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Some further advantages of forefoot walking: it is much quieter; it is easier to precisely place your feet (e.g. 10 people can all walk in the same footprints a
by jacobolus 9y ago
Some further advantages of forefoot walking: it is much quieter; it is easier to precisely place your feet (e.g. 10 people can all walk in the same footprints and hide their numbers); you can very quickly and easily transition between walk and run or other types of motions (jumping, climbing, backing up, scooting sideways, crouching, diving to the floor, ...); it is more stable / easier to recover from sudden forces if e.g. the ground gives way or someone shoves you; your torso bounces around a lot less, which can make carrying certain kinds of loads or wearing some types of clothing easier, and also really helps if you are trying to aim a video camera while walking.
- gnl 9y agoAbsolutely. In terms of effective, controlled movement, it's better in pretty much every single way, except that it costs more energy, which is why it's generally not a particularly natural, intuitive thing to do all the time. Like probably every living organism, we're not generally programmed for unnecessary exertion. EDIT: That being said, a lot can be improved in most people's heel-first gait, among other things - taking smaller steps, pushing the pelvis slightly forward into a neutral tilt, staying a bit closer to the ground (slightly more bent knees), making contact with the ground before shifting the whole weight, not throwing the legs forward and letting the heels slam on the ground. Getting all of that right makes heel-walking a lot more controlled and less bouncy. It also feels great.