Squatting

Populations who are habitually barefoot or use minimal footwear also rarely possess chairs. Hence they spend a lot of time in a deep, balanced squatting position whilst eating and working.

The squat is a very therapeutic position for the human body, especially for barefoot runners as it develops the skill of maintaining the body’s centre of mass over the natural balance point of the body (ball of foot) whilst building strength and range of movement in the ankles, knees, hips and spine. These attributes combined enable the barefoot runner to develop the fundamental movement skill of segmental alignment which is more commonly known as posture.

Barefoot deep squat

Barefoot front squat with bar

Barefoot overhead squat with bar

Weight on balls of foot Balanced, relaxed, ‘bouncy’ end of range, minimal muscle action

What could I be doing wrong?

• Weight on heels
• Losing balance

Next Step

Mastered squatting? Move onto barefoot jumping.