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In our second instalment in this series of blog posts, Lee Saxby (barefoot running expert) talks about the evolution of the human foot and how it?s perfectly adapted for walking, running and sprinting.

As always, we?d love to hear from you, so please feel free to post your comments below.

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The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece
Humans have evolved over the last two million years to become the only upright, bipedal, running primates. This unique form of locomotion creates physical and mental challenges, which our bodies and brains have evolved to deal with. For example, because humans stand upright, the main stimulus that has moulded our structure is the force of gravity. Thanks to gravity, we have an ?S? shaped spine, large hip muscles, short parallel toes, straight legs and long tendons compared to other primates.

One of the main structural features that make humans unique is our feet. The human foot is a complex system of springs and levers, unmatched elsewhere in nature. However, the real beauty is that this system is adjustable, allowing our feet to execute three very different forms of locomotion: WALKING, RUNNING and SPRINTING.

When we walk, the foot and ankle create three ?rockers?, or pivot points. These work together to allow smooth horizontal displacement of the body?s centre of mass. This is the classic ?heel-toe? biomechanical behaviour and is used by all the great apes.

When we run, the foot?s mechanical behaviour essentially reverses. Instead of landing on the heels, we land on the ball of the foot and then the heel. Using the elastic recoil of the Achilles tendon, the plantar fascia (a supportive tissue) and ligaments - our foot and ankle work like a powerful spring.

This elasticity greatly reduces the amount of energy required to run and is used by all animals, especially ?running specialists? like horses and dogs. In fact, these animals have taken this feature even further - only the toes or forefoot touches the ground and a tendon runs up the whole lower leg.

When humans sprint, we actually use a very similar forefoot landing technique ? touching the ground with only the ball of the foot.

Look out for next week's instalment in this series of blog posts where we explore the three forms of human locomotion.

Lee Saxby

Barefoot running coach

Source: http://blog.premierglobal.co.uk/2013/02/part-2-running-is-skill-written-by-lee.html

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