Original scientific paper
An Explanation of the Infl uence on Deciding which Type of Foot Strike to Use when Running Barefoot or in Minimalistic Shoes
Aleš Dolenec
; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Petra Rađi
; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Vojko Strojnik
; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Buying minimalistic shoes does not mean that you know how to use them. Salespersons are rarely competent to give
adequate advice how to transition to new shoes. The same happens when someone chooses to run barefoot. So, the aim of
the present experiment was to fi nd out whether giving or not giving an explanation of the correct technique of foot placement
in barefoot running and running in a minimalistic shoe infl uences the frequency of rear-foot strikes in natural, rear
foot strikers when running barefoot or in minimalistic shoes. Thirty-nine subjects (age =34.9±6.9 years, height =174±9 cm,
mass =73.1±13.8 kg), randomly divided into four groups participated in this experiment. Subjects in groups 1 and 3 did
not receive an explanation, while groups 2 and 4 did. Besides the difference in explanation, there was also a difference in
the shoes worn during the intervention. Subjects in the groups 1 and 2 ran barefoot, while subjects in groups 3 and 4 ran
in minimalistic shoes. The initial state of the foot strike patterns was measured in classic running shoes. During the intervention
subjects ran according to the group they were in. 80% of the subjects in groups 1 and 3 took the most steps in a
rear-foot strike pattern (Median =100) while only 21% of the subjects in groups 2 and 4 took the most steps in a rear-foot
strike pattern (Median =15.7), U =64, z =–3.619, p (0.00)<0.05, r =–0.58. The results show that an explanation and demonstration
of the correct technique of foot placement in barefoot running and running in a minimalistic shoe
Keywords
running; barefoot; minimalistic shoes; explanation; strike type
Hrčak ID:
147626
URI
Publication date:
14.7.2015.
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