Strike a Pose

A local coach shows Main Line athletes how to move with gravity.

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A chance viewing of a DVD changed Tracy Peal’s life. As the triathlon coach watched the runner jumping and hopping in the instructional segment, he wondered about his technique. “It was definitely a watershed moment,” says Peal. “I couldn’t grasp how this related to running, so I did the next best thing: I invited the runner in the film to come and explain his technique to me in person.”

The technique in question was the Pose Method, and the runner in the film was Nicholas S. Romanov, its creator. He came to the Delaware Valley clinic that Peal, a certified strength and conditioning coach, hosted in the fall of 2005. Inspired by Romanov’s teachings, Peal has been a staunch supporter of the methodology ever since.

“Dr. R is responsible for the success I’ve achieved as a speed coach and movement specialist,” says Peal, an assistant track coach at Malvern Preparatory School and the only elite Pose running instructor in the region.

Developed by Romanov in 1977 out of his research to find a better model of running to teach track and field students in Russia, the concept essentially refers to the positions, or “poses,” through which an athlete moves. “Within these frames of movements, there are specific poses that affect the creation and flow of energy. Identifying them is the critical element in understanding and performing efficient movement,” says Romanov, a former Olympic coach. “In running, there’s only one pose: the mid-stance, where the body is balanced on the ground—which is necessary in order to utilize gravity by falling forward.”

Dr. Todd Serinsky, of Westside Wellness Chiropractic in Wayne, offers a simpler definition. “If you want to know what the Pose method is in a nutshell, it’s running like a 4-year-old,” he says. “They basically fall forward, and they just pick up their feet and sort of tap, tap, tap—so they don’t fall flat on their face.”

Serinsky works with Peal in educating patients through presentations and clinics. “Not only does it not bother the knees, it actually seems to fix problems,” says Serinsky, a former state champion rower at Ithaca College.

Clinic participant Denise Dayton has been a runner for 30 years and a nationally ranked marathoner. “Something went wrong with my form,” she says. “Although I’ve only been with Tracy a short time, I do see signs of improvement.”

Last year, while watching his oldest son play basketball at a high school camp at Haverford College, Peal noticed Phil Martelli hobbling. The Saint Joseph’s University men’s basketball coach was complaining of plantar fasciitis, so Peal videotaped him running. He discovered a common error: landing harshly on the heels. Peal corrected his foot strike, and Martelli was able to run with minimal issues. “It was simple to follow and provided immediate relief,” says Martelli.
 

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