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In experiments were the efficiency of barefoot running is compared to shod , how important is traction (in the sense of grip)?

Based the video below , I would say that the importance of traction in these types of comparison may have been greatly underestimated since the featured runner's foot is clearly sliding backwards on the road surface during push off .

Check this for yourself by placing your thumb nail at the end off the great toe at the end of midstance and then watch the foot slide back .

If power is being lost on a road surface in the unshod condition then how much greater must the effect be on a treadmill ?


Video ; note the section of interest occurs about 1min 5 secs into the film . Note also the end of the great toe being almost "sucked" back relative to the picture frame .

Haile Gebrselassie Running in Slow Motion Barefoot & Shod - YouTube



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25 Jan 2017 - Uploaded by Super LondaAthletics Fitness.

 

So why does the runner not feel the foot slip ? Perhaps because foot movement is the norm within a running shoe .

 

Harder to see in this video but there none the less . N=2 !


Barefoot Running: Forefoot Strike in Slow Motion - YouTube



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4 Jul 2010 - Uploaded by Peter LarsonFrame by frame view of my forefoot strike while running barefoot on an asphalt driveway. Filmed at 60 fps on a

 

A slightly different version of the video of Haile here . About 36 secs in , the footage freeze frames for a second or so and the position of the SHOD standing foot is marked with a line . The footage continues and you can see that , unlike with the unshod condition where the foot "slides " posteriorly during toe off ,with the shod condition the foot does not move posteriorly .

Different patterns of movement at push off caused by traction levels ?

 

So at the risk of causing a few researchers headaches over the weekend what happens when an unshod individual runs over a force plate ?

If the foot slips posteriorly at push off , as with the two examples above , then push off data might be being completely misinterpreted for this phase of gait .

After all , Hailes big toe seems to move posteriorly a full inch from midstance to end of push off during unshod gait and my understanding is that most research data has been collected and analysed without factoring in this kind of foot/substrate interaction .

 

My understanding is that Haile habitually trains in footwear . You can see in the videos above that when running shod his foot does not slip but when barefoot it does .
One can speculate that if he trained barefoot ,then over time , his CNS would pick up the slip and his stride would shorten to prevent the wasted energy . So shoes allow for a longer and possibly more effective running stride because they improve traction ?

Below is a short video of Seb Coe and "the perfect stride . "
But would it even be possible without spikes ?


Seb Coe-The Perfect Stride - YouTube



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9 Jan 2014 - Uploaded by Tim BarnesSeb Coe-The Perfect Stride. Tim Barnes. Loading... Unsubscribe from Tim Barnes? Cancel Unsubscribe