Heel initial contact is the natural and "default" way for humans to walk. The human foot, with its plantigrade configuration, was designed to walk with an initial heel contact. Of course, the roughness of certain terrains or the steepness of certain places may require a temporary variation to that default heel contact. Sometimes a forefoot initial contact is the best for comfort and stability, and sometimes a flatfoot step works best. But on relatively level and relatively smooth surfaces, the human foot naturally walks with a heel contact. It's not something that anyone ever even needs to think about. In fact, in my whole life, I have *never* seen a barefoot person walking on relatively level and smooth surface in any way except an initial heels contact. I have read many times of barefooters claiming they never heel strike, but in several instances later seeing candid videos of them walking, they were indeed walking with a natural heel first contact. Which has led me to believe that many, if not most, barefooters really don't know for sure how they are actually walking. I have read and seen many videos in the past of so-called barefooting "experts" telling people they should *never* heel strike when walking barefoot. These people really don't have a clue as to what they are talking about, and are likely not full time barefooters at all. Or they got the natural running gait (forefoot initial contact) mixed up with the natural walking gait (heel initial contact). After reading enough of that nonsense, plus having read of newer barefooters becoming frustrated with trying to follow that misleading advice ("never heel strike"), and finding walking barefoot just too much work (trying to force their feet to walk in a way they were not designed to walk), a while back I wrote an article explaining in detail what a natural barefoot gait is. borntolivebarefoot.org/initial-heel-contact-is-the-natural-way-to-walk-barefoot/
All I'll say is that I'm used to walking barefoot inside, and before ever hearing about barefoot walking, I was walking mostly with flatfoot steps. Later on when I did Asian martial arts (still didn't know about the barefoot trend), I had to run barefoot, sometimes on concrete. Let me tell ya that I quickly found it much more intuitive to run with forefoot steps. People do whatever they want tho, but I'll stick to my style of walking. I find it much more smooth and stable.
I have walked mostly barefoot for almost 10 years. I agree that when I walk I do touch down first on my heels. Sometimes on very annoying terrain I will do a forefoot or mid-foot landing. I do not land with as much force on heals when walking barefoot and part of that is due to a shorter stride. I do believe that walking barefoot is more protective to the joints than walking with modern day shoes.
My take is that walking barefoot is not protective, however it very quickly uncovers the type of poor walking technique that leads to heavy and painful heel strike. People will either correct it and walk better or they will stop walking barefoot. The technique for walking barefoot or in shoes should be the same. On uneven or difficult terrain, we naturally vary our steps, but that is a different subject than walking in a normal situation.
As a full time barefooter (don't even own shoes) walking and running are the 'ends' of the spectrum of being barefoot! One of the noticeable effects of gait, heel strike, forefoot strike is it's dependent on speed. Heel strike for most people is normal in walking speed. The faster you go..there's a changeover into almost a flat strike. Then faster into fast jog to flat out run, changes over to forefoot strikes. This is the body's natural protection from jarring that us caused by the heel slamming down on hard surfaces. We tend to not have jarring at walking speed, so heel or forefoot strike isn't even a thought. Running on the forefoot also isn't thought about, it just happens. Once a person figures out that shoes are not necessary for walking, and how much healthier they feel, shoes can be discarded.
I agree with you in the change from heel to midfoot to forefoot as you go from walking to slow jog, to run, to sprint. However, I don't think it is necessarily natural since so many people, even Olympic level runners, don't always make this transition and still land on the heel with fast running or even sprinting. I did a video on the various speed dependent foot strikes when running that covers this and explains the mechanics. I appreciate your comment.
I think that like a lot of these movements, there’s a nugget of truth which was then blown out of proportion. I think it’s true that we don’t want to be landing with a major thump of the heel with the knees in a locked position, but rather it should be a soft heel landing which then quickly and smoothly moves forward onto the mid and forefoot with a smooth motion. But many people don’t like nuance-they’d rather label things into “good” and “bad”. Personally I cannot possibly land on my forefoot, that would feel very unnatural. But when I engage my glutes and core and allow my calves, forefoot and toes to do more of the work, I end up naturally softening my heel strike such that it doesn’t send much shock up my leg, as the heel hits the ground more softly with my knee in a slightly bent position and then I transition quickly to the mid and forefoot. This at least feels healthiest to me.
Exactly. There are a lot of people who land very wrong on the heel, which causes all the problem. That’s the whole reason I have this channel. But it isn’t the heel strike itself.
Love all your videos on walking and I don't disagree. But, I always wonder why runners are landing on forefoot and not heel? Isn't running just a faster way of walking?
Hi Peter. Running is not just a faster way of walking. Running has completely different mechanics that require getting both legs off the ground at the same time. By definition, that never happens in walking. A faster way of walking is called fast walking. You need to watch my running foot strike video’s.
Does this even have to be a debate? We are capable of different ways of walking and there's no right or wrong but more "appropriate for the current situation". The more uneven, the steeper it gets, the more I go on my forefoot. Also the faster I go. It allows me to run with a spring in my step. I do it without thinking terribly much, it's pretty much an automatism, though part of my consciousness is still focused on the way ahead. People should learn to get in control of their own body and do what's best to them rather than doing what they're told, that certain ways of walking are "natural" or "unnatural", "right" or "wrong". There are by the way many different ways of walking and not just two ...
It does need to be a debate since prominent RUclipsrs are telling vulnerable people that walking heel first is flat out wrong. They frequently place comments on my videos telling people I should not be advocating heel first walking and that the only reason people heel strike is due to modern footwear. This is complete misinformation which confuses many people who are trying to fix their own walking problems and potentially can lead them down the wrong path. There really is a right and wrong way to walk for the health of the body and for maximum efficient movement without injury. What I am talking about applies to walking on flat ground, for the purpose of general locomotion, which is what we do the vast majority of time. Walking up a steep slope naturally changes the foot position, where we may place midfoot. Walking down stairs naturally places on the forefoot. Sprinting correctly naturally lands on the forefoot. Stepping over a tree branch we may place on the forefoot. There are obviously numerous variations of gait to suit different situations. These are all different and generally accepted ideas and not part of the debate about how to walk effectively on level ground. People come to RUclips for walking instruction when they have developed problems like pain while relying on their own natural tendencies. That is why proper instruction is important.
My initial reaction when seeing this clip without having seen the documentary is that these people could very well be actors that were asked to walk barefoot instead of the BBC having to find a big cluster of people actually walking barefoot. I have no idea how common is this practice in Australia tho, if it were to be really common, then this thought wouldn't make any sense. However, I'll say that I'm used to walking barefoot inside, and before ever hearing about barefoot walking, I was walking mostly with flatfoot steps (indoor with no shoes). -> tho heel striking with regular footwear. Later on, when I learnt Asian martial arts (still didn't know about the barefoot trend), I had to run barefoot, sometimes on concrete. Let me tell ya that I quickly found it much more intuitive to run with forefoot steps. People do whatever they want tho, but I'll stick to my style of walking. I find it much more smooth and stable.
Of course everyone will do what they want. To be clear, this discussion is only about walking. There is no debate about forefoot or midfoot striking being common and probably helpful when running, whether barefoot or in shoes.
I think a lot of people claiming forefoot striking is better in walking is confused between forefoot walking and running. Forefoot striking is natural when running due to the sheer difference in the amount of force on the knee joint, especially with bare feet. Though, this doesn't mean heel striking is unnatural by any means. I've read that there are racial differences in the risks of injury on Achilles tendon. People with some ethnic background may perform better with forefoot running and otherwise may also be true.
Very true. I also think almost all people who gravitate to forefoot walking as an idea are heel striking incorrectly, which is why they are looking for a solution in the first place. Then they confuse a small amount of knowledge about forefoot running and draw a false equivalence.
I think running is more speed dependent. Sprinting, forefoot is natural. Midfoot is more natural for moderate speed. At very slow speeds, heel may be more natural because your leg has to get out in front of you since you aren't pushing your body very far forward.
First off I don’t think it’s very important whether or not you’re landing with the hill versus 4 foot, but the one thing that doesn’t really prove is how to land correctly because most of those people I could’ve learned walking shoes earlier in life and even though they were walking barefoot, it still looked like a lot of them were crashing their hill into the ground Still extending during the end of the swing phase that to me be the important issue.
The point of this video is that the forefoot proponents (basically Grown and Healthy) say in their videos that anyone who takes their shoes off and tries to walk heel first will immediately notice that they can't do it because it will hurt. My point is that people all over the world do it all the time. Even cultures who grow up never wearing shoes still walk heel first.
Heel striking is most natural in a walking gait, while forefoot striking is most natural in a running gait. There is a tendency for cushioned running trainers/sneakers to encourage a heel strike while running, which is not good for running form, but I think anyone walking with a forefoot strike is overthinking it.
For running, forefoot vs midfoot will depend largely on speed. Forefoot is great for sprinting but wouldn’t be practical for slower speeds. You can see this pretty consistently with olympic runners. Marathoners are generally not going to forefoot strike, which requires a much faster cadence. Most will midfoot strike.
Heel striking with short strides save your legs a lot! Also the barefoot culture looks great, too bad we can't do it here in the UK...too cold and too much dog droppings
I know quite a few people other than myself using thick socks and sometimes liners to walk in barefoot shoes all year round. If you want to do something, there's always ways to do so.
Going barefoot or wearing barefoot shoes won't encourage you to stop heel striking while walking, but it'll damn sure encourage you to not do it as hard 😂
This is true. It can help you understand that you are walking incorrectly. Shoes also automatically increase your heel strike even if you are trying to walk the same way as you walk barefoot.
@@ToddMartinMD Absolutely! I had developed the poor habit of overstriding from years in the service, where it felt necessary in order to keep pace during ruck marches, or rhythm during formation marching. As soon as I fixed that it became evident I was not engaging the correct muscles to lift my leg off the ground and was fully relying on forward momentum, my quads, and a "calf raise" from the trailing leg. Now I feel like I float across the ground and can heel strike barefoot on concrete all day with zero muscular fatigue or soreness. It frustrates me to hear people implore others to use a forefoot or midfoot strike instead of assessing and addressing issues with their gait. Thank you for all the great information you provide.
@@meandab Nice to hear. That feeling of floating across the ground with very little feeling of anything like an impact is exactly what it should feel like. When you get it, it really is frustrating to hear people talk about how heavy and damaging heel strike is. Even more frustrating when they come on RUclips acting like they are gurus teaching people how to walk correctly by using the forefoot.
He never addresses any of the points in my videos that rebut his arguments. He just pretends they don't exist. He continues to say completely incorrect things, like you don't use your lower abs when you walk heel first, or that you are putting on the breaks with every step, and many other falsehoods. His nature of argument is very similar to the people who promote flat earth theories. Each point sounds convincing if you don't already know they are not true.
If only humans were not so smart we would not be arguing about how to walk. Other animals simply walk without analysis. We risk analysis paralysis. Being stupid is more efficient.
I made that point in my Ebook. In this sense, we are too smart for our own good. Being the only mammal to walk bipedally makes us unique to other mammals though, so it is not that simple. Since so many people come to the wrong way of walking when left to their own devices, some analysis and education then becomes necessary.
Heel initial contact is the natural and "default" way for humans to walk. The human foot, with its plantigrade configuration, was designed to walk with an initial heel contact. Of course, the roughness of certain terrains or the steepness of certain places may require a temporary variation to that default heel contact. Sometimes a forefoot initial contact is the best for comfort and stability, and sometimes a flatfoot step works best. But on relatively level and relatively smooth surfaces, the human foot naturally walks with a heel contact. It's not something that anyone ever even needs to think about.
In fact, in my whole life, I have *never* seen a barefoot person walking on relatively level and smooth surface in any way except an initial heels contact. I have read many times of barefooters claiming they never heel strike, but in several instances later seeing candid videos of them walking, they were indeed walking with a natural heel first contact. Which has led me to believe that many, if not most, barefooters really don't know for sure how they are actually walking.
I have read and seen many videos in the past of so-called barefooting "experts" telling people they should *never* heel strike when walking barefoot. These people really don't have a clue as to what they are talking about, and are likely not full time barefooters at all. Or they got the natural running gait (forefoot initial contact) mixed up with the natural walking gait (heel initial contact).
After reading enough of that nonsense, plus having read of newer barefooters becoming frustrated with trying to follow that misleading advice ("never heel strike"), and finding walking barefoot just too much work (trying to force their feet to walk in a way they were not designed to walk), a while back I wrote an article explaining in detail what a natural barefoot gait is.
borntolivebarefoot.org/initial-heel-contact-is-the-natural-way-to-walk-barefoot/
Great comment. I agree with every word.
All I'll say is that I'm used to walking barefoot inside, and before ever hearing about barefoot walking, I was walking mostly with flatfoot steps.
Later on when I did Asian martial arts (still didn't know about the barefoot trend), I had to run barefoot, sometimes on concrete. Let me tell ya that I quickly found it much more intuitive to run with forefoot steps.
People do whatever they want tho, but I'll stick to my style of walking. I find it much more smooth and stable.
I have walked mostly barefoot for almost 10 years. I agree that when I walk I do touch down first on my heels. Sometimes on very annoying terrain I will do a forefoot or mid-foot landing. I do not land with as much force on heals when walking barefoot and part of that is due to a shorter stride. I do believe that walking barefoot is more protective to the joints than walking with modern day shoes.
My take is that walking barefoot is not protective, however it very quickly uncovers the type of poor walking technique that leads to heavy and painful heel strike. People will either correct it and walk better or they will stop walking barefoot. The technique for walking barefoot or in shoes should be the same. On uneven or difficult terrain, we naturally vary our steps, but that is a different subject than walking in a normal situation.
my experience is: fivefinger shoes 5mm sole heelstriker but with a fair amount of corrections (E.G. mild first contact).
First contact should always be gentle when walking correctly.
As a full time barefooter (don't even own shoes) walking and running are the 'ends' of the spectrum of being barefoot! One of the noticeable effects of gait, heel strike, forefoot strike is it's dependent on speed. Heel strike for most people is normal in walking speed. The faster you go..there's a changeover into almost a flat strike. Then faster into fast jog to flat out run, changes over to forefoot strikes. This is the body's natural protection from jarring that us caused by the heel slamming down on hard surfaces. We tend to not have jarring at walking speed, so heel or forefoot strike isn't even a thought. Running on the forefoot also isn't thought about, it just happens.
Once a person figures out that shoes are not necessary for walking, and how much healthier they feel, shoes can be discarded.
I agree with you in the change from heel to midfoot to forefoot as you go from walking to slow jog, to run, to sprint. However, I don't think it is necessarily natural since so many people, even Olympic level runners, don't always make this transition and still land on the heel with fast running or even sprinting. I did a video on the various speed dependent foot strikes when running that covers this and explains the mechanics. I appreciate your comment.
I think that like a lot of these movements, there’s a nugget of truth which was then blown out of proportion. I think it’s true that we don’t want to be landing with a major thump of the heel with the knees in a locked position, but rather it should be a soft heel landing which then quickly and smoothly moves forward onto the mid and forefoot with a smooth motion. But many people don’t like nuance-they’d rather label things into “good” and “bad”. Personally I cannot possibly land on my forefoot, that would feel very unnatural. But when I engage my glutes and core and allow my calves, forefoot and toes to do more of the work, I end up naturally softening my heel strike such that it doesn’t send much shock up my leg, as the heel hits the ground more softly with my knee in a slightly bent position and then I transition quickly to the mid and forefoot. This at least feels healthiest to me.
Exactly. There are a lot of people who land very wrong on the heel, which causes all the problem. That’s the whole reason I have this channel. But it isn’t the heel strike itself.
Love all your videos on walking and I don't disagree. But, I always wonder why runners are landing on forefoot and not heel? Isn't running just a faster way of walking?
Hi Peter. Running is not just a faster way of walking. Running has completely different mechanics that require getting both legs off the ground at the same time. By definition, that never happens in walking. A faster way of walking is called fast walking. You need to watch my running foot strike video’s.
@@ToddMartinMD Makes sense...Thank you!
Does this even have to be a debate? We are capable of different ways of walking and there's no right or wrong but more "appropriate for the current situation". The more uneven, the steeper it gets, the more I go on my forefoot. Also the faster I go. It allows me to run with a spring in my step. I do it without thinking terribly much, it's pretty much an automatism, though part of my consciousness is still focused on the way ahead.
People should learn to get in control of their own body and do what's best to them rather than doing what they're told, that certain ways of walking are "natural" or "unnatural", "right" or "wrong". There are by the way many different ways of walking and not just two ...
It does need to be a debate since prominent RUclipsrs are telling vulnerable people that walking heel first is flat out wrong. They frequently place comments on my videos telling people I should not be advocating heel first walking and that the only reason people heel strike is due to modern footwear. This is complete misinformation which confuses many people who are trying to fix their own walking problems and potentially can lead them down the wrong path. There really is a right and wrong way to walk for the health of the body and for maximum efficient movement without injury. What I am talking about applies to walking on flat ground, for the purpose of general locomotion, which is what we do the vast majority of time. Walking up a steep slope naturally changes the foot position, where we may place midfoot. Walking down stairs naturally places on the forefoot. Sprinting correctly naturally lands on the forefoot. Stepping over a tree branch we may place on the forefoot. There are obviously numerous variations of gait to suit different situations. These are all different and generally accepted ideas and not part of the debate about how to walk effectively on level ground. People come to RUclips for walking instruction when they have developed problems like pain while relying on their own natural tendencies. That is why proper instruction is important.
Of course there is a right way. Why do you think we study biomechanics
My initial reaction when seeing this clip without having seen the documentary is that these people could very well be actors that were asked to walk barefoot instead of the BBC having to find a big cluster of people actually walking barefoot.
I have no idea how common is this practice in Australia tho, if it were to be really common, then this thought wouldn't make any sense.
However, I'll say that I'm used to walking barefoot inside, and before ever hearing about barefoot walking, I was walking mostly with flatfoot steps (indoor with no shoes). -> tho heel striking with regular footwear.
Later on, when I learnt Asian martial arts (still didn't know about the barefoot trend), I had to run barefoot, sometimes on concrete. Let me tell ya that I quickly found it much more intuitive to run with forefoot steps.
People do whatever they want tho, but I'll stick to my style of walking. I find it much more smooth and stable.
Of course everyone will do what they want. To be clear, this discussion is only about walking. There is no debate about forefoot or midfoot striking being common and probably helpful when running, whether barefoot or in shoes.
I think a lot of people claiming forefoot striking is better in walking is confused between forefoot walking and running. Forefoot striking is natural when running due to the sheer difference in the amount of force on the knee joint, especially with bare feet. Though, this doesn't mean heel striking is unnatural by any means. I've read that there are racial differences in the risks of injury on Achilles tendon. People with some ethnic background may perform better with forefoot running and otherwise may also be true.
Very true. I also think almost all people who gravitate to forefoot walking as an idea are heel striking incorrectly, which is why they are looking for a solution in the first place. Then they confuse a small amount of knowledge about forefoot running and draw a false equivalence.
Heel first when walking, toes when you run. That what comes naturally....
I think running is more speed dependent. Sprinting, forefoot is natural. Midfoot is more natural for moderate speed. At very slow speeds, heel may be more natural because your leg has to get out in front of you since you aren't pushing your body very far forward.
First off I don’t think it’s very important whether or not you’re landing with the hill versus 4 foot, but the one thing that doesn’t really prove is how to land correctly because most of those people I could’ve learned walking shoes earlier in life and even though they were walking barefoot, it still looked like a lot of them were crashing their hill into the ground Still extending during the end of the swing phase that to me be the important issue.
The point of this video is that the forefoot proponents (basically Grown and Healthy) say in their videos that anyone who takes their shoes off and tries to walk heel first will immediately notice that they can't do it because it will hurt. My point is that people all over the world do it all the time. Even cultures who grow up never wearing shoes still walk heel first.
Heel striking is most natural in a walking gait, while forefoot striking is most natural in a running gait. There is a tendency for cushioned running trainers/sneakers to encourage a heel strike while running, which is not good for running form, but I think anyone walking with a forefoot strike is overthinking it.
For running, forefoot vs midfoot will depend largely on speed. Forefoot is great for sprinting but wouldn’t be practical for slower speeds. You can see this pretty consistently with olympic runners. Marathoners are generally not going to forefoot strike, which requires a much faster cadence. Most will midfoot strike.
I have heel pain so I changed my walk
Many people walk incorrectly when they place on the heel. It's the faulty mechanics and not the heel placement that causes the pain.
Heel striking with short strides save your legs a lot!
Also the barefoot culture looks great, too bad we can't do it here in the UK...too cold and too much dog droppings
Here in San Diego, definitely too much dog (and sometimes human) poop on the streets to walk around comfortably barefoot.
@@ToddMartinMD haha that is not ideal at all!
I know quite a few people other than myself using thick socks and sometimes liners to walk in barefoot shoes all year round. If you want to do something, there's always ways to do so.
@@rushi7312they said barefoot. Not barefoot shoes
Well, following the evidence, I'm certainly happy to be a heel striker!
Glad to have you as a proud heel striker
For the same reason you can never convince some people that the world is round. Bingo!
Exactly.
Going barefoot or wearing barefoot shoes won't encourage you to stop heel striking while walking, but it'll damn sure encourage you to not do it as hard 😂
This is true. It can help you understand that you are walking incorrectly. Shoes also automatically increase your heel strike even if you are trying to walk the same way as you walk barefoot.
@@ToddMartinMD Absolutely! I had developed the poor habit of overstriding from years in the service, where it felt necessary in order to keep pace during ruck marches, or rhythm during formation marching. As soon as I fixed that it became evident I was not engaging the correct muscles to lift my leg off the ground and was fully relying on forward momentum, my quads, and a "calf raise" from the trailing leg. Now I feel like I float across the ground and can heel strike barefoot on concrete all day with zero muscular fatigue or soreness. It frustrates me to hear people implore others to use a forefoot or midfoot strike instead of assessing and addressing issues with their gait. Thank you for all the great information you provide.
@@meandab Nice to hear. That feeling of floating across the ground with very little feeling of anything like an impact is exactly what it should feel like. When you get it, it really is frustrating to hear people talk about how heavy and damaging heel strike is. Even more frustrating when they come on RUclips acting like they are gurus teaching people how to walk correctly by using the forefoot.
Grown and Healthy guy needs to see this, but in the nature of a true conspiracy theorist, he'll just say you're Illuminati. 😁
He never addresses any of the points in my videos that rebut his arguments. He just pretends they don't exist. He continues to say completely incorrect things, like you don't use your lower abs when you walk heel first, or that you are putting on the breaks with every step, and many other falsehoods. His nature of argument is very similar to the people who promote flat earth theories. Each point sounds convincing if you don't already know they are not true.
I'd be right at home in Australia 🙂
Me too. Although I am in San Diego, which is about as close as you can get here in the US
Well said! 👍
I live on Kauai. It’s very common to see people walking around barefoot, even at the supermarket.
me too.i hate shoes and go barefoot in public whenever possible
If only humans were not so smart we would not be arguing about how to walk. Other animals simply walk without analysis. We risk analysis paralysis. Being stupid is more efficient.
I made that point in my Ebook. In this sense, we are too smart for our own good. Being the only mammal to walk bipedally makes us unique to other mammals though, so it is not that simple. Since so many people come to the wrong way of walking when left to their own devices, some analysis and education then becomes necessary.
I like to side foot waddle
what is a side foot waddle. Is that the same as duck foot walking?