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…
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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…
Greetings from NRC Director Mark Cucuzzella
Welcome to the Natural Running Center. Our overall message is simple: Learn, Evolve, Run! With the information, education, and expert advice you will find on this site, it’s our hope and mission that all runners, beginners or veterans, fast or slow, the formerly injured or those hoping to get back in the game, will learn…
Grassroots Revolution in Natural Running Has Taken Off
As a family physician who has worked in primary care clinics for 20 years, I entered the field of medicine since it seemed to be the area where one can have the most influence and impact on healthy lifestyles. I offer the prescription of daily exercise to almost every patient who sees me. I ask…
Saucony: “Stepping Into Minimalism – What To Know”
If someone asks you, “please define minimalism,” then Zero Drop highly recommends that you point them in this direction of this two-minute video by Spencer White, who is the director of the Biomechanics Lab at Saucony. He expertly explains minimalist footwear and some of the things you should think about before taking the less-is-more leap….
Merrell: Barefoot Running Technique
One might ask, and with good reason, why would a footwear company promote “barefoot running?” Isn’t it in the business of selling running and walking shoes? But Merrell has taken a progressive approach with both footwear and form, a marriage made widely evident with its new Barefoot Running line. Exaggerated heel-striking,slow leg turnover, and over-striding…
Newton Running: Transitioning to Natural Running Form and Shoes
Danny Abshire is the author of “Natural Running” (VeloPress, 2010) and the co-founder of Newton Running, a Boulder, Colorado-based company that makes shoes that promote an efficient midfoot/forefoot running gait. He has been making advanced footwear solutions for runners and triathletes for more than 20 years. The following article by Danny will help you safely…
New Balance and Playmakers: Good Form Running
Along with the introduction of its new Minimus footwear line, New Balance has partnered with Playmakers running and apparel store in southern Michigan that created “Good Form Running“. This simple, easy-to follow program will help more people make running a less-painful, more enjoyable, part of their lives. In the video below this chart, Good Form…
Altra Running: The Learn to Run Initiative
Give credit where credit is due. Newcomer to the running shoe sector, Altra Running, coined the term “zero drop,” which describes the ideal barefoot-running style shoe. There is no height difference between heel and toebox area. Your foot can function like nature intended, and that means landing properly on the midfoot or forefoot, and making…
Minimalism on the Run: Interview with Tony Post, Vibram’s U.S. President
The March 28, 2011 issue of the running and triathlon industry trade magazine, SGB, featured a splendid interview with Tony Post president and CEO Vibram USA, who has led Vibram USA since 2001. “Answering the old chicken and the egg question, Vibram FiveFingers first appeared at the Boston Marathon in 2006. Christopher McDougall’s book ‘Born…
The Track Shoes That Broke the 4:00-Minute Mile
These spikes are the real deal– the actual track shoes used by Britain’s Sir Roger Bannister when he ran the first sub-four-minute mile in 1954. Bannister was a 25-year-old Oxford University medical student when he recorded a time of 3:59:40 seconds for the mile on May 6, 1954. Interestingly enough, he was 17 when he seriously…