If you’re doing this calculation outside, bring a piece of chalk and a measuring tape. If you’re doing this inside, have a tape measure and some masking tape.
- Using the tape measure and the chalk (outside) or the masking tape (inside), measure and mark off a specific distance, such as 20 feet.
- Start walking about 10 feet before one of the marks to get up to speed in your natural walk.
- When you hit the first mark, start counting your steps, stopping your count when you hit the second mark.
- Divide the number of feet in your measured distance by the number of steps you took from the first mark to the second. Distance in feet/number of steps = step length. For example, if it took you 16 steps to cover 20 feet, your step length would be 1.25 feet (15 inches).
If you want to calculate your walking stride length, divide the number of steps you took by 2 and divide that number into the measured distance. If it took you 16 steps to cover 20 feet, divide the number of steps (16) by 2 to get the number of strides. Then take the answer (8) and divide it into the distance.
Distance in feet/number of strides = stride length. I
n this case, you took 8 strides in 20 feet, so your stride length would be 2.5 feet (30 inches).
If you want a more accurate measurement, use a longer distance:
- Mark your starting point and walk until you’ve counted 50 steps.
- Mark the end of your last step.
- Measure between the two marks.
- Follow the same calculations as above: Distance in feet/number of steps = step length and distance in feet/number of strides = stride length.
For even more accuracy, do the longer distance three or four times, and then average the results.