This is the sort of thing you find very often being discovered nowadays and improved upon. It is also seen in fantasy books where natural people hate humans for pollution and controlled nature and stuff like that.
Read this. I've shortened it down considerably from the original article length and it's worth reading.
QUOTE
As more than a dozen world records sank in the pool this week with the help of blisteringly fast new swimsuits, one sport has turned its back on technology and is returning to basics.
Physiologists say running barefoot helps athletes re-discover primal ‘‘running mechanics’’, the sort of techniques that have allowed members of some tribes to run hundreds of kilometres, apparently without fuss.
And even the multi-billion dollar sports shoe industry has bought into the theory, with Nike crafting a minimalist shoe that mimics the barefoot running experience.
The celebration of the strength of the bare foot is a drastic about-face for an industry that, over a few decades, turned the simple sports shoe into an advanced piece of equipment - featuring air cushions, layered rubber soles, gel filled capsules - worth hundreds of dollars.
Lananna’s instinct was echoed by research pointing out that the human foot - with its 26 bones and over 100 muscles, joints and ligaments - was naturally designed to support running. But the modern sports shoes, with all its cushioning, prevented it from performing naturally.
‘‘Until 1972, when the modern athletic shoe was invented, people ran in very thin-soled shoes, had strong feet and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries.’’
Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Philo Saunders said that while running shoes were initially developed to ‘‘support and cushion and reduce the risk of injury’’, the idea became so ‘‘over-produced that runners became reliant on the shoes protecting them [and let their running style’s deteriorate] .. causing more injuries than preventing them.’’
A series of injuries prompted Born To Run author, former war correspondent Christopher McDougall, to travel to Mexico to observe the barefoot technique of the Tarahumara tribe, known to be terrific long-distance runners.
‘‘They just stroll to the starting line, laughing and bantering, and then go for it, ultra-running for two full days, sometimes covering over 300 miles, non-stop,’’ he wrote.
But researchers found barefoot running contributed not only to a reduction in injuries, but also more efficient running.
‘‘[Pisciotta said] instead of each foot clomping down as it would in a shoe, it behaved like an animal with a mind of its own - stretching, grasping, seeking the ground with splayed toes, gliding in for a landing like a lake-bound swan,’’ McDougall wrote.*
‘‘Runners running without footwear also have a shorter stride length; higher stride frequency (faster turnover) and a shorter ground contact time,’’ he wrote in a running journal, Run For Your Life.
‘‘You have more elastic energy, it’s a bit more bouncy, so there’s better economy of running. Overall it means better running mechanics and the training benefits translate into performance benefits.’’
‘‘There an awareness and collaboration with researchers to get ideas like this, and structure it into their training program.
See a comparison of running styles with and without shoes here.
*Sounds like something the Alagaesian Elves would point out
Pretty cool? The "Nike Free" is a sneaker designed by Nike (doh!) from this study to, while still providing protection and support, gives the foot a chance to act naturally and freely to help the running and performance. To watch a video as to how exactly the sneaker works, click here. There is also an official Nike Free page located here, if you are further interested.
Watcha think?
All this and more in the next episode!
