, decreased injury prevalence and improvements in
change of direction performance following BR training. The
current findings from research help improve our under-
standing of BR biomechanics and provide evidence which
supports BR as a useful method to improve athlete
performance. However, further acute and longitudinal
research is needed to better understand the utility of BR in
athletic performance programs.
Key Points
The acute effects of backward running display
unique cardiorespiratory and biomechanical
responses compared to forward running. While
running backward appears to be demanding on the
cardiorespiratory system and require high total
activation of lower limb muscles it has been shown
to display less mechanical strain on the knee joint
when compared to forward running.
Research suggests that implementing backward
running into longitudinal athletic training programs
is associated with decreased injury prevalence,
increased lower limb strength and improved change
of direction performance.
Though the acute and longitudinal benefits of
backward running are many, it is currently under-
represented in the scientific literature when
compared to other forms of locomotion.
1 Introduction
It is understood that forward running (FR) is a propulsive
form of locomotion characteristic of most overground
sports. Running in humans is a method of terrestrial loco-
motion that can refer to a variety of speeds ranging from
jogging to sprinting. Running is unique to other forms of
&Aaron Uthoff
uthoffaaron@gmail.com
1
Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand
(SPRINZ), AUT Millennium, AUT University, Auckland,
New Zealand
2
Youth Physical Development Unit, School of Sport, Cardiff
Metropolitan University, Cyncoed Campus, Cyncoed Road,
Cardiff CF23 6XD, UK
3
School of Health and Medical Science, Edith Cowan
University, Perth, WA, Australia
4
Department of Sport and Recreation, School of Applied
Science, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Tauranga, New
Zealand
123
Sports Med (2018) 48:1083–1096
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0877-5
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.