i started and ran a barefoot running club back then. it doesn't make your foot stronger. but you do learn to put up with pain.
i did real no shoe barefoot running and pushed most people to try that. it did have an effect; no more twisted ankles. i got them quite often and never after 3 months of no shoes. there was a kid who eventually played d1 ball who joined because he had 'bad ankles' and still credits me for solving that.
you can get all the benefits of barefoot running by running or jogging once a week on a beach or soft grass soccer field. i think it's building up muscles in the leg to better balance you. no changes occur in the actual foot.
Agreed - I've always naturally landed flat when running even in very padded shoes. I run in concrete with very cushioned runners and still do this. Also run on the soft beach sand a few times a week which builds stabilizer muscles and when hiking or on softer ground I use shoes with almost no cushion but thicker rubber outsoles.
For casual shoes I mostly wear leather boots which also have no cushion and stiff thick rubber soles. I kinda like the variety for different surfaces
During hiking, I realized that I’m more likely to tip over in my hiking boots compared to my sneakers. The center of pressure is much higher in hiking shoes than in sneakers. And the shape of my sneakers is roughly like a triangle, with the larger side on the bottom. It's a different stroy when its muddy though...
I was in a trail running club in that era and the organizer and a few others ran in flat Luna sandals. I will say that their form was beautiful - there’s no question in my mind that barefoot-inspired running produces a more natural locomotion.
But I tried it and it was a bust. A one mile run would lock my calf up, and that would set me back for weeks. I still have the Lunas and wear them on the boat.
Yeah if you’re already a competent runner using traditional shoes then switching to Lunas or similar will absolutely blast your calves if you try to maintain even a remotely similar pace or volume at the start.
I trail run and hike in my Chaco sandals. I need the arch support. I also wear socks when I do it because then small stones and rocks don't cause any issues.
I argue that doing any sport would help with the bad ankles. For me it worked, for kid it worked, so I have two data points to offer. Of course if you have them and want to get into real performance sports you'll still need ankle support, but for the daily life this got us fixed.