Hi everyone,
In San Francisco (and throughout the US, generally), the VibramFiveFinger shoe has become insanely popular. It's the shoe that looks like a glove for your feet -- it's shaped so each toe has it's own pocket, and is designed for sports.
Are people wearing them in Geneva / Switzerland?
Partly, the craze around barefoot running and minimalist shoes took off when Chris MacDougall published his book "Born to Run". I'm not sure if it's been translated / distributed abroad (my guess is yes), but it's an excellent book with some very interesting stories, and I recommend it.
Anyway, I'm curious because I teach barefoot classes, and help people train their feet and learn to land safely in miminalist or no shoes. I'll be in Geneva in September and would like to teach while I'm there. I'm wondering if there'd be an interest.
Thanks!
Kim
If you are advertising your services why dont you post in commercial section?
Hi Gata, thanks for the suggestion and I offer my apologies if I have misplaced this question. If I decide to teach a class, or find the right partner to work with, then I will definitely post all the details on the commercial site! And, it sounds like that could be a good forum to find a studio or fitness center to partner with.
The question I want to pose here is whether people are wearing Vibrams and barefoot running in Geneva.
I know a lot of other sports are popular, and people have advice about other kinds of equipment.
Thanks again,
Kim
We had articles about it in a newspaper but I'm not sure there's lot of people who like to run barefoot....
(I actually love to walk barefoot, but never tried to run like that...)
Now I've got a foot of the Greek type, a bit strange, not sure if your shoes would get well on my feet
That's the problem, nowadays no one wants to do sane things, everyone wants to do insane things. And there is a market for every fad.
Anyway, answering your query, no barefoot running is not a new topic here, if you search the forum it has been clobbered to death. Most people keen on running have already read that "Born to Run" book when it appeared 2 years back. It may be a craze or new thing for some people, but exactly the same science used to appear in Reader's Digest 25 years back, when I used to be a little boy.
What an irony, we were "born to run", but we have to pay to run in so many forms, paying for speciliast running shoes, pay for minimalist shoes, pay doctors,, pay someone to teach how to run barefoot
Whatever happened to simply running?
Are there people willing to pay for this?
I have FiveFingers and also do workout barefoot, what do you need to learn about it? Its our natural state...
Ok, you have to pay attention not to step in glass when running outside and not to drop kettlebells on your feet, but what else?
Just take off your shoes, do whatever you would do with shoes and have a beer after the workout...
Cheers..
a.
So ... how does one thread one`s toes into the shoes?
But seriously .... with all the modern moulded sprung "running"/"excercise"/etc ... shoes ...... most everyone seems to, these days, have flat feet...?
Hardly anyone seems to know how to actually "use their feet" when walking!
Dancing .. the classical type dances .... teach this. To roll over the foot, to carry the body correctly over the balance of the feet. Instead of plodding along on flat feet, shuffling along.
I was most amazed to see that people actually PAY to learn how to walk with those "nordic" walking sticks!
Thanks for the great feedback everyone.
Training your feet is just like anything else. Some people like to dive in and figure it out for themselves, some people prefer classes, and some like individual attention.
Examples that come to mind: Taxes. Meditation. Swimming. Carpentry. Auto repair.
I work with people who want to know more about their feet, and who are actively looking to improve performance, balance, strength and flexibility. Or, people who are on their feet all day for work, or who have foot pain.
And then there's a workout I teach that combines barefoot work with cardio and stretching -- the kind of group fitness class you'd find in a gym.
Anyway, I'm a big advocate of "Find out what works for YOU" because you're the one who knows and lives in your body. I don't actually wear Vibrams myself, but I do run barefoot, and I do run with regular shoes. But that's just me
@Smoky: dance, yes! that's where I first learned to use and train my feet. dance, yoga, pilates. it was amazing how much changed when i started to USE my feet (and core) in everyday life. love it. thanks for bringing that up!
Newbies cannot post in the Commercial section. A member must have 10 'valid' posts and have been a member for a week to be eligible. If, like this young lady, they only write more or less the same thing in every post (advertising their planned future lessons for example) they might even get one or two of these deleted which makes it harder for them.
From a Moderator point of view, they are not helping their own cause when they put little or nothing in their profile and write no Introduction. These things are not compulsory, but they give a Newbie a couple of Brownie points and might tip the balance in their favour if it comes to 'delete or not delete'.
Hi everyone, I want to thank you all for the time you've taken with this thread. I extend my apologies if I've posted in a way that is counter the rules or customs here. It can be hard to be a newbie, and I hope you won't hold it against me. At any rate, there are no hard feelings on my side.
All the best,
Kim
No problems. It's obvious from the replies that you might generate some interest here.
We appreciate it when new members learn fast! Not only EF has rules. The Swiss love rules too and as for the customs aroud here, me, I make them up as I go along.
It seems you can find Vibrams at the Great Outdoor Store, place de Rive, price around 130 CHF (found it in the blog of a Genevan guy)
This thread has given me the "desire" to test it...
Good to see the Switzerland tax has been applied.
I use them as part of a balanced running plan.
Are they just for running, or would they fit my ski bindings, too?
Being a dog owner, and having spent a short time living in Amsterdam (dog crap capital of the world), I would never consider running anywhere in bare (or minimally covered) feet.
Not many folks wear them here in switzerland. I have a pair here in fribourg, near bern and i know of friends wearing them in lugano.
That said, mostly expats wear them.
Barefoot running rocks (and rolls).
I should have listened to Niranjan all those years ago as I pounded the trails in my Asics foam slippers. Running barefoot is nature's way and as long as you ease into it and don't push your calves beyond mild strain initially you'll be fine. I only started the transition about a month back. It's really good in Vibrams in the snow too! You don't really sense stones or the cold, your muscles are constantly working and as you adapt your running style you'll notice the benefits, like no twisted ankles, knee or hip complaints.
Just do it Vibram, not Nike style!
The increase in stride speed is the biggest difference I have noticed - and going back to Brooks slippers afterwards is really odd - mainly the weight of the damn things!!
I've not tried on the street yet - sticking to the running track at the moment.
Can anyone recommend a place to get Vibrams around Zurich without paying 100% Switzerland tax (I like that term) like at
www.outdoor-equipment-shop.com? I'd just order them online, but I have a freakishly large big toe so I need to be able to try them on first
I get mine sent from the States so I can't help for the first question, but with regards to measuring your feet, there's a very clear guide on the website to help you figure out which size you need. Wear them exactly right, go up one size if you intend to wear socks, otherwise they'll be too tight.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/size_fit/