If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)
By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)
Shoes and barefooted running - Both have benefits and disadvantages.
Picture 1 - I am careful when it comes to purchasing a running shoe.
We wear shoes to protect ourselves so that we do not get cuts, bruise etc. Bill Bowerman, a coach to Steve Prefontaine, in order to enable his runners to run faster-designed shoes such that his runners were able to run faster, and NIKE was born from there.
Despite this, mankind has reverted back to barefoot running shows that barefoot running has significant benefits after all, like preventing injuries, run faster etc
The running shoes have, from the past to present, changed a lot. I would like to share my experience with this so that maybe we can choose the best shoe to buy. We should not discount running barefooted and I have decided to do some write up on this so that we are well informed.
I will touch on running and walking barefooted first. In the past, I thought that we are barefooted because we are poor to buy a shoe or a sandal. I have seen runners running barefooted as some people were not able to afford a shoe.
It is only now that I come to an understanding that walking barefooted, we are actually walking mid-foot and we actually align our body, namely the joints. The problem with us is that once we are home, we tend to sit down barefooted or walk the least barefooted. We do this as a chore daily at home.
We should keep walking or running around in barefoot so that we go mid-foot. This trains our foot to land facing straight ahead, instead of going outward. We can get ourselves out of injury.
Try running on grass barefooted and we can, in fact, learn to run faster as we prevent the landing of heel strike on the ground first and then we roll over to the forefoot before we take off our foot from the floor.
Running and walking barefooted is, in fact, God's gift.
Note:
By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).
He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.
