Barefoot Training May Help Your Children Develop Healthier Movement
In 2009, Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run started a barefoot craze. It depicted how Tarahumara natives from Mexico became among the world’s best ultrarunners wearing flimsy sandals or no shoes at all. Barefoot training and minimalist footwear became trendy, but controversy erupted. Did barefoot training or running increase the risk of injury? Did it offer any benefits?
A recent study sheds some light on these questions. Researchers from Germany found that children who are habitually barefoot are better at jumping and balancing than children who habitually wear shoes.
The study compared 385 children from South Africa, who rarely wore shoes, to 425 children from Germany, who almost always wore shoes. The differences were most pronounced when researchers compared 6-10 year olds from these two groups.
The results suggest that by virtue of growing up barefoot, the Tarahumara ultrarunners probably developed motor skills that their more affluent competitors never developed.
However, the children who habitually wore shoes were faster sprinters.
The researchers suspect that this had to do with environment. The South African children did their running tests in various indoor and outdoor surfaces wearing school shoes. The German children tested indoors on a sprung floor wearing athletic shoes. Plus, the researchers could not control for differences in, say, diet and culture that may have given either group an edge.
So, what’s the takeaway?
Footwear seems to impede children from developing motor skills and muscles that are relevant to jumping and balancing. By introducing barefoot training into your children’s lives, you may help them develop healthier movement patterns and better athletic performance. A few ideas:
At home, encourage your children to play barefoot inside and outside (if the terrain is safe for it).
Introduce them to activities like martial arts, yoga, and gymnastics, which are all practiced barefoot.
Start gradually if your children haven’t trained or played barefoot in a long time.
Remember, barefoot training is not a miracle cure for unhealthy movement patterns. If you suspect that your child is moving in an unnatural or harmful way, contact a professional for an evaluation.
For more information, check out:
Dr. Jake Shores
Chiropractic Neurologist
Park City, Utah
