Puppy update: little Rooney is doing well. He is jumping and leaping and he is getting taller and faster everyday. It is fun to see him develop, his co-ordination improvements are extraordinary, he now has more awareness and control of his body, he doesn’t fall over as much as he used to. He still loves to play, I took him to the soccer park the other day to run around and play with some young children, he had a great time.

For a while now I have been interested in barefoot running. I have always heard of the negative aspects of wearing shoes, and what they do to your feet, or more importantly what they don’t do for your feet. Some experts now believe that most athletic shoes, with their inflexible soles, structured sides and super-cushioned inserts keep feet so restricted that they may actually be making your feet lazy, weak and more prone to injury.

I decided to do some research on barefoot running, looking up press releases and studies as well as talking to a local chiropractor and some of the best speed coaches in the world. They all agree that running barefoot is exceptional for the feet. It strengthens the ligaments and tendons in the foot, making it stronger and less prone to injury. I can only imagine how women feel after wearing those high heels all day.

A press release from the Wall Street Journal quoted “Proponents believe running barefoot changes a runner's form and body mechanics to prevent some common athletic injuries.”

Speed Expert Lee Taft suggested breaking it in easy, start with barefoot warm-ups first and slowly progress to full practices barefoot. He says

“I start with simple warm up and various walks, jumping jacks, and mobility while barefoot. Eventually I would like to do more agility with them barefoot as they progress. Most athletes feet are so weak due to wearing shoes all the time you have to be careful no to rush the process.”

Tara Parker-Pope also suggests starting slowly “Even proponents of barefoot training say you should start slowly. Runners can start on grass, a clean sidewalk or a rubberized track. Be careful not to overdo it and give feet and muscles time to adapt.”

Brett Williams from www.runningbarefoot.org swears by running shoeless;

"Your connection with the ground beneath your feet is absolutely lost with shoes on," says Mr. Williams. "I am utterly convinced your feet don't need support or cushioning. If they do it's because you're not running correctly."

There is not a lot of research and studies performed on barefoot running as even though our great ancestors used to do it, it is a new phenomenon.

Here is the conclusion I found from one study in Australia.

Sportscience 5(3), sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm,2001

Conclusions

•      Running in shoes appears to increase the risk of ankle sprains, either by decreasing awareness of foot position or by increasing the twisting torque on the ankle during a stumble.

•      Running in shoes appears to increase the risk of plantar fasciitis and other chronic injuries of the lower limb by modifying the transfer of shock to muscles and supporting structures.

•      Running in bare feet reduces oxygen consumption by a few percent.  Competitive running performance should therefore improve by a similar amount, but there has been no published research comparing the effect of barefoot and shoe running on simulated or real competitive running performance.

•      Research is needed to establish why runners choose not to run barefoot. Concern about puncture wounds, bruising, thermal injury, and overuse injury during the adaptation period are possibilities.

•      Running shoes play an important protective role on some courses, in extreme weather conditions, and with certain pathologies of the lower limb.

I haven’t even mentioned the benefits of playing soccer barefoot. We only have to look at the example set by the silky Brasilians to see the benefits of that. Young Brasilians grow up playing soccer shoeless in the streets of Rio or barefoot on the Copacabana beach. It is no wonder this nation is blessed with soccer players with and amazing touch and feel for the ball.

A friend of mine recently went to study some Belgian training methods that heavily implement barefoot training into their programs. He is now mirroring their training and getting great results with 1^st touch and control with his young soccer players.

My advice would definitely be to encourage barefoot running and even barefoot soccer with your athletes and children. Start slowly at first so your feet can adapt and get used to the vigors of the earth. Gradually increase the amount of time you are barefoot and soon you will have strong and healthy feet with hopefully less injuries.