Barefoot shoes or minimalist shoes are the terms used for shoes that let us walk and move like we do when we’re barefoot with the overall goal of developing and maintaining healthy, strong and functional feet.
The terminology can sometimes confuse people, especially as “barefoot shoe” is kind of an oxymoron.
Some people like to separate the range of barefoot shoes into “true” barefoot shoes (those with a very thin soles), and call the shoes with thicker soles or more cushion “minimalist shoes” or “transitional barefoot” shoes.
Barefoot shoes have a very minimal structure, and they aren’t changing our natural way of movement and walking gait. Here are the main attributes of a barefoot shoe:
- Wide, naturally shaped toe box
- Flat, meaning there is no heel drop. Most shoes have a raised heel. This is often referred to as zero drop when people are talking about barefoot shoes.
- Flexible, so the foot can move naturally
- Thin sole. This helps the shoe be more flexible and provides better ground feel, so we have better awareness of how we are walking. It’s hard to get the proper feedback from our feet if we have so much cushion. It may take time to get used to thinner soles, so a transitional minimalist shoe may have a bit thicker sole for those that aren’t ready for a thin sole yet.
These graphics help show the differences between barefoot shoes, transitional barefoot shoes and conventional shoes. They highlight the differences regarding the toe box shape, sole thickness and cushion, toe spring and overall flexibility.
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