The gait cycle begins when the heel of 1 foot contacts the ground and ends when the heel of the same foot contacts the ground again. This means one gait cycle is 2 steps, a step by the right foot and a step by the left foot.

Each gait cycle has 2 phases. End of each phase is the beginning of the next.

Phases of the gait cycle

Phase	Begin	End
Stance (60% of the gait cycle)	Heel contact of 1 foot	Toe-off of the same foot
Swing (40% of the gait cycle)	Toe-off of 1 foot	Heel contact of the same foot

Stance phase

Component	Begin	End
Heel contact	Heel contact of 1 foot	Toe-off of the opposite foot
Mid-stance	Toe-off of 1 foot	Heel lift of the opposite foot
Active propulsion	Heel lift of 1 foot	Heel contact of the opposite foot
Passive propulsion	Heel contact of 1 foot	Toe-off of the opposite foot