by Jason Robillard. Earlier today, I had a lengthy conversation with Jesse Scott as we climbed up to Devil’s Thumb outside Nederland, CO. We had three pairs of minimalist shoes we were testing out, so one of the topics centered around shoes.Specifically, we were discussing the various characteristics that make a great minimalist shoe. Jesse…
Author: admin
Barefoot Angie Bee and Her Four Boys
A short, sweet video with Barefoot Angie Bee and her four boys. Her oldest son Samson taught himself how to play the ukulele and created the soundtrack. Angie Bee, who is a VIVOBAREFOOT certified barefoot running coach, is also a new contributor and member of the Natural Running Center advisory board.
Minimalist Shoes, Barefoot Running, and Metatarsal Stress Fractures
by Danny Dreyer. Running barefoot will strengthen the intrinsic muscles of your feet, making them more stable. And, it may give you a feeling of running differently. But, it won’t somehow automatically undo all your worst movement habits or change them for the better. Pete Larson, the Runblogger, has recently posted a comment on the…
Nike Free Music Shoe
From Japan, comes this ingenious and creative video that marries the super-flexible Nike Free with electronic music. Bending and twisting the shoe produces varying musical sounds. The bass is reserved for foot-striking.
The Science of Barefoot Running
The following report by Steve Nearman appeared in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Athletic Association, and is reproduced here with the AMAA‘s permission. Daniel Lieberman, PhD, known in the running community as the “Barefoot Running Professor” has his favorite motto when ad- dressing his favorite topic. “If you think barefoot…
Sock Doc Attends Week-long MovNat Course and Discovers His Inner Natural Athlete
by Dr. Steve Gangemi aka Sock Doc. I recently spent a week living beside Erwan Le Corre, Vic Verdier, Clifton Harski and eleven other MovNat attendees, training quite differently than I have for, well, anything. For the past 20 years I’ve been immersed in the triathlon and endurance arena, having competed in 20 Ironman races,…
White-Line Comfort for Barefoot Running When the Asphalt is Pipin’ Hot
What does a runner who likes to occasionally go out in his bare feet dream of on a scorching-hot summer day? Cold beer? Watermelon? A dip in the Shenandoah river? All of these are great but a fresh white line of paint is even better. This is the main road near my home in Shepherdstown…
Trinity Outruns Agent Brown in “The Matrix”: Gait Guys at the Movies
The Gait Guys take a close look at Trinity’s running form with Agent Brown in close pursuit. See how and why she supinates–and what this means in terms of your own footstriking and gait.
ABC’s of Minimalism: Dr. Mark’s Reply to Jeff Galloway’s Views on Running and Injury
With all his books, coaching experience, training methods, racing achievements, and Ironman-like durability with just over a half-century of miles on his legs, Jeff Galloway is a respected fixture in the running community. And along with many other runners, I’m a subscriber to his email newsletter .But his take on minimalist running shoes in his…
Invisible Shoes — A Review
by Dr. Phil Maffetone. I don’t like writing shoe reviews, because I don’t like many shoes. People often ask what I wear, and in the Barefoot section of my website, one could see some of these shoes. The fact is, most of the day, Coralee and I are usually barefoot. There are times when we…
Natural Running Roundup
Short, new video put together by Zero Drop‘s Bill Katovsky with Born to Run author Chris McDougall and Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, owner of Two Rivers Treads, who lead local runners through natural running drills. Filmed on location in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Ask the Experts: How Much “Time” Do I Need to Safely Transition to Minimalist Footwear?
Q: In the transition to minimalist footwear, am I going to get hurt? And how long does this transition take? Jay Dicharry responds: There has been a lot of interest lately in the transition to minimal footwear. Am I going to get hurt? How long does this transition take? Is this really better for me?…
Ask the Experts: Ankle Pain Caused by Going from Treadmill to Road
Question: I am transitioning to a minimalist running lifestyle and am definitely very comfortable with a mid/forefront strike at this point and have been loving my new minimalist trail shoes. Unfortunately, when I went from treadmill running to roads with the nicer weather this past spring, I think I put too much stress on my…
How Barefoot Running Finally Cured a Barefoot-Book Author
by Roy M. Wallack. When a publisher offered me the opportunity to write a book about barefoot running in the spring of 2010 (which was published in May as “Barefoot Running Step by Step,” co-written with barefoot pioneer Ken Bob Saxton) , a happy irony was that it helped me avoid a knee operation and…
Should the FDA Require All Running Shoes Be First Tested for Product Safety?
by Dr. Phil Maffetone. In 1994, seven CEOs from the nation’s largest tobacco companies declared under oath before a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill that “nicotine is not addictive.” Their testimony was a brazenly defiant refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of several decades of research that proved cigarettes and nicotine were health hazards. Now imagine…
Running While Jumping Rope Prevents Overstriding
by Mark Cucuzzella, M.D. My six-year-old daughter taught me this drill and I became immediately aware that this was the perfect practice to create rhythm, balance, posture –and most importantly prevent overstriding. Jumping rope as a drill helps wake up elastic recoil and rhythm. You always land aligned and balanced. When you add a little…
Ticking Time Bomb: Children’s Shoes Cause Health Problems Later in Life for Adults
by Dr. Phil Maffetone. Twenty years ago, a review of shoes and gait in the journal Pediatrics outlined some key factors that affect children’s feet. Pediatric orthopedist Lynn Staheli, M.D., from the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, listed these important points: 1.) Optimum foot development occurs in the barefoot environment. 2.) Stiff and…
U.S. Army Declares War on Barefoot/Minimalist Running Shoes
The barefoot lifestyle blogosphere hasn’t exactly been toeing the line with the recent U.S. Army decision to ban soldiers from wearing barefoot-style or minimalist running shoes while training. It has been literally up in arms over what it sees as a misguided military policy regarding the altered dress code. Here’s the new army reg: The…
Gait Guys at the Movies: Running on the Beach
Remember that English running flick, “Chariots of Fire,” from the early 80s? Surely, you recall the can’t-get-it-out-of-my-head Vangelis title sound track. Quick plot summary of the Oscar winner: Based on a true story, several young men run for England at the 1924 Olympics. They all come from different social and economic backgrounds. Footnote: In the…
Cary Grant Runs for His Life in “North by Northwest”
The Gait Guys will be looking at running scenes in classic Hollywood movies. To launch this series, We asked them to examine Cary Grant’s running style in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” when the mysterious crop duster chases him into the cornfield. Watch the clip first! Here’s additional commentary by The Gait Guys: “First of all, what…
Barefoot in Bedrock, Part One
So how did early man run? If he was barefoot we have a fairly good idea. But studying the fossil record can only take evolutionary scientists and paleontologists so far. That’s where Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble can be of some assistance here. We asked the “Gait Guys,” Dr. Ivo Waerlop and Dr. Shawn Allen,…
Barefoot in Bedrock, Part Two
In the second video clip, Dr. Waerlop noticed a slight improvement in the Barney shuffle: “His barefoot technique has only improved marginally. He initiates with a much better forward lean. His ankle rocker is improved, but not enough for him to gain traction. His arm swing is better, but he has a tendency to hunch…
Running in Minimalist Shoes, But Still Injured? — It Could be Your Diet!
by Dr. Steve Gangemi ( aka Sock Doc). One of the most common questions I have been asked is, “Sock Doc, I’m running in minimalist shoes (or barefoot), but I’m still injured – why?” This question tells me one thing – runners think that if you get out of your over- supportive, cushioned running shoes…
Ask the Experts: Should Heavier Runners Use Thickly Cushioned Shoes?
“Ask the Expert” is regular feature of the Natural Running Center. If you have any running-related questions — shoes, diet, gait, injury, transitioning– let us know, and we will do our best to have an expert from our NRC Advisory Board answer them. Kick-off question: Should heavier runners use thickly cushioned shoes to lessen the…
Hip Extension Drills for Better Joint Mobility
by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella. This is a nice stretch for hip extension which critical joint mobility for efficient running. Most of us sit all day which shortens the iliacus, psoas, and hip flexor mechanism. To run with efficient elastic recoil, the upper leg most be able to extend behind the hips and naturally recoil forward. Notice…