In running, which fault involves bouncing (excessive push off)?

• A. Shuffle stepping
• B. Over-striding
• C. Bouncing
• D. Folding at the waist

Answer: (C)

Vertical movement in running should stay relatively quiet and forward-directed. When you bounce, you push off the ground too aggressively, lifting the body too much with each step. That excessive push-off creates a lot of up-and-down motion, wastes energy, and slows forward progress. The fix is to land softly under the body and minimize the big vertical push-off, allowing forward momentum to carry you rather than relying on upward propulsion.

This distinguishes bouncing from the other faults: shuffling involves very short, quick steps with limited forward drive; over-striding means landing with the foot well in front of the body's center of mass, creating braking forces rather than a vertical bounce; folding at the waist is a posture issue that affects alignment and stability rather than the vertical oscillation of each step.