Customer Reviews

Dr. Nicholas Romanov's Pose Method of Running [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two of the main guides to natural (including barefoot) style running are the Evolution DVD and the Pose DVD+Book. I have both, and like both, but the material is quite different. The actual recommended running styles are very similar and both stress avoiding the traditional heel striking style caused by expensive sports shoes to avoid their associated injuries and to improve efficiency. I also browsed articles about Chi running but found too much "eastern philosophy" cluttering up the main running information, so I settled on just Evolution and Pose as the source material for my journey.

The Evolution DVD is a very simple but complete explaination of natural (forefoot/midfoot) style running and has the descriptions right in the video demonstrations. You can easly grasp the concepts and start to apply them, and probably become a reasonably good natural style runner. It also has a nice simple (but seemingly complete) set of drills. But, almost guaranteed, you will not be perfect and will have some flaws which need an experienced instructor/coach to identify and help correct - if perfection is your goal. If all you want is to become a good amateur/recreational runner (and minimize injuries) then this is a great choice.

The Pose book has a huge amount more background description, sometimes quite a bit too much and too wordy so you can easily fall into skimming and/or become sidetracked. But in the end it is more detailed, and the Pose method is based on much more detailed scientific research (not to say there is anything different or magical about its end conclusions). The DVD by itself is not really enough, most folks will need the book to go with it. And, as another reviewer said, there is way too much time in the DVD just showing Dr Romanov running (again, and again, and again...). There are quite a few more drills included in Pose than in Evolution (you DONT need the separate drill DVD, the main drills are covered in the book and the main DVD). But everything seems (to me) to be more complex (maybe more detailed and better?) and I suspect most folks will need a Pose Instructor/Coach to really become reasonably fluent with its specifics. The Pose website lists contact information for Pose clinics and Pose coaches worldwide, and if that is not for you then their forum encourages runners to video their running and post that video for Pose instructor online analysis.

So, what is the summary? I suspect most amateur/recreational runners will get most of what they need, quickly and easily, from the Evolution Running DVD. If you are a serious runner who worries about where you place in local events and/or actually wants to formally compete, the considerable time and effort put into mastering Pose is almost certainly the right answer for you - and for that you will need both the Pose book and the Pose DVD (likely not the extra drill DVD).

In both cases, either switch to barefoot running ([...]) or get minimal shoes (minimal or zero heel/arch/cushioning, flexible sole, extremely light) and then start SLOWLY to practice and buildup your new forefoot/midfoot natural style. And in both cases, try to get to one or more clinics with an experienced NATURAL instructor/coach (and **NOT** just a typical shoestore or community center "running" coach).

Learning a new running style such as this would be next to impossible without the guidance provided by this DVD. I have the book and without the DVD I feel that I would at the very least risk injuring myself, if not ending up running in a manner that was not intended by using the book alone.

While I think the DVD is essential if you wish to learn the POSE method of running by yourself, it is expensive and I would make sure you try and get all the information you can from other sources to make sure this is right for you.

Many people have found this running system to have completely revolutionized their method of running but just as many have not so buyer beware, check the background information on the system before you buy this.

If you do decide to buy this DVD the Companion Drill Book is included with this and does not need to be purchased separately(like I did).

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. This DVD is a great companion to Dr. Romanov's book on Pose running.

Being able to see how running Pose style is supposed to look is a big help. I have viewed Dr. R's free run in slow motion several times to compare it against a video my wife took of me running, so I could see what I needed to correct.

The DVD contains lot of drills and exercises also. It is good to be able to see how they are supposed to be done, in addition to reading about them in the book.

If you are serious about learning Pose, I highly recommended getting the DVD.

I bought the video and was disappointed. It is simply not worth the $50 they are asking for it. About half of the video is comprised of repeated clips of Dr. Romanov running. The other half shows drills that one can do to help transform into a Pose runner.
I'm a big believer that there is one method that allows for efficient and injury free running and I'm sure Dr. Romanov's clincs are well worth the cost. However, this video falls short of their price tag and should probably be priced around $19.95 range... maybe.

I was very disappointed with this DVD. Dr. Romanov is clearly brilliant and his pose method very good way to speed up your pace and reduce injury. However, this DVD was nothing more than video of him doing drills. It does not go into his Pose method and how to do it. I was pretty surprised to tell you the truth. If it were lower price like $19.95 I could see buying it as a reference DVD to see how to correctly do the drills, but $49.95 is highway robbery in my opinion.

If you are looking for DVD on how to run injury free and run faster, buy the ChiRunning DVD. It is significantly better and you can actually learn the ChiRunning style/form from that DVD without having to buy the book.

Being about to see how drills are performed is a plus so this DVD is a good companion to the book.

However, it is priced unreasonably high for something that is 60 minutes long and looks homemade, with blatant grammatical and spelling errors. Not looking for amazing movie directing, because that's not the point, but it had some avoidable and unnecessary 'WTF' sequences. Also, it didn't come with a drill book.

All in all, had it cost around $20 instead of $50, I would've given this five stars.

Read many books on running never found any information that addressed so thoroughly a form or technique how it impacts effort, injury, or exercises/drills in running. Made an immediate impact on my runs.

I agree with many of the reviews that this DVD is overpriced. It was definitely helpful to see the drills discussed in the book, but not $45 helpful. And because the whole method comes down to "feel" rather than "look", seeing the drills does not necessarily help you adopt the pose method. Rather, it just gives you a place to start.

This video provides excellent instruction on the various drills recommended by Dr. Romanov. I had some concern that the good Dr. would be doing the voice-overs but a professional who speaks perfect English is used on the video (No offense to Dr. R.). Each drill is first discussed and shown so that the essential details are carefully covered. Dr. Romanov then performs each drill at normal speed so viewers attain an excellent visual reference. The drills are discussed in three separate sections with increasing degree of difficulty. I'm just beginning to attempt the drills but they appear to be able to be mastered through consistent practice and effort. I also recommend the Companion Drill Book, which is okay sold by itself, but it really needs to be included with each purchase of the DVD. This is an expensive DVD but if you are experiencing physical problems or are interested in running your best then the price is very small. I recently experienced hip flexor pain, which I'm confident I could have avoided if I had done the exercises and drills in the Pose Techniques video. In fact, after several weeks and much research on my own, I wound up performing several of the strengthening exercises I saw on the video today. It took a lot of figuring out on my own what the cause of the pain was but finally got things right. I've been running for over 30 years and had never had a problem. Check it out on YouTube under "Pose Method of Running" for $4.99 for a 72 hour rental if you'd like to watch the video before purchasing. I did and I'm buying the DVD here on Amazon. For the dedicated runners out there, just buy the DVD and the companion drill book (also available on Amazon). You will need the book when you go to the track or practice field. And, you'll definitely need to see the video to grasp drill essentials. Hope this helps everyone make a good decision.

This book has good points but is very redundant. Out of all that's being said, the whole idea is to basically run on the balls of your feet and do not over-extend your stride.

It doesn't take 400 pages to tell that. However, the book is still enligtening and educational if you choose to read the entire book.
For some reason, I believe I could have gotten all of this information for FREE on the Net. But oh well, I won't cry over $24.