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StanLee
24th September 2003, 09:40
The other day was the first day it had rained heavily for a long while in London and I had noticed that my left foot was getting wet in my shoe. So I knew that there was a leak. When I looked, I had found that the leak was due to a small hole punched through, perhaps by a small nail.

When I studied the soles of my work shoes again, I noticed that the wear on both shoes was even, in fact the pattern was a mirror image of each other.

I then remembered a story my sensei once told me. There was once a sword master (?? But a master none the less); he was issued a challenge by a rival master. So the sword master asked his student to go to his rival's home and take his shoes (the traditional Japanese wooden shoes).

Upon inspecting the shoes, the master found that the wears on the rival's shoes were uneven and he told his student that he could have the challenge.

This brings me to the point of this thread. How even is the wear on your shoes? This does not prove that you will become a great master, but it does say something about your balance, posture and how you carry oneself. After all, if you are an unbalanced MA, what good is that?

Brian Owens
24th September 2003, 10:01
One of my anatomy teachers was a chiroprator, and he could tell a lot about the condition of a person's spine, even the cervical spine, by looking at their shoes.

He was rather surprised to find on examining me that my spine was a nice even S-curve with no scoliosis, because my shoes were so uneven. I was working as a security guard in a highrise building at the time, and we had a fixed route we had to follow to hit all the Detex keys on time. I would walk down 76 flights of stairs twice a night, always clockwise.

Iain
24th September 2003, 10:16
my right leg is shorter than my left because my hips are a little funky, so the wear on my shoes is worse on my right, as it tends to be my load bearing side when I'm not moving. I also fidget like hell, and the right !!! of my jeans inevitably wears out quicker than the left. Strange no?

larsen_huw
24th September 2003, 10:26
My left leg is also slightly shorter than my right ... got no idea why ... it just is!

Also, my left foot is a size 10, whereas my right is an 8 1/2. That can't help!

Anyways, the wear on my left shoe on the ball of the foot is much more than on the right, however, my heels have equal wear. Read into that what you will!

monkeyboy_ssj
24th September 2003, 10:27
I scrape the back of my shoes when I walk, but my feet arn't on the floor much when I fight ;)

Cheers

StanLee
24th September 2003, 10:33
Originally posted by monkeyboy_ssj
I scrape the back of my shoes when I walk, but my feet arn't on the floor much when I fight ;)

Cheers

Matt, is that because when in a fight, you're always out cold on your back and not on your feet? :D

Sorry, I had to say it. You gave me an opening!

monkeyboy_ssj
24th September 2003, 10:37
Originally posted by StanLee
Matt, is that because when in a fight, you're always out cold on your back and not on your feet? :D

Sorry, I had to say it. You gave me an opening!

Almost, it's because i'm too drunk, or up a tree or I'm Superman...the list goes on :D

We at least I don't have to tell them to wait while you go home and get a Shinai or try and find a stick on the floor :P

ta!

Brian Owens
25th September 2003, 07:29
Originally posted by n2shotokai
Strange I left this thread and came back when I realized I USED to always wear out my shoes on the outside. Now they wear in the center. You know what that means? I don't have a clue either but I know I am no master!

It could mean that the muscles on the inside of your ankles are getting weak or overstretched, or that the muscles on the outside of your ankles are getting much stronger than the opposing muscles or getting foreshortened.

Footprints should sort of resemble this: ( ) not I I or )(

It's not so simple with shoe wear, because if shoes have arch supports or thick insoles that can transfer pressure from the soles of the feet to different parts of the shoe. Still, better to have the wear slightly to the outside of center than to the inside. But equal wear on both shoes, no matter where on each shoe, is the most important thing unless there's a good reason (taxi drivers wear out the right heel faster than the left, etc.).

bruceb
25th September 2003, 19:12
I took at look at my shoes, and the left shoe is more worn than the right shoe, although the pattern is pretty much the same ... the out side heel rolling across the shoe and the ball of the foot fairly worn evenly under the ball of the foot.

I wonder if the left shoe is worn more from weapons practice in the parking lot?

Something to think about ....

n2shotokai
25th September 2003, 20:47
Originally posted by bruceb
I took at look at my shoes, and the left shoe is more worn than the right shoe, although the pattern is pretty much the same ... the out side heel rolling across the shoe and the ball of the foot fairly worn evenly under the ball of the foot.

I wonder if the left shoe is worn more from weapons practice in the parking lot?

Something to think about ....
I didn't know gorillas wore shoes! :D

Hey, you said you were the biggest gorilla!

Steve Beale

bruceb
25th September 2003, 21:23
Just like shirts we come in all sizes.

Gotta wear shoes once we become domesticated.

Steve Williams
26th September 2003, 12:17
I know when I broke my big toe that I had uneven wear on my shoes for a while, was walking on the outside of my foot for a while........

Also led to a little "wasting" of the calf muscle :eek:

Just when it was getting "normal" again, I broke the toe again :rolleyes:

monkeyboy_ssj
26th September 2003, 12:22
Originally posted by bruceb
Just like shirts we come in all sizes.

Gotta wear shoes once we become domesticated.

Didn't you start the Sashquash/ Big foot rumours? ;)

I've been really noticing how I walk lately.

Does anybody have this when you become too aware of how you're walking and then you feel like your are walking like a goof?

Especially if a girl is walking towards you?

no? oh, just me then...*cough*

Cheers

bruceb
28th September 2003, 15:04
Originally posted by monkeyboy_ssj
Didn't you start the Sashquash/ Big foot rumours? ;)

I've been really noticing how I walk lately.

Does anybody have this when you become too aware of how you're walking and then you feel like your are walking like a goof?

Especially if a girl is walking towards you?

no? oh, just me then...*cough*

Cheers

No, it is not just you Matt, it is part of the human condition. Just remember what the old bull said to the young bull when the young bull said he wanted to run down the hill and have his way with some of the cows .... "Don't run, lets walk and have our way with them all." This bit of wisdom is an attempt to teach the young to get a hold of their emotions, and urges so that these urges work for us an not against us ... like walking silly?

It is not just you ... look around.

StanLee
29th September 2003, 08:34
Sounds a bit of a silly reply, but here it goes...

So I got my shoes repaired over the weekend and had the hole in my left shoe mended. The cobbler put new soles on both shoes.

But due to the slight increase weight, different balance and increased stiffness etc. I have found that my balance was somewhat crap whilst walking, especially in a straight line along the edge of the curb (or sidewalk to the US folks).

I erm, have nothing to report now about the state of my shoes or my balance.:D

Brian Owens
29th September 2003, 11:14
I grew up in a house with a low arch over a staircase. I didn't realize how close I had been coming to the top of the arch (I was 6' 2" / 188cm back then), until one day I bought a new pair of shoes and promptly whacked the top of my head when going down the stairs. On comparing, the new shoes were about a half inch thicker than the ones I usually wore.

budojill
1st October 2003, 18:37
This is very interesting-

As a nurse, I usually wear white sneakers and I have two pairs that I wear, alternating between the two. After about nine months, I thrown them out and buy new ones. Since I am on a linoleum floor 12-16 hours a day, this saves my feet & back. So, no wear to speak of.

My Doc Martens are the only other shoe I wear much, and they have even wear on the heels (I do the American heel-toe walk. I've heard that Europeans walk a bit differently, but have no idea if this is true or total BS).

I did, however, find a nail imbedded in the sole of the DM's. :rolleyes:

Steve Williams
1st October 2003, 23:23
budojill........ this is your first and (if I see it) last warning:
Please sign your posts with your full name

Unless you are of course Mrs/Ms Jill Budo.
Which I suspect is not the case.

If subsequent posts are unsigned then they will be edited/deleted.

Steve Williams
1st October 2003, 23:28
Originally posted by budojill
This is very interesting-

As a nurse, I usually wear white sneakers and I have two pairs that I wear, alternating between the two. After about nine months, I thrown them out and buy new ones. Since I am on a linoleum floor 12-16 hours a day, this saves my feet & back. So, no wear to speak of.

My Doc Martens are the only other shoe I wear much, and they have even wear on the heels (I do the American heel-toe walk. I've heard that Europeans walk a bit differently, but have no idea if this is true or total BS).

I did, however, find a nail imbedded in the sole of the DM's. :rolleyes:

Now the "nice" reply.....

If there is "no wear to speak of" then why do you throw them out??

Oh, the "europeans walk different" is absolute BS :rolleyes: the only reason for a different race/nationality to walk differently would be to do with the terrain they are walking on, since American houses/pavements/roads/grass is much the same as that in europe then they walking patterns would be the same.

Brian Owens
2nd October 2003, 06:57
Originally posted by Steve Williams
Oh, the "europeans walk different" is absolute BS :rolleyes: the only reason for a different race/nationality to walk differently would be to do with the terrain they are walking on, since American houses/pavements/roads/grass is much the same as that in europe then they walking patterns would be the same.

Could shoe styles can also affect walking style, not just the terrain? And since we learn how to walk as children by imitating adults (it's not just based on biomechanical efficiency in bipedal locomotion), could cultural patterns become ingrained in a society even after they adopt different shoes? Native Americans often walk more on their toes -- based on a soft-heeled moccasin cultural heritage, maybe? And don't Japanese women often take very short, rapid steps even when they aren't wearing kimono and geta?

I think footwear would affect balance and posture as much as balance and posture affect shoe wear. What do you all think?

budojill
7th October 2003, 02:00
Originally posted by Steve Williams
If there is "no wear to speak of" then why do you throw them out??


No wear to speak of on the sole. The arch support is a different story after several months of twelve and sixteen-hour workdays.

*Signed*

Jill Ells-O'Brien