I previously blogged about the evidence on the use of zero drop vs a higher drop of running shoes and concluded that there is no evidence for one drop over another. Judging by the comments that the post received the ‘fan boys’ did not like that conclusion, responding with the usual rhetoric and propaganda and […]
Tag Archives | drop
The Minimalist Index for running shoes
One of the problems with running shoe research is that different running shoe manufacturers use a different set of design features to try and achieve the same effect. For example, there are a number of different design features that could be considered attempts at ‘motion control’. If a study uses a shoe with one of […]
Effect of shoe drop on running mechanics
The topic of the “drop” keeps coming up and has generated a lot of interest as well as the usual rhetoric and propaganda. It is defined as the difference between the heel and forefoot height of the shoe, which is more appropriately called the ‘pitch’, but the term ‘drop’, rightly or wrongly, has become the […]
Heel striking in a cushioned shoe with a 10mm drop and he still managed to break the world marathon record!
If you have been following all the propaganda and rhetoric of recent years, then Dennis Kimetto should not have been able to run 2:02.57 to knock 26 seconds off the world marathon record a few days ago in Berlin … go figure! I have held off for a few days from commenting here (been busy commenting […]
The effect of shoe drop on running pattern
I previously had a go at the issue of what is an ideal drop¹ for a running shoe and started with the conclusion: Straight to it: based on my understanding of the current knowledge, the evidence and discarding all the logical fallacies, I can find no evidence and no rationale for any blanket recommendations for any […]
What is the ideal ‘drop’ for a running shoe?
Straight to it: based on my understanding of the current knowledge, the evidence and discarding all the logical fallacies, I can find no evidence and no rationale for any blanket recommendations for any ideal drop in a running shoe. Yet, everywhere you go there are some pretty strongly held opinions with lots of the typical […]
Effect of 0 and 4mm drop running shoes on running economy
This turned up in my alerts today. It is an undergraduate thesis from Fort Lewis College¹: The Acute Effect of Heel to Toe Drop on Running Economy. Brown, Harrison and Silva, Robert (2013). Undergraduate thesis, Fort Lewis College. The purpose of this study was to assess how the running economy of experienced runners was affected […]
Impact Reduction Through Changing to Midfoot Strike Pattern vs Low Drop Footwear
There has been considerable interest recently in altering running technique to reduce impact loads and loading rates in the belief that this might reduce injury rates. There was a recent study I previously wrote about and now there is this one: Impact reduction through long-term intervention in recreational runners: midfoot strike pattern versus low-drop/low-heel height […]