Barefoot concept. What is it?

What is barefoot concept all about? Why should one learn the technique of barefoot running?

The best way to answer this question is by understanding the term – PROPRIOCEPTION

Our bodies are incredibly good at moving, often without any conscious involvement. Simple movements like: sitting down, standing up, picking up objects, throwing, catching, jumping, skipping, running… The reason we can make all of these movements without thinking (or falling over) is because of something called ‘proprioception’ – our body’s sense of its own position, balance and movement. Proprioception provides us with ‘body awareness’ and is commonly referred to as our “sixth sense”.

The proprioceptive system uses stretch receptors and pressure receptors situated in our muscles, joints and skin to inform our brain about our physical environment and how we are interacting with it.

A large percentage of these receptors are in our feet; they’re the parts of our body most in contact with the ground. If we reduce the sensory feedback from our feet to our brains by wearing thick, shock-absorbing soles then the brain has less information to work with, reducing the quality of the movement pattern produced.

The foot has evolved over millions of years to a dexterous and sensitive masterpiece – by patronising it with thick soles and supportive padding we’re limiting its potential and risking injury throughout the body.

This is what barefoot concept is about.

But here’s the catch: if being bare foot is so wonderful, why did humans invent shoes?

Although the human foot is a marvel of evolutionary engineering it has one serious design flaw: a lack of protection from the environment.

All other running specialist animals have evolved hooves or pads to protect themselves, but our feet, originally designed to grasp and climb, are instead covered in proprioceptors, sweat glands and soft skin!

There’s no way the bare human foot could have coped with everything from rainforests, through deserts to the arctic.

Fortunately, the human brain also helped us survive and thrive as a species. The same brain that learned how to manipulate fire and use tools also gave us the insight to use animal fur and skins to survive in more extreme conditions.

In other words, footwear that insulates and protects the human foot is a part of our evolutionary history.

So what now? – TRAINING

Re-awaken your innate barefoot running skill:

Even though barefoot is in our blood, that doesn’t mean one will start doing it correctly the second you whip off your shoes and take to the streets. If you’ve been wearing over-protective footwear all your life, your barefoot running muscles will be weak and your posture will be all out of form. There’s a bit of work to do first.

Running is a skill; once mastered, it will allow anyone to realise the joy of running efficiently and injury free.

Here is a training system that uses physical and mental milestones to help runners transition from conventional trainers to barefoot:

Like all natural systems, the human brain develops complex patterns by adding simple patterns together. This is visible in the way babies progress from simple to more complex movements; that is, from creeping to crawling, sitting, standing and eventually walking and running

Know the saying, ‘you have to learn to walk before you can run’? It couldn’t be truer. If our brain doesn’t learn these simple movement patterns in the right order and to the right level of competency, our potential performance further down the line is jeopardised – for runners that means poor performance and injury.

This training system has three distinct movement milestones: walking/squatting, jumping and running. To fully realise the potential of your barefoot life, you must perfect each skill before moving onto the next.

The training system will guide you and start you on your journey to efficient, injury free running.

So what are you waiting for? Come learn the skill, and lead a injury free lifestyle ahead.

Find a Coach near you:

India’s 1^st Certified & Licensed Barefoot Running Coach – Sharath Raju

Visit – http://trainingclinic.vivobarefoot.com/find-a-coach/

Write to us on – barefootclinic@highline.in

WordPress site – https://barefootclinic.wordpress.com

FOOTWEAR

So what footwear should one choose? I now know there are limitations to going bare feet.

Simple, Footwear that make sense:

The perfect running shoe allows the foot to behave exactly as it would if bare, providing maximum protection from the environment and allowing maximum sensory feedback between your feet and your brain – from sole to soul.

Whatever ‘barefoot’ running shoe you chose, make sure it fulfills the following four criteria:

1. The shoe must allow for sensory feedback:

The sole of your foot is packed with sensory receptors, so the sole of your running shoe must allow feedback from the terrain you’re moving on in order to create a natural running style. This is also called ‘Zero-drop’ shoes, with no artificial, heel, arch or toe support.

2. The shoe must protect your foot from the environment:

The sole of your running shoe must be puncture-proof and capable of protecting your foot from extremes of temperature.

3. The shoe’s weight must not unbalance your foot’s natural position:

A heavy or unbalanced running shoes will affect your foot’s natural centre of gravity and therefore your running style. Ideally the weight distribution of your shoe should allow you to balance it with your finger half way between the heel and the toe.

4. Your foot should not be restricted in any way by the shoe:

When our foot hits the ground, the toes splay outwards to help balance the stride. The toe box on your shoe must therefore be wide enough to accommodate this spread without any restriction.

Footwear Recommendations:

VIVOBAREFOOT:

Developed in conjunction with podiatrists, movement specialists and biomechanics experts to help the body move as nature intended. The key components of all VIVOBAREFOOT shoes are: