"All ambulatory creatures in nature
walk naturally, hence with
maximum efficiency. That includes
all shoeless people, who are the only
“pure” walkers on the planet. All the
rest of us, by grace of the shoes we
wear, are defective walkers in varying
manner or degree. And who
knows how many of our foot problems
stem, directly or indirectly,
from those shoe-caused postural and
gait faults."
"Ironically, the closest we have
ever come to an “ideal” shoe was
the original lightweight, soft-sole,
heel-less, simple moccasin, which
dates back more than 14,000 years.
It consisted of a piece of crudely
tanned but soft leather wrapped
around the foot and held on with
rawhide thongs. Presto! custom fit,
perfect in biomechanical function,
and no encumbrances to the foot or
gait."
Here is a HUGE reason for african dominance, even if you don't like to admit it:
"the lower the functional
performance of the feet, the lower
the functional performance of the
gait."
Well, basically everyone in western society has lowered functional performance in their feet thanks to a lifetime of shoes.
And whether you think the article is overly speculative or the theories havent been sufficiently tested, I don't need some researcher's OK to know that the points made in this article are absolutely true; I've seen the difference in my own life and training. Think a little for yourself, don't waste another decade in overbuilt shoes ruining your feet for a study to come out telling you it's ok. Ditching "normal" trainers was the single best thing Ive ever done for my running performance and health.