Proprioception Making Sense of Barefoot Running

8/6/2019 Proprioception Making Sense of Barefoot Running

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PROPRIOCEPTIONMaking Sense Of Barefoot Runningby Lee Saxby


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ForewordBy Proessor Dan Lieberman (Harvard University)

By Chris McDougall (Author o Born to Run)

Chapter 1 p5We Have Forgotten How To RunOur evolutionary success as humans is directly related to ourability to run. But that natural talent isnt oolproo; 50 years opadded running shoes and poor posture mean about 80% o

runners suer rom injury every year.

Chapter 2 p6The Human Foot Is An Evolutionary MasterpieceWith its complex system o springs, levers and nerve endings,the oot is one o the bodys major sensory organs. Humans arenaturally good at walking, running and sprinting. Jogging, or,slow, sticky heel-striking in padded shoes is not a naturalmovement and is responsible or countless runners injuries.

Chapter 3 p11Proprioception: Our Sixth SenseProprioception is the sense o our bodys position and orientation.We use this sense to move and the more eedback, the better themovement. About 70% o that eedback comes via pressurereceptors, mostly located in the eet. The human oot needsprotection, but thick, shock-absorbing soles greatly reducesensory eedback and thereore limit the quality o movement.

Chapter 4 p13

Footwear That Makes SenseTo run bareoot is your deault setting, but to do this in todaysworld, you need a shoe that gives a balanced, unrestricted andprotected experience, while also allowing maximum sensoryeedback between your eet and your brain - rom sole to soul.

Chapter 5 p15Reawaken Your Innate Bareoot Running SkillYou have the hardware, but youve orgotten the sotware.Re-building your bareoot running technique will take time,

particularly i youve been wearing padded ootwear all your lie.But its an exciting, joyul and probably lie-changing journey.Wed like to help take you through it, step-by-step. Literally.

PROPRIOCEPTIONMaking Sense OfBarefoot Running

Motor milestones

Walk Run Sprint

Jogging Running

Walking gait

Barefoot squat

Proprioception


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Proessor Daniel LiebermanDepartment o Human Evolutionary Biology,Harvard University

"I've never seen anyone better able to diagnose and correct arunner's orm, and he has that ability special to good coaches to translate his advice into words that make sense and which

you can ollow."

My job as a scientist is to be a skeptic. So when I rst started doing researchon bareoot running in 2005, I was naturally skeptical about its relevance tomy lie. At the time, Dennis Bramble and I had just co-authored our Born to Runarticle in the journal Nature, which made the case that endurance running hasplayed a key role in human evolution or over two million years (1). So althoughI didnt need to be convinced that bareoot running was normal, I had nodesire whatsoever to run either bareoot or in minimal shoes. But as I started todo experiments on habitually bareoot runners, I noticed that they were runningin a wonderully light and gentle way without any compromise in speed andseemingly without getting injured. Many were ormerly shod runners who hadtried but ailed to cope with a amiliar litany o injuries (plantar asciitis, runnersknee, tibial stress syndrome, Achilles tendonitis) using orthotics, ancy shoes,and even surgery. Finally, they just ditched their shoes, and the results spoke orthemselves.

My journey as a minimally shod runner began soon thereater, and I can averthat it has improved my running immeasurably, and cleared up the plantar as-ciitis that used to hobble me. Then, one day ater returning rom a trip to studybareoot runners in Arica, I ound mysel taking o even my minimal shoes atthe end o a long run. Since then I have not only published research on the bio-mechanics o bareoot running (2), but also become a devotee o bareoot run-ning mysel.

The last ew years have seen the start o a exhilarating revolution in the running

world as more and more runners try going bareoot or in minimal shoes.I bareoot running is a ad, then its a two million year-old ad thats here tostay. But, contrary to some reports, running bareoot doesnt necessarily meanrunning injury ree. Good orm matters or all runners, and bareoot runnersare no exception. Indeed, Ive seen some minimally shod runners who might bebetter o wearing traditional shoes because they are still overstriding and stillcrashing into the ground, putting massive stresses on their bodies without any othe protection a cushioned running shoe oers. I you are going to run bareoot,youd better do it right.

Foreword 1

PROPRIOCEPTION: Making Sense Of Barefoot Running


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Which brings me to Lee Saxby. O the many coaches Ive met, Lee stands out asexceptional. He really understands good running orm not only on a scienticlevel but also rom a practical standpoint. Ive never seen anyone better able todiagnose and correct a runners orm, and he has that ability special to good

coaches to translate his advice into words that make sense and which youcan ollow. Whether you want to run bareoot, in minimal shoes, or incushioned running shoes, it pays to heed Lees advice. And I speak rom per-sonal experience. A ew years ater transitioning, I started suering rom somenew pains including sti ankles. Chris McDougall recommended I check out LeeSaxbys advice, which Ive ollowed ever since. And Ive never run better.

Proessor Daniel E. LiebermanDepartment o Human Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridge, MA 02138USA

1 Born to Run was the cover, but the real citation is Bramble, DM and Lieber-man, DE (2004) Endurance Running and the Evolution o the genus Homo.Nature 432: 345-352.2 Lieberman et al (2011) Foot strike patterns and collision orces in habituallybareoot versus shod runners. Nature 463: 531-536.

Foreword 1



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Chris McDougallAuthor o Born to Run

Saxby has fgured out how to break the key movementsdown into a sequence o snappy drills. Do them, and youll beelectrifed by how great it eels to run naturally, and how easyit is to learn.

The rst time I saw Lee Saxby was the last time I ever had a running injury.

About three years ago, I was in the midst o researching my book, Born to Run,when I developed a nagging heel pain. This was puzzling: I thought Id learnedideal running orm rom Mexicos Tarahumara Indians and would never beinjured again - and yet I was. So I made the usual round o visits to podiatristsand sports medicine physicians, and got the usual useless advice. They said Ineeded orthotics and Ibuproen and a night splint. I should stretch my calves,and roll my oot on a gol ball, and take time o. They all warned me about thedangers o distance running, but none o them - not one - ever asked to seeme run.

Lee Saxby did. The rst thing he did when I arrived at his London headquar-ters was to take me outside and videotape me as I ran up and down the street.When he played the tape back, I was horried. In my mind, I was straight-

backed and nimble, a gentle oreoot runner with Swan Lake posture. But theguy on the tape was clomping down on his heels and leaning so ar back hecould be stomping the brakes on the Flintstone-mobile.

It didnt take long to gure out what had gone wrong. That past winter, wedhad a burst o snow back home in Pennsylvania. Since I believed Id masteredTarahumara-style running, I gured I could get away with wearing a thick-soledrunning shoe. The running shoes were warm and plush, all right, but all thatcushioning came at a cost: I could no longer tell which part o my oot washitting the ground. Bit by bit, I was backsliding to my awul old technique and

totally unaware o it.

So how did Lee address the problem? Simple. Unlike every other specialist Idseen, he didnt regard running as a danger; he regarded it as a skill. He tookme through a series o drills, then brought me outside to tape me again. Thedierence was astonishing. In less than 30 minutes, hed totally transormed mygait. But youre going to have to lose those things, mate, he said, pointingto my cushioned running shoes, or youre going to be in this x again. I tookthem o and ran bareoot back to my hotel. By the time I got there, not only wasmy running orm better, so was my heel: the pain which had lingered or months

was gone - vanished, completely, never to return. Since then, Ive never run aday without relying on Lees instruction: I ocus on the orm he taught me, andput as little as possible between my oot and the planet.

Foreword 2



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Chapter 1

We Have Forgotten How To Run

We all know that regular physical activity is importantor a healthy lie. In act, its a more powerul remedythan any drug you can take or modern day epidemicslike diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

There are many dierent kinds o exercise that t the bill,but walking and running are the most natural, eectiveand accessible.

What do we mean by natural? Well, evidencesuggests that endurance running was the majorevolutionary stimulus in shaping human anatomy andphysiology. In other words, the minute we started tomove urther and more eciently than anything else wasthe minute we leapt ahead o the competition. Naturehas literally engineered us to run!

But now we reach a bit o a conundrum: i humans have

evolved as endurance running specialists, why do about80% o us injure ourselves every year? Why haventinjuries such as runners knee, shin splints and plantarasciitis become rare and unortunate occurrences, likescurvy and TB, banished to those parts o the worldwithout access to the latest advances in technology andbiomedical science?

The answer is simple.

We have orgotten how to run.



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Chapter 2

The Human Foot Is An EvolutionaryMasterpiece

Humans have evolved over the last two million years tobecome the only upright, bipedal, running primates.

This unique orm o locomotion creates physical andmental challenges, which our bodies and brains haveevolved to deal with.

For example, because humans stand upright, the mainstimulus that has moulded our structure is the orce o

gravity. Thanks to gravity, we have an s shaped spine,large hip muscles, short parallel toes, straight legs andlong tendons compared to other primates.

One o the main structural eatures that make humansunique is our eet. The human oot is a complex systemo springs and levers, unmatched elsewhere in nature.However, the real beauty is that this system is adjustable,allowing our eet to execute three very dierent orms olocomotion: WALKING, RUNNING and SPRINTING(see gure 1).

When we walk, the oot and ankle create three rockers,or pivot points. These work together to allow smoothhorizontal displacement o the bodys centre o mass.This is the classic heel-toe biomechanical behaviourand is used by all the great apes (see gure 4).

When we run, the oots mechanical behaviour

essentially reverses. Instead o landing on the heels, weland on the ball o the oot and then the heel. Using theelastic recoil o the Achilles tendon, the plantar ascia(a supportive tissue) and ligaments, our oot and anklework like a powerul spring. This elasticity greatlyreduces the amount o energy required to run and isused by all animals, especially running specialists likehorses and dogs. In act, these animals have taken thiseature even urther; only the toes or oreoot touches theground and a tendon runs up the whole lower leg.

When we sprint, we actually use a very similar oreootlanding technique touching the ground with only theball o the oot (see gure 1).



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The only natural orms o human locomotionHumans naturally display three orms o locomotion: walking, running and sprinting.Each orm has distinct biomechanical characteristics in terms o the bodys posture(kinematics) and the subsequent loading o the bodys structure (kinetics).Proprioceptive eedback rom the eet inorms the brain o the orces encountered

(plantar pressure) and triggers a change to the most appropriate orm o locomotion.(gure 1)

Walking Running Sprinting


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As you might expect, your running anatomy(or example, the muscles, tendons and ligaments in youreet and ankles), need regular use in order to stayhealthy. In biomechanical terms, that means loading thatpart o your anatomy with the right orces. However,because the oot and ankle work in a specic way, theycan be easily injured i these orces are exaggerated,attenuated, diverted or delayed. Its common sense whenyou think about it; using your running anatomyunnaturally and/or beyond its structural capabilities isthe root cause o all running injuries.

Unortunately, the science behind most modern

running shoes is almost entirely based on manipulatingthese orces via motion control and shock absorbingtechnologies. And this is why, despite over 25 years oresearch and application in this eld, the percentage orunners suering rom injuries has not decreased.Perhaps even worse, there is little understanding o themechanics o even the most common running injuries.

For example, did you know that were more likely toinjure ourselves on sot suraces than hard ones?Whether youre in conventional trainers, minimalist shoesor bareoot, soter suraces reduce the eciency o ourelastic recoil and cause excessive muscle activity, one othe main causes o runners injuries.

A clear example o the connection between theseshock-absorbing technologies and injury can be ound inthe evolution o jogging.

Jogging is a modern invention. In act, it only began togain popularity in the 1960s, around the same time aspadded running shoes were becoming more common.The typical jogging style is a hybrid o walking andrunning; its essentially a aster version o the heel-toewalking movement described above. However, slow,sticky heel-striking is not a natural movement and, asexplained below, is responsible or countless runnersinjuries (see gure 2).



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Jogging is only possible because oreduced proprioceptive eedbackModern human beings display a ourth orm o locomotion - jogging. Jogging is ahybrid walk/run locomotive pattern and is unnatural in terms o posture and orcesencountered. This type o movement is only possible because o reduced

proprioceptive eedback to the brain, which is caused by inappropriatelyconstructed and excessively cushioned ootwear. (gure 2)

Jogging Running


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When we move rom a walk to a run, our eet are meantto let us know when to change rom landing on our heelto landing on our oreoot. In other words, it hurts toheel-strike (and thereore jog) in bare eet. All animalsuse a similar sensory cue to change locomotive patterns.However, padded running shoes restrict our ootssensory eedback and stop the movement hurting.

Because the heel-toe movement is only designed to copewith the relatively light orces that are present when wewalk, using that same orm o locomotion as a way torun leads to lots o potential injuries throughout the body.



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Chapter 3

Proprioception: Our Sixth Sense

Our bodies are incredibly good at moving, otenwithout any conscious involvement. Just think: sittingdown, standing up, picking up objects, throwing,catching, jumping, skipping, running The reason wecan make all o these movements without thinking(or alling over) is because o something calledproprioception - our bodys sense o its own position,balance and movement. Proprioception provides us withbody awareness and is commonly reerred to as oursixth sense.

The proprioceptive system uses stretch receptors andpressure receptors situated in our muscles, joints and skinto inorm our brain about our physical environment andhow we are interacting with it.

A large percentage o these receptors are in our eet;theyre the parts o our body most in contact with our

physical environment. I we reduce the sensory eedbackrom our eet to our brains by wearing thick,shock-absorbing soles then the brain has less inormationto work with, reducing the quality o the movementpattern produced (see gure 6).

The oot has evolved over millions o years to a dextrousand sensitive masterpiece by patronising it with thicksoles and supportive padding were limiting its potentialand risking injury throughout the body.

But heres the catch: i the bare oot is so wonderul, whydid humans invent shoes? Although the human oot is amarvel o evolutionary engineering it has one seriousdesign faw: a lack o protection rom the environment.

All other running specialist animals have evolved hoovesor pads to protect themselves, but our eet, originallydesigned to grasp and climb, are instead covered in

proprioceptors, sweat glands and sot skin!



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This design faw could have been a serious set back toour plans or world domination. Theres no way the barehuman oot could have coped with everything romrainorests, through deserts to the arctic.

Fortunately, ecient bipedal locomotion isnt the onlything that sets us apart rom other animals; the humanbrain also helped us survive and thrive as a species.The same brain that learned how to manipulate re anduse tools also gave us the insight to use animal ur andskins to survive in more extreme conditions.

In other words, ootwear that insulates and protects the

human oot is a part o our evolutionary history.



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Chapter 4

Footwear That Makes Sense

The perect running shoe allows the oot to behaveexactly as it would i bare, while also providingmaximum protection rom the environment.

Whatever bareoot running shoe you chose,make sure it ulls the ollowing our criteria:

1. The shoe must allow or sensoryeedback.

Your body and brain need to receive eedback rom yoursenses in order to know how to move. The sole o youroot is packed with sensory receptors, so the sole o yourrunning shoe must allow eedback rom the terrain youremoving on in order to create a natural running style.

2. The shoe must protect your oot rom

the environment.

Although your oot needs to be sensitive to the terrainits moving on, that doesnt mean it should be vulnerable.The sole o your running shoe must be puncture-prooand capable o protecting your oot rom extremes otemperature.

3. The shoes weight must not unbalance

your oots natural position.

A heavy or unbalanced running shoe will aect youroots natural centre o gravity and thereore yourrunning style. Ideally, the weight distribution o your shoeshould allow you to balance it with your nger halwaybetween the heel and toe, or just slightly towardsthe heel.



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4. Your oot should not be restricted inany way by the shoe.

When your oot hits the ground, your toes splayoutwards to help balance your stride. The toe boxon your shoe must thereore be wide enough toaccommodate this spread without any restriction.

NB. Bear in mind that point one (sensory eedback) andpoint two (protection) are oten traded o against eachother depending on the terrain and climate provided or.For example, road running in a city presents a dierentchallenge to trail running in the mountains!



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Chapter 5

Re-awaken Your Innate Bareoot Running

So, what now? Even though bareoot is in our blood,that doesnt mean youll start doing it correctly thesecond you whip o your shoes and take to the streets.I youve been wearing over-protective ootwear all yourlie, your bareoot running muscles will be weak andyour posture will be all out o whack. Theres a bit owork to do rst.

Running is a skill; once mastered, it will allow anyone torealise the joy o running eciently and injury ree.This book is just the beginning

Here is a training system that uses physical and mentalmilestones to help runners transition rom conventionaltrainers to bareoot:

Like all natural systems, the human brain constructscomplex patterns by adding simple patterns together.

This is visible in the way babies progress rom simpleto more complex movements; that is, rom creepingto crawling, sitting, standing and eventually walkingand running (see gure 3).

Know the saying, you have to learn to walk beoreyou can run? It couldnt be truer. I our brain doesntlearn these simple movement patterns in the right or-der and to the right level o competency, our potentialperormance urther down the line is jeopardised or runners that means poor perormance and injury.

This training system has three distinct movementmilestones: walking/squatting, jumping and running.To ully realise the potential o your bareoot lie, youmust perect each skill beore moving onto the next.

The rest o this book will guide you through the trainingsystem and start you on your journey to ecient,

injury ree running.

Skill



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The movement milestones o a child,the oundation or runningThe human brain constructs complex movements (like running) by combining simplermovements. The movement milestones o a child clearly demonstrate this. The qualityo the complex movement is only as good as the quality o the simpler movements;this is the oundation o any successul movement coaching model. (gure 3)


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A Quick Movement Mantra

As you relearn the art o movement, this mantra will

help to keep you on track ecient and injury-ree:

PostureRhythmRelax

Well go into more detail urther on in the book, butcorrect posture, an awareness o rhythm and a relaxedorm will allow your body to receive the sensoryeedback it needs to move eciently and saely

as nature intended.

This mantra applies whatever you have on your eet:trainers, minimalist shoes or nothing at all!



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Stage 1a - Bareoot Walking

Can you remember the last time you were

truly bareoot?Because we overprotect our eet so much, our brainshave learned to interpret a lot o their eedback as awarning to tread careully. In order to start using youreet eectively, your brain thereore has to rewire itseland learn to read these sensations as useul eedbackrather than as a potential threat.

The objective o this rst stage o training is or you to

eel relaxed and condent walking bareoot across avariety o suraces, both natural (grass, mud and sand)and man-made (concrete and tarmac).

As your eet and your brain begin to communicateproperly about the new sensory inormation available,your movement across these terrains will become saer,condent and more ecient.

How to walk bareoot

In theory, you can learn to walk bareoot in any typeo shoe, but youll make the process much easier oryoursel i you wear minimalist shoes or go bareoot.Our bodies are astonishingly adaptable; keep theollowing our points in mind, and youll be walkingbareoot in no time:

Your weight should move rom heel to big toe, but think o it

more as a smooth heel stroke than a jolting heel strike; Keep your strides shorter than normal this will help keep your

body in its optimum alignment or ecient locomotion;

Try not to look down; in act, keep your gazesomewhere above the horizon and lead with your chest;

Keep your stride relaxed, balanced and symmetrical.

(see gure 4)



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The proprioceptive eedbackin natural walkingThe plantar pressures experienced by the oot in a natural walking gait cycle.The orange areas represent progression o body weight and the proprioceptiveeedback to the brain. Variations on this pattern are linked to dysunction

and pathology. (gure 4)


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Its a bit dicult to describe when youre done withthis stage o the training program. Ideally, you shouldbe able to eel your weight move rom your heel, rightthrough your oot to your big toe. When you get it right,youll know.

Troubleshooting

I youre struggling to eel relaxed and natural when walkingbareoot, run through this checklist o possible pitalls:

- is your stride too long? I you can hear your heels smacking on theground, youre probably walking with a heel strike rather than aheel stroke. Take shorter strides and relax, sotening your knee.

- are you leading with your head? I you are, youll eel tension inyour neck, lower back and hamstrings. Focus on leading with yourtorso.- are you leading with your pelvis? Youll eel some discomort in

your hips and pelvis i you are. Again, lead with your torso tocounter this problem.

- is your weight moving to the outside o your oot? This will causesti ankles and knee discomort. Try to concentrate on stepping oyour big toe dont be araid to over-exaggerate the movement!



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Stage 1b Squatting

Cultures that avour bare eet or minimalist ootwear

rarely have many chairs in their homes, workplaces orpublic spaces. Instead, people spend a lot o time in adeep, balanced squatting position while, or example,they eat or work.

Learning to squat properly, both as a held position andas a dynamic exercise, will help you develop yourbareoot running style more quickly and with less chanceo injury. Heres why:

Balance - a proper squat will position your bodyscentre o mass over the ball o your oot essential orbareoot movement;

Strength - the squat wont come easily to someone whohasnt tried it beore, but it will build strength in parts othe body needed or a correct bareoot running style;

Flexibility - the squat will also improve the range o

movement in your ankles, knees, hips and spine, helpingyou stretch important tendons, muscles and ligaments.

Balance, strength and fexibility all contribute to theimprovement o posture, which, dont orget, is the rstrule in our movement mantra.

How To Squat

Although squatting is one o the rst steps towardsbareoot running, that doesnt mean its going to beeasy! Not only will you need to build your strength upto maintain the position, youll also be stretching musclesand tendons in a new way. Be patient and take thingsslowly. Learning to keep your balance while in thesepositions is the most important take-away or theseexercises.

Sitting Squat - Keep your weight on the balls o your

eet; avoid the temptation to shit it onto your heels.The best way to perect the deep squat is to practicewhenever you get the chance (see gure 5).



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The bareoot squat has the sameplantar pressure as runningA natural bareoot squat requires the oot to be fat but the body weight to bepredominantly applied to the ball o the oot. Notice the similarity to the healthyrunning plantar pressure. The bareoot squat encourages and maintains the necessary

mobility and stability required or bareoot activities. (gure 5)


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I youre watching TV or have a low table you can readrom or write on, take the opportunity to build up yourstrength, fexibility and balance so that running bareootcomes even more naturally.

Dynamic Squat A good dynamic squat is all aboutposture and balance. The best way to maintain thecorrect orm and build up the appropriate muscles is touse a weighted pole o at least 5kg. As with the sittingsquat, keep your weight on the balls o your eet andconcentrate on your balance.

Try not to think o the dynamic squat as hard work

it should be a bouncy movement and one that usesas little muscle action as possible. Complete eachsquat quickly; the dynamic part o this exercisemeans its much more about the movement thanholding the position.

Dynamic Squat 1 - Hold out your arms horizontallyand balance the pole across your collarbone. As yousquat, concentrate on keeping the pole stationary; thiswill ensure that the rest o your posture alls into place.

Dynamic Squat 2 This time, hold the barhorizontally above your head. Follow the samesquatting guidelines as above. To begin with, youllprobably nd the weight o the bar topples youorwards; thinking about maintaining your body weightover the balls o the eet and keeping your head andchest up will help.

Troubleshooting

I youre struggling with any o these squats, run through thischecklist:

- is your weight on your heels? Or does it move onto them as you

squat? Think about keeping your connection through the balls oyour eet.

- do you keep losing your balance? You might just need to build upthe right muscles or the job. Try squatting without the pole or holdonto a door handle as you practice.



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Stage 2 - Bareoot Jumping

The bareoot jump takes things up a notch. A jump is

much more dynamic than walking or squatting, whichmeans there are more orces involved and more skillrequired. Learning to jump will build on the strength,balance and fexibility gained in Stage 1 as well asimprove the elasticity o your tendons and, importantly,teach you about rhythmic motion.

Tendons are a bit like elastic bands. You have them allover your body and they usually connect muscle to bone.When stretched, these elastic bands snap back into

place, essentially providing you with ree energy. Thisis known as the stretch-shorten cycle.

How we run aects this cycle because our tendonsstretch and recoil most eciently at a certain cadence(beats per minute). When the cadence is wrong, injuryoten occurs. Well cover this concept more ully in Stage3 o this guide, but its important to understand whileyoure learning to jump why elasticity and rhythm aresuch important actors or running.

How To Jump

Focus on using the balls o your eet, but dont use yourtiptoes. Youre not trying to jump too high; instead, keepyour bounces small and light, and start with a rhythm atwhich the jumping eels most ecient and relaxed.You should be able to keep going or quite a while!Eventually, try to reach a rhythm o 180BPM - this is the

optimum cadence to harness the elastic recoil o thebody and is a undamental coaching point in ecient,injury ree bareoot running.

Try the ollowing:

Standard two-leg jump put a piece o tape on thefoor and do twenty small jumps without looking down.Ideally, you should end up on the same spot. I you

dont, work out which part o you need to align in orderto x the problem; or example, are you chasing yourhead orwards? Once youve perected this skill, holdthe weighted bar above your head to add an extrachallenge to the exercise.



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One-leg jump/hopping running is essentially a serieso one-legged jumps! Do the same exercise as above butthis time on one leg. Add the weighted bar once youreable to hop comortably on the spot.

Jumping rope an excellent conditioning exercise andwarm up drill or bareoot runners (try ve minutesbeore running to develop an awareness o yourcadence and rhythm). Again, put some tape on the foorand make sure you dont move away rom the line asyou jump.

NB. As a benchmark, i you can manage to jump rope

at 180BPM or ve two minute rounds with one minuterest, you should easily manage a ten-minute bareoot runat the same cadence.

Troubleshooting

I youre struggling to jump in the manner described above, thereare two main things you could be doing wrong:

- i you keep losing your balance or moving away rom the tape youneed to check your posture. Stay relaxed but make sure that yourhead and chest are pointed up and are positioned vertically above

your hips. Try doing a ew squats with a pole to help your bodyremember the correct orm.

- i youre nding the jumps really hard work, chances are youreusing too many muscles! Keep your body relaxed and dont try tojump too high.



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Stage 3 Bareoot Running

The exercises in Stage 1 and 2 will improve your

posture and help you appreciate the natural rhythm oyour body. These activities will also reconnect your eetwith your brain and the rest o your body youll beusing sensory eedback rom the soles o your eet tomove saely and more eciently in everything thatyou do!

Once you are happy walking, squatting and jumpingwith bare eet its time to move on to bareoot running.

I youve completed the previous stages properly, youshouldnt encounter any problems as you move tobareoot running. However, it is still a new way omoving so do take things slowly; i youre accustomed torunning ve miles in regular trainers, dont expect to beable to run the same distance straight away with bareeet or minimalist shoes.

How to run (see fgure 6)

Theres a lot to remember when you start runningbareoot or the rst time. The ollowing checklistwill help:

Posture your posture is absolutely the most importantthing when you run bareoot. As you run, keep yourhead and chest upright and relax as much as possible;the whole o your upper body should remain stable butun-tensed. Focus on landing on the ball o your oot.

You probably wont be landing on your heels (your brainand eet dont like it), but you still need to avoid landingon the sides o your eet or too close to your toes.

I youre struggling, think back to the connection youmade with the balls o your eet as you learned to walk,squat and jump bareoot. When your running posture iscorrect, your eet should eel like they are landingdirectly underneath your body as opposed to out in ront.



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Bouncy rhythm and short strides to reach thecorrect cadence or a bouncy rhythm, your eet willprobably have to touch the ground more oten thanyoure used to. However, because you dont necessarilywant to run aster, this means youll need to take shorterstrides. It might take a ew weeks to get to this stage, butyou eventually want to run at 180BPM.

Relaxed Body most of your bodyshould stayrelaxed most o the time when you run. A relaxed bodyis more rhythmic and uses a lot less energy as it runs.Listen to the sound o your eet as they make contact withthe ground. Quiet eet are relaxed eet! I youre

nding it dicult to un-tense, ocus on specic partso your body at a time (your hands are a good start).Contract the muscles or ve seconds then completelylet them go. This contract-relax technique is an excellentway to build awareness o the dierence betweenrelaxed and tensed muscles.

A ully relaxed and skillul technique is the sign o amaster in any sport, so be patient or this last pointer it will take time and practice (see gure 6).

Troubleshooting

Here are a ew o the most common problems or peopletransitioning to bareoot running:

- are you bent at hip? Make sure youre not head chasing and keep

your gaze somewhere above the horizon.- is your oot landing too ar ahead o your body? This will upsetyour natural movement, so make sure to keep your oot landingdirectly underneath you.

- are you landing on the wrong part o your oot? Heel striking isout o the equation, but be wary o running on the side o your oot(supinating), or too close to your toes.

- are you reaching too ar with your stride? Keep your strides shortand rapid, rather than long and heavy.

- do you have a slow sticky rhythm? Shorter strides means youshould eel light and bouncy as you run nothing should shake asyou run past!

- do you have a tense upper body and/or shoulders? Relax!



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Proprioceptive eedback in running

Movement is a skill and the oundation o skilled movement is proprioceptive eedback(shown here in orange). Inormation rom your skin, muscles and joints (mainly in youreet) is ed back to the brain to allow your body to adapt to the biomechanical loads

and environmental cues experienced while moving. (gure 6)


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Bibliography

Alexander R.McNeill (1988) Elastic mechanisms in animalmovement. Cambridge University Press

Bramble DM, Lieberman DE (2004) Endurance running andthe evolution o Homo. Nature

Carrier, D. R. (1984). The energetic paradox o human runningand hominid evolution. Cur.Anthro.

Daniels J. (2005) Daniels running ormula. Human kinetics

E.O.(1989) Consilience. The Unity o Knowledge. Abacus

Gent van R.N. et al (2007) Incidence and determinants o lowerextremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic

review. Br J Sports Med Wilson

Haskell W.L. et al (2007) Medicine and Science in Sportsand Exercise. Physical Activity and Public Health: Updatedrecommendations for adults from the American College ofSports Medicine and the American Heart Association

Horak F.B. (2006) Postural orientation and equilibrium: what dowe need to know about neural control o balance to prevent alls?Age and Ageing

Hreljac A. (2005) Etiology, Prevention, and Early Intervention oOveruse Injuries in Runners: a Biomechanical Perspective.Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am

Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation.Chicago: University of Chicago press

Kerrigan et al (2009) Eect o Running Shoes on Lower ExtremityJoint Torques American Academy of Physical

Medicine and Rehabilitation

Kong and de Heer. (2008) Anthropometric, gait and strengthcharacteristics o Kenyan distance runners.Journal of SportsScience and Medicine

Nigg B.M. (2001) The Role o Impact Forces and Foot Pronation:A new Paradigm. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine



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Oster J (2009) The CT Band, CT Band Biomechanics and CT BandSyndrome. Foot and ankle journal online

Phil. Homann (1905) Conclusions Drawn From a Comparitive

Study o the Feet o Bareooted and Shoe-Wearing PeoplesJ Bone Joint Surg Am.

Romanov, N and Fletcher, G (2007) Runners do not push o theground but all orwards via a gravitational torque, SportsBiomechanics

WHO Motor Development Study: Windows o achievement or sixgross motor development milestones (2006) Acta Paediatica.Suppl.

Zatsiorsky VM, Kraemer WJ (2006) Science and Practice oStrength Training. Human Kinetics



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Lee Saxby

VIVOBAREFOOT has chosen to partner with Lee Saxby because he understandsbareoot running and natural locomotion better than anyone else.

Lee has spent 15 years studying with the leading researchers across the elds obiomechanics, nutrition, athletic training, evolutionary biology and unctional medicine.

The coaching drills he uses are based on a deep understanding o the biomechanics omovement and his extensive practical experience o xing injured runners and developingperormance athletes

trainingclinic.vivobareoot.com

Text 2011 Terra Plana InternationalImages 2011 Bryan Christie

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in anyorm, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or anyinormation storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing rom Terra PlanaInternational.

Illustrations: Bryan Christie - www.bryanchristiedesign.comWord Up to Lucy Langdon

Design: Steve Hickery and Anna Lincoln

Special thanks to Dominic Jones

Documents

Proprioception Making Sense of Barefoot Running