Barefoot Glossary

Barefoot and minimalist are words often used interchangeably to describe barefoot shoes. This type of footwear is designed to offer minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot, so feet can feel more and perform more naturally.

A heel-to-toe drop (or heel rise) means the heel of the shoe is lifted so there is a difference in thickness throughout the shoe sole. Zero drop means the shoe sole has a consistent thickness, so the heel, toes, the whole foot stands on a flat sole.

This is the front part of the shoe, where your toes hangout. It is important to check the shape and width of the toe box when you are choosing a shoe. The toe box shape and how narrow or wide it is, may help you determine whether the shoe is suitable for your foot shape and whether or not it can comfortably fit your toes.

Toe spring is an upward curvature often added to the front of the shoe, under the toe area (or forefoot). This feature is present in many maximal running shoes.

​Arch support is extra padding added in shoes (many running shoes), meaning the shoe sole isn't flat, it tries to match your foot arch shape. The longitudinal arch of the foot goes from the heel to the ball of the foot. There are actually three arches in the foot which form a triangle - the part that isn't painted in a footprint.

To splay means "to spread wide and apart". The ability to splay your toes wide can be an indicator of foot health.

Foot type refers to the overall shape and proportions of your feet and toes. Knowing your foot type helps you determine which types of shoes fit you best.

This describes how much space your foot occupies. Knowing your foot volume can help you assess how well a certain shoe (or shoe brand) may suit you. Feet are often described as being low, medium or high volume.

Toe socks or five finger socks have a sleeve for each toe. They separate the toes, which can help improve toe mobility. There are other types of socks too, like Tabi socks (one sleeve for the big toe and one sleeve for the four small toes), and barefoot socks (wider than common socks).

Proprioception or kinesthesia, is the ability to sense our body's orientation in our environment. It is a continuous feedback loop between the body's sensory receptors and the nervous system. With normal proprioception, we can move freely and naturally without having to consciously think about the next movement we want to make, or where we are in space - it is sort of like a sixth sense.

Human gait is the pattern of movement during locomotion. Simply put, gait is the pattern of how a person walks. We all have our individual gait pattern, determined by complex, correlated factors.

The strike refers to which part of the foot makes contact with the ground first when we land, while running or walking. People who transition to running barefoot after years of wearing maximal shoes, should learn how to transition safely, which generally means adjusting their landing to a more midfoot/forefoot strike.

The Huaraches are Mexican (originally Pre-Columbian) handmade sandals. Huaraches were made popular in the barefoot world by Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, featuring the Tarahumara, a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners. Find out how to make your own Huaraches in this blog post.