Whether jogging, hiking, fitness or indoor sports - sports shoe manufacturers suggest that you need a specific high-performance shoe for every sport. A really good sports shoe needs a heel, cushioning and support elements? Not even close! In this article we explain why the opposite is the case, why shoes with strong cushioning can damage the body and why our shoes are the right ones for almost every type of sport.
Walking barefoot is the most natural form of locomotion imaginable, and yet today we rely on shoes where one seems more innovative than the other. Especially when it comes to sports, that doesn't really make sense. A 2010 study by Harvard University evolutionary biologist Daniel Liebermann found that modern shoes are responsible for numerous orthopedic problems. In the study, Liebermann found that barefoot runners strike forefoot or midfoot first when running, but runners with cushioned shoes heel first. As a result, the barefoot runners put significantly less strain on the musculoskeletal system. Paradoxically, the joints and bones are more stressed when running with cushioned shoes.
What makes barefoot shoes special when doing sports?
Sports barefoot shoes like those from Watelves, which are available for both men and women , have set themselves the task of giving the feet as much freedom of movement as possible. The freedom of the toes is absolutely given with these shoes - nothing is squeezed here! As a result, the natural running movement can be better supported and the toes do what they are intended for again. In the course of this, sophisticated damping elements are therefore rather dispensed with.
The zero-heel principle applies to the Watelves sports shoes – as well as to all of our other shoes . Our shoes have no height difference or heel between the ball of the foot and the heel, which encourages the correct roll and step. This way you can step on the forefoot first and not on the heel as is usual with classic sports shoes.
Our shoes are also featherweights. At 200g (size 41) they are significantly lower than the weight of well-known sports shoe manufacturers such as Adidas, Nike and Co. So your feet are not put under any extra strain!
We have many models up our sleeves that will support you in any sport and give your foot and the entire musculoskeletal system back their natural movement patterns. high wearing comfort, even over long distances, breathable and extra-thin inner lining as well as a highly flexible, non-slip and abrasion-resistant rubber sole.
Slowly get used to your new training partner!
But be careful: If you want to train with our shoes in the future in order to offer your body long-term relief, you must not rush into anything! Your muscles, tendons and ligaments are probably still used to being supported and cushioned right now - so the work has been done for them so far. Your body needs time to get used to the new circumstances and to build up its own resistance again. So you should give your body at least three months to get used to your barefoot shoes step by step before you switch to them completely for your training!
This time is worth it because your body will end up being stronger than ever! Feel free, feel Watelves!