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Hi all,

The guys who make the AFX device ( http://www.afx-online.com/ ) have been sending a set of technical papers spruking the benefits of their gadget.

Don't get me wrong, it's a flash bit of gear, and I've used it a bit. I would just appreciate the wisdom of the group here to critique some of the comments in the stuff they are sending through.

Here is an excerpt from the latest one, about the effect of footwear on running performance...

Affect of Footwear on Running Performance
Perl et al (2012) reported that the type of footwear (shod vs. unshod) can affect the amount of elastic energy stored in the arch of the foot. Barefoot and minimally shod (image #8) runners are likely to store more elastic energy because external arch supports in standard shoes lessen vertical arch compression during stance, limiting how much the arch can stretch and recoil. Additionally, individuals who wear stiff-soled shoes with arch supports may have weaker intrinsic foot muscles than individuals who are habitually barefoot or minimally shod (Bruggemann et al, 2005). Because the strength of the intrinsic foot muscles can affect elastic energy storage in the arch, running economy and performance in barefoot and minimally shod runners may be improved over that of runners who wear standard shoes (Perl et al, 2012). Sprinting barefoot on sand is a common training method (Alcaraz et al, 2011), which has been shown to reduce impact forces, thereby reducing risk for injury (Gaudino et al, 2012). Sprint training on sand is also an effective method to improve intrinsic foot muscle strength.

full pdf here

Thanks for the input! I've had a read of the abstract of some of the referenced articles, and I don't really think the papers are saying what they claim they're saying?

Phil