When I run barefoot and I have to face a particularly rough ground, I start to repeat myself a mantra: “fakir mode, fakir mode, fakir mode …”.

What does it mean?

Simply put:

if I put on the ground a great surface of the foot I will not feel pain!

Running with shoes, even minimal, that protect the foot sole from rough terrain, it does not allow the foot to have a direct relationship with the ground and to adapt to it.

When running without shoes unconsciously it tend to placing ground the most possible surface of the foot, in order to distribute as much as possible any rough edges and feel less discomfort.

Like the fakirs who lies down on a bed of nails: he distributes the weight over a large area to avoid injuries.

When you run with shoes, it comes natural to concentrate the foot-strike area at the front or back of the foot.

In this way the strike is concentrated in a restricted area, not allowing to the mechanics of the leg of successfully download the bump.

Without the shoes, placing a greater surface area of the foot to the ground, the impact is amortized by the foot and transferred in a more harmonious mode to the structure of the leg, with a reduction of bone pain and muscle and consequently the risk of stress related injuries.