The Foot Fall

How do your shoes wear out?

You can get a lot of information about the way you walk from the way your shoes wear out.

Most people are wearing their shoes out on the outside, from the outer heel through the outer foot. 

This is not optimal but happens because we tend to walk with our feet turned out slightly. We tend to lean backward when we walk which messes up the way weight transfers from the shin to the foot. 

A thick pad of fascia and skin makes up the inside of the heel, while a small projection of bone on the outer heel exists as a landing pad for each step. 

This spot on the outer heel is where each step should begin.

Take a look at the calluses on your feet. They are a pure indication of where you bear weight in your foot.

Ideally, calluses should form on the outer heel, and on the inner and outer ball of the foot.

That would indicate a good foot fall.

These three points are where the foot’s main weight-bearing takes place, with an emphasis on the big toe. 

A happy foot fall should encompass all three of these points.  We want to roll from the outer heel to the inner foot, finishing on the big toe before launching into the next step.

Finishing on the big toe creates a reciprocal response in the inner upper thigh. The inner spiral of the leg sets the psoas muscle back at its base which is very important. 

It provides for the magical lift in the spine that elevates us energetically.

As you walk, note the way your foot lands on the floor. Where does its action start and finish? 

What do you feel in your inner thigh as you land and push off?

Try a new way. 

• Start to walk, making sure to begin each step on the outer heel.
• Try to sense the transfer of energy from the outer heel to the inner foot.
• Feel for a gentle engagement in your inner thigh as each step falls through the inner foot. You can also initiate this action from the inner thigh. 
• Stick your butt out slightly, setting your inner thighs back. Feel how this action takes you through the inner foot.

The whole foot should be in play with each step.

Pushing off through the big toe should send the body forward.

Finishing each step through the big toe allows you to stack your bones to create an effective plumb line.

Walking this way will allow your shoes to wear out well.

Performed correctly, these actions should put the proper spring in your step.