B-Skips

B-skips are a coordinated running drill that combines a skip, knee lift and lower-leg extension before the foot returns toward the ground.

Execution

Start slowly with an upright, comfortable posture. Lift one knee, extend the lower leg only as far as you can control, then return the foot without reaching aggressively in front. Coordinate the opposite arm and alternate sides. Stop or simplify the drill if rhythm, balance or comfort deteriorates.

What the evidence shows

A 2025 study assessed the reliability and predictive validity of a battery containing B-skips for 5 m and 20 m sprint performance. It did not test whether prescribing B-skips improves distance-running economy, HYROX^® time or injury rates. Reviews of running economy and running biomechanics show that economical gait is multifactorial and do not establish one universal technique change for every runner.

Use in training

The current HYROX^® rulebook includes eight running segments, but that race fact does not prove this drill is essential. Coaches may use it to practise coordination or demonstrate a movement pattern. Distance, repetitions and placement in a warm-up should match skill and tolerance; there is no evidence-based rule requiring it before every run.

Questions

What is the difference between A-skips and B-skips?

Both are skipping drills with a knee lift; a B-skip conventionally adds a controlled lower-leg extension before the foot returns.

Do B-skips improve running economy?

Direct intervention evidence for that claim was not identified. Existing drill research does not prove improved distance-running economy.

Do B-skips prevent hamstring injuries?

The reviewed sources do not establish injury prevention from B-skips. Injury risk and rehabilitation require broader, individual assessment.

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