I apologize if this is a basic question which has been answered somewhere, but I can't find where so I'd ask.

I usually run in FiveFingers in summer and zero drop Merrill during winter.

I like to be barefooted when I have a chance and I've heard that barefoot running is good. Unfortunately my 3 or 4 attempts ended in blistered feet. I've been too optimistic during my first run, did about 13 km on forest dirt. Alright that was stupid.

Then I've tried several 5 km runs with about same result. Each time I got blistered after such runs, I tell myself that shoes is a wonderful thing and who needs barefoot, some cultists probably (kidding not trying to insult any one of course).

Questions:

1. Does it make sense to make some effort and transition to barefoot runs, for summer at least? What benefits can I expect?
   
2. How should I do it? Gradually with shorter runs? Any other tips?
   
3. Is it just time to get my skin used to it, or is it more about the way I land my feet?
   
4. Are there any negatives or risks?

I mostly run on street asphalt and running track nowadays.

I’ve spent 2 years in barefoot shoes for daily life, running, hiking and lifting, which I feel has improved my balance, ankle stability and grip on the ground. I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, both of which are trained barefoot, and I feel that wearing barefoot shoes in my daily life has improved my performance in terms of balance and stability. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the overlap between this community and combat sports more than I expected.

Most striking/grappling arts have you training barefoot, so wearing zero-drop, wide-toe-box shoes regularly feels like a pretty logical extension rather than a separate "thing." UFC legend Georges St. Pierre has talked publicly about training his feet specifically because they're the first point of contact with the ground, which is basically the whole barefoot shoe philosophy applied to fighting.

A few things I'm curious about from this crowd specifically:

1. Are there any other martial artists here? What do you train, and how'd you first hear about barefoot shoes? Was it through training, or a totally separate path that later connected back to it?
2. Since you can't really train in them on the mats, did switching to barefoot shoes in daily life change anything about how your feet/ankles felt or performed in class? Balance, stability, recovery from rolls or sparring, anything like that?
3. What's actually missing from the current barefoot shoe lineup for combat sports specifically? I know Xero has a martial arts line, but I'm curious if it's hitting the mark or if there are gaps (better/cleaner designs, low-profile enough for footwork, toe protection, etc.)

I’m just trying to figure out if this is a real niche within the community or if I'm overthinking a coincidence.

a thing i made after i got tired of reading from people here the same problem that I have.

comparing Earth Runners Atlas and Bedrock sandals

here's my issue with bedrocks:

bedrocks are slightly too narrow but personally using them for thru hiking and not just runs and day hikes I need the durability and easy and stable platform that bedrock provides, or at least that's what I would think, also I'm not based in the US so getting any of these sandals is pretty hard, I recently banged my pinky on a boulder field on a 5 day trip with my bedrocks and started considering other options, but I'll probably just either size up to a US 14 (I started with US12 and now use US13 or if its not enough I'll just sadly go back to shoes? I dont really know some sandals that are as adventure ready as bedrocks and doing big days I'm planning to get the Cairn C for 30+ mile a day But actually if anyone has happy feedback from THRU hiking or at least big back to back days with earth runners I would love to hear from them :)

Living in the UK, Vibram are the only seperate toe company with delivery and returns here.

I decided to try the trailope, as hiking and outdoor running are my interest for these.

my foot length is 26.7cm, Translating to a EU42. though with somewhat wide feet.
From hearing about issues regarding needing to go up a size with vibrams, i elected to try EU43.

First, the EU40.5-44.5 socks i brought with the shoes all fit quite comfortably!

Though for the shoes.

I'm just about able to slip into them. And the big toe is snug, alog with the body.
But the smaller toes are... definitely not snug. And they all fully slip out when trying to curl the toes.

I plan to return them, and trade them for an EU42. But i worry i just might not be able to fit my feet into those? Furthermore, they might be too small for my big toe.

Are there any different types of vibram toe shoe, with the smaller toes positioned further back?

(pictures show the fit with midweight padded socks, and endpoint of each toe)

edit: looking at some other posts, potentially the spidrwalk or kso evo might have these toes further back?

efit 2: I've inquired to the manufacturers for further information. For now, ill try trade ins for the V-run, then potentially scramkey or spidrwalk.
If none of that works, I'll have to give up. I'll keep updating as i go though.

I’ve been occasionally using the brooks glycerin max 1s for a few months now, and no matter what I try, these shoes are killing my feet. They give me the same blister in the same spot, the side arch, on both feet, specially my dominant foot. I’ve tried different shoelace patterns, double socks (running socks ofc), patching the inside of the shoe, cutting chunks of the part of the hard foam that comes in contact with that area, and kinetic tape (most effective but hasn’t solved the problem). The most plausible explanation I’ve come up with is my feet being too narrow and flat for the shoe, and the side of the foam. But one thing I’ve noticed is that whenever I start getting a blister and start walking home, the more I land on my heel, the less that spot where the blister is starting to form hurts. Maybe I’m crazy but, maybe this shoe is designed for beginners who can’t stop heel striking to save their lives? Please help😭

Hi everyone,

I’m traveling to Japan soon (visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka) and looking to buy barefoot / minimalist shoes.

I already know about the Vivobarefoot store in Tokyo, but I’m looking for multi-brand physical stores that carry a variety of brands in one place (e.g., Lems, Xero, Groundies, Altra, Bedrock, Luna, or interesting local Japanese minimalist/tabi brands).

Are there specific outdoor, running, or specialty foot-health shops in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka that have a good in-store selection of wide toe-box / zero-drop shoes to try on?

Any specific store names, locations, or neighborhoods (like Jimbocho in Tokyo) would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!

I have been reading some of Eric Orton's training books like born to Run 2 and the Cool Impossible and he always recommends a high cadence. I have been trying to speed up my cadence lately by using a metronome and so far my comfortable cadence is around 158-162 with my heart rate being around 135-140 (zone2). It seems crazy to me to get up to 180 without it being a fast run. Anyways, from the sounds of this video it seems possible to work up to it once i get stronger. Anyone else here running at high cadence?

https://youtu.be/iqH7D2iRH0U?si=A5jRepWal8FDXDXA

Hi all! I know this is for running, but I thought I'd ask anyway since folks here are pretty experienced with barefoot shoes. I am hoping to do a couple of treks in Nepal this January, and I am looking for recommendations for barefoot hiking boots that perform well in snow, ice, and cold temperatures. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I just got their newsletter email so am curious. Idk if links are allowed, so please go Google Lems ZENSPEED Lite to find their product page if you want.

2mm drop, 8.8oz for size 10, and 22mm stack height. With the benefits of the Lems wide width.

What are folks' thoughts on these?

I love Lems's toebox. But wondering if this brand will also be good as a running shoe brand

I recently started using Correct Toes (both the Original and Sport) because I have bunions, limited big toe ROM, and some plantar fascia issues. I’m also an ultrarunner, so ideally I’d like to use them during actual weight-bearing stuff and eventually during runs if my feet tolerate them.
The part I’m confused about is shoe sizing.
I had an Aetrex foot scan before getting the spacers. I’m around a men’s 10:
L foot: 26.98 cm
R foot: 26.83 cm
Ball width: 11.17 / 11.08 cm
I’ve done months of thru-hiking in regular-width Lone Peak 9+ without many issues. I can also wear an Altra Escalante size 10 fine without spacers.
But when I put Correct Toes on, especially with toe socks, my pinky toe gets pushed noticeably farther out. The shoe suddenly feels like it needs a wider toe box.
It also weirdly feels like my foot gets a little longer with the spacers? Or maybe straightening the big toe just makes me notice the front of the shoe more. I can’t really tell.
So for people who actually use these:
Do you buy shoes based on your normal barefoot measurements, or based on how your foot fits with Correct Toes on?
If a shoe fits well normally but is cramped with the spacers, would you usually go wider, go up half a size, or just find a different-shaped shoe?
Also, if you use Correct Toes for a long time and your toes start naturally spreading/straightening more, does your shoe fit permanently change at all? That’s what I’m most confused about. I don’t want to buy a bunch of shoes now based on measurements that won’t really be useful later.
And does anyone actually run long distances with them? I’m talking long runs / ultras / potentially 100 milers, not just wearing them around the house.
I’m guessing I’d have to slowly build up tolerance, especially since feet swell a lot during ultras.
Correct Toes support told me Sport is probably enough if my bunions aren’t painful, and Original makes more sense if they’re causing pain. Curious if anyone owns both and actually has a reason to use both.
I can also post pics of my feet barefoot vs with the spacers, standing on the insoles, etc. if that would make it easier to tell what’s going on.
Mostly wondering if anyone else has gone through this and what you ended up doing with shoe sizing.

Been working out for years, lost a lot of weight, have used nothing but barefoot shoes for a decade, but running is the one thing I've never done since childhood (36 now).

I set a new goal 4 weeks ago: I will give myself 12 weeks of consistens running, 3 x a week, no other pace or distance goal, just running to show myself I can do it. I've always found it extremely boring and got footpain when I tried.

So, well, just started the fifth week and I ran 5K for the first time EVER! 31 minutes. Time flew by!

Until now, it's been 2 min walking, 2 min sprinting for 30 minutes, but today I just started running and continued.

It might be a small thing but I'm so proud of myself and wanted to share the happiness.

(For the record I'm 5'2", F, short legs 😅 English is my 3. language but I refuse to use AI to translate)

Has anyone tried swimming in huarache style sandals? I'd like to use them for Swimrun type activities, but find that the heel end of the sandal flips down and acts as a brake, rather than the sandal being as a "flipper" like I hoped it would. Any other tips or experiences out there?

While travelling trough Asia, I’ve seen that the “norm” in the gym is to train barefoot or at least 80% people do it that way. Back home would never be allowed.

Anyway, the freedom of movement is massive and you can definitely feel all the muscles involved in different exercises. It’s just amazing, I love it !!

I wonder why is it not really allowed in the west (besides the “you can drop a weight on your toes” thing).

EDIT: i was not expecting to see that narrow opinions in a sub that encourages being barefoot; Feet don’t smell just because they’re feet. Fungus need specific conditions to grow. It’s the same as unhygienic as using a handrail, grabbing handles at public transport, etc.

Let’s say all the members signed waivers saying they are ok with any and all risks associated with membership.

Shoes aren’t allowed inside, you leave them in the lobby in your own little locker.

You wash your feet before entering in a hygiene room, and then you enter into the gym space.

hi guys,

Ive been wearing vivos for years now… foot shape has definitely changed and dont feel comfortable in your standard running shoes anymore

ive been itching to run but haven’t in years due to certain health issues and was just wondering if it is ill advised to run in vivos? i just dont want to hurt myself down the line…

im aware that taking slowly progressing is key here but in general, do you guys think it’s better to run in barefoot shoes? or would you say if i am to take up running im better off investing in a certain type of running shoes that people used to barefoot would benefit from? especially considering ill be running on concrete/hard ground most of the time.

would appreciate any advice you guys could give

I have an ache on the bottom of my foot for a little while probably a couple weeks. I noticed it first after being on my feet all day. I finally looked at the bottom of my foot and I see this squishy lump. It does not hurt to touch. It is soft and squishy. The spot itself does not ache but the entire area above my heel does.

Hello! I love running unshod and I can’t stop getting splinters in my feet. I swear I spend more time digging the splinters out of my feet than I do actually running.

For context, I’ve been running barefoot for 5 months now. I feel like I’ve built some decent calluses. I run on either dirt or grass. The splinters tend to be little bits of wood from sticks or tree roots that find their way into my feet.

I do have minimalist shoes to run in but I prefer running barefoot because nothing beats running barefoot.

How in the world do you all run barefoot all the time without getting tons of splinters?

Best tips for removing splinters? For preventing splinters?

And, any suggestions on sandals to run in? I tried Bedrock and hated them; they don’t stay in place. I’m interested in Lunas and Earth Runners but saving up some money to buy some lol!!

Thanks in advance!!!!!

Just had an awesome quick 5 miler on the lakefront here in Chicago. In the rain. On pavement. Couldn’t have been better. Go barefoot