Ryan Smither
Super Moderator
Many of you may have heard of the latest running shoe sensation -- the Vibram Five Fingers.
The basic theory is that we have adapted to a running style, which may or may not do damage to our body, based on the invention of the running shoe 30 or 40 years ago. We have become more of a "power running" society, as opposed to a less forceful form of running still used by Kenyan runners (they're pretty good) and the Tarahumara (world's foremost long distance runners). We run more upright over the heels of our feet, rather than leaning forward with our feet simply pushing us along on the balls of the feet. Here's a quick explanation, with a little science thrown in:
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"What the hell does this have to do with golf," you might ask.
For starters: Does the modern golf shoe provide any added benefit to the swing? Have we simply taken what was given to us, a running type shoe, and thrown some spikes on it, without considering the possible role toes could play in our game? Could our toes play a bigger role in the swing provided that they're free to move?
I'm thinking Vibram Five Fingers with individual spikes on the toes. I'm sure that many of you have at least hit balls barefooted: Any thoughts?
(Here's a golf-related link with some further, though limited, discussion: Barefoot Lesher “Barefoot” Golf)
The basic theory is that we have adapted to a running style, which may or may not do damage to our body, based on the invention of the running shoe 30 or 40 years ago. We have become more of a "power running" society, as opposed to a less forceful form of running still used by Kenyan runners (they're pretty good) and the Tarahumara (world's foremost long distance runners). We run more upright over the heels of our feet, rather than leaning forward with our feet simply pushing us along on the balls of the feet. Here's a quick explanation, with a little science thrown in:
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7jrnj-7YKZE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7jrnj-7YKZE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
"What the hell does this have to do with golf," you might ask.
For starters: Does the modern golf shoe provide any added benefit to the swing? Have we simply taken what was given to us, a running type shoe, and thrown some spikes on it, without considering the possible role toes could play in our game? Could our toes play a bigger role in the swing provided that they're free to move?
I'm thinking Vibram Five Fingers with individual spikes on the toes. I'm sure that many of you have at least hit balls barefooted: Any thoughts?
(Here's a golf-related link with some further, though limited, discussion: Barefoot Lesher “Barefoot” Golf)
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