Customer Reviews

Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Injuries and More Fun

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At the outset, let me say that my review is not meant as a critique of the authors or the content on running. For those things, I think the book is very good. But I had three issues with the book.

First, a lot of the book is devoted to Barefoot Ken Bob's personal story, his journey into barefoot running, and his exploration and learning on the topic. If you enjoy this, you will like this aspect of the book. If not, you will find yourself flipping pages to find the content.

Second, there is basically the same information available for free on the internet. While the authors here do a good job of covering the major points of barefoot running, there is so much out there for free that its hard to justify spending money to get the same thing. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with buying the book to support or reward Ken Bob for maintaining a great website. But between the various gurus out there on this subject, it would be hard to find something unique that justifies buying this book. Look up Lee Saxby, Chris McDougall, Mark Cucuzella and you will find massive amounts of online information about barefoot running, including great drills, tutorials, the works. This is an area where books were just too late to the scene.

Third, well, its a book! Its not an easy thing to explain how to change their running stride and give them the tools to make the changes and stick them out using text and two dimensional images. Even though I enjoyed and learned from the book, I found myself time and again checking out the videos in websites from the above mentioned individuals, including Ken Bob, for a better picture of what this looked like. Stride mechanics are not easily conveyed in two dimensional images and I would highly recommend viewing lots of videos and even having someone take video of you while you run in order to help you diagnose and improve your form. Think of all the tools you would use to retrain/improve your golf swing. This is very similar.

Finally, its worth a word about the transition. That has to be one of the biggest issues. How to move from the classic big running shoe - heel strike method to the barefoot/minimal footwear/forefoot landing method.

Ken Bob is pretty adamant that the best way to do it is to take off the shoes and start with short distances. Be a baby runner again. Even if you can zip through 10 mile runs, he would have you start with 5 minute runs totally barefoot and build up from there and build slowly! This lets the skin of your feet, ankles, Achilles, and calves learn how to operate again and also serve as a feedback system on your form and fitness.

I completely agree with this (with a caveat in a minute). If you take off your shoes and get out on the concrete and run 200 yards, it feels different. In those short little runs, and as you build, you quickly "feel" how well you are doing and that is key in changing your form. You don't want to hide bad form but expose it and correct it in as few steps as possible.

What I think sounds impossible is trying to mix and match heel strike and forefoot running. The idea of running a little bit barefoot and then putting back on classic running shoes and logging more miles the "old way" seems nuts. I should also add that its actually a lot harder to run forefoot style on with traditional running shoes because the heel is so thick.

But where my personal experience differed a little was that I found that the skin of my feet was my biggest hold back. Even when I felt like I was running well barefoot, the skin on my feet hurt so much after a certain amount of distance that I stopped even though everything else felt good. I found some minimalist running shoes (merrell trail glove for me) provided me with cushion from the sharp ground that let me work on and focus on other parts of my form, not just how much that last little pebble hurt my skin. I was actually able to relax more with minimal shoes because I wasn't hesitant about the pain in the sole of my feet. To make a safe transition, I still rigorously control the amount of my "barefoot style" running and am building up very slowly. I still plan on running completely barefoot for short distances because I think total barefoot is the best way to retrain form.

One final note, at the end of the book, Ken Bob includes some comments from other notable barefooters, some of whom are at odds with his approach in some respects. I really applaud that, an author who is not so dogmatic that he cannot accommodate alternative approaches.

This is the fourth book on barefoot running to appear in rapid sucession after Christopher McDougall brought worldwide attention to the subject with his bestseller, "Born to Run." Of the four, this one ranks at the top.

McDougall's quote on the cover of this book says it all: "Ken Bob [Saxton] is the master." During the 1990's Ken Bob discovered that he could run barefoot without the pain that he had suffered in shoes. He started the first web sites dedicated to running barefoot as well as a popular message board at Yahoo. Over the years he has freely shared his wisdom, wit, and enthusiasm with others interested in making the same transition and has mentored some of the other greats like Todd Byers, who recently completed his 100th barefoot marathon(!).

That alone was enough to encourage me to buy this book, but when I saw that his coauthor was columnist, author, and sports enthusiast Roy Wallack, I was convinced. Roy's book "Run for Life" is one of my all-time favorite books on running. So I had lofty expectations when I purchased Ken Bob and Roy's book online - and I was not disappointed.

Although the book is coauthored, it is narrated from Ken Bob's point of view. There are lots of interesting stories, historical accounts, and pearls of wisdom; the book is well-organized, informative, humorous, and entertaining. I also really like the big pages and illustrative color photos.

The book starts off with Ken Bob's personal account why he started running barefoot and how he discovered some of the important principles laid out here. After a chapter discussing some of the advantages of running barefoot vs. shod, the authors launch into the core of the book - roughly a third of the 239 pages - on running technique and drills for improving that technique. This is the best and most thorough discussion of "how to run" that I have ever read. Whereas traditional running books emphasize how to train and work out, this one focuses on on how to run and have fun.

Next comes a critical chapter about a big problem faced by many barefoot newcomers: doing too much too soon, or as the authors call it: "Barefoot Running Exuberance Syndrome." Transitioning from shod to barefoot requires patience and discipline, and here the authors give an important set of rules on how to "keep it fun."

Not unexpectedly, there is a cautionary chapter on the use of minimalist footwear. Here Ken Bob offers little compromise. Minimalist shoes, no matter how thin, still provide enough protection and support to allow you to run with poor style. If you wish to run in minimalist footwear, the approach emphasized here is first to learn to run properly in bare feet.

The authors then present evidence that running and training barefoot can improve performance. They conclude with a collection of stories, brief biographies, and testimonials of barefoot runners. I found this part the most enjoyable.

I am thankful to the authors for not making me wade through yet another chapter - standard among running books - full of charts, tables, and diagrams about how far I should run, how many times a week, and how often I should do hills, sprints, repetitions, and fartleks. Although they do provide a couple of small tables, their approach is entirely pragmatic and refreshing.

Also absent (thank goodness) are the standard chapters on stretching and cross-training (although the authors do recommend bicyling). All of the exercises described here are geared specifically to improving running technique.

How long does it take for a typical shod runner to transition to barefoot? The impression given here and in some of the testimonials is on the order of several months. However, it will not be so easy for everyone. I am now 18 months into this transition and am still challenged by three decades of self-inflicted damage from running in shoes. Fortunately, this book has given me a fresh jolt of ideas and inspiration.

If I could turn back the clock 30 years with the knowledge I have now, the very first thing I would do is remove my running shoes and throw them in the trash. Young shod runners today have an amazing oppuntunity to learn to run gently and without the pounding. Even many baby-boomers like me can still undo some of the long-term damage and have fun running - especially when learning from the master.

I recently read a study indicating that less than 2% of Americans run on regular basis and that only about 5% exercise at a vigorous level. A key is to find a form of exercise you can enjoy. This book is great read for those who are considering barefoot running as a part of their exercise program. A key focus is on starting slowly and safely. Barefoot running is not for everyone. I have read this book and have already made positive adjustments to my running. I am a bit biased in my review of the book since I found the The Running Barefoot website helpful and the suggestions Ken Bob gave me in an e-mail invaluable. A strength of the book is that it is written with a warm, humorous tone by an expert who really wants to help folks enjoy the benefits of barefoot running in a safer and more injury-free way. Here are some features that I found most beneficial.

1. The book is a great one to suggest to people who are new to barefoot running. His advice on how to start is invaluable. This should help us help others with the "Too Much Too Soon" challenge. It also has much to offer more expert runners.

2. The research behind the benefits of barefoot running is woven into the book in a useful way.

3. The insights about how to run barefoot are superb. The key pieces of advice fit together well and form a well integrated model of theory and practice. Suggested training programs for different types of runner are clear.

4. Ken Bob's story and the stories of other barefoot runners in different age groups are inspiring.

5. The visual treatment of the book is excellent with use of full color pictures throughout. Many pictures showing "what to do" and "what not to do" in the context of different aspects of running.

6. The book is so rich in insights that I keep dipping back in for clarification about how to make small adjustments. I suspect that I will continue this process for years.

All in all a great book that I am learning from, inspired by and one that I am keen to suggest to others who are interested in learning more about barefoot running.

For the past two years, I've been trying gradually to get back into running after a "break" of nearly 40 years. But my progress had been constantly hindered by calf, knee and hip problems. I read "Born to Run" which opened my eyes to the concept of barefoot running so when I saw this book, I decided to see what it is all about.

This book has gotten me to rethink the way I've been running, or trying to run, all my life. Although I'm still wearing shoes, I have been gradually incorporating Ken Bob's principles of light, gentle running into my routine and, for the first time, I can run regularly without pain! For me, that is huge! In this book, Ken Bob does a good job describing the philosophy of barefooting and breaks down the technique so that you can understand and actually do it. As he says, barefooting is more than just taking off your shoes. It's a relearning of how to run. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you don't plan to shed your shoes.

This is what I had been waiting for: Actual step by step information on how to run properly. I had previously bought another Barefoot running book and I couldn't figure out how to run from that book. Now I realize that all it did was basically describe a forefoot strike and said to listen to my body. That may have worked eventually (basically me just figuring out proper form myself) but I couldn't get past the calf straining or heel slapping. I ended up giving up.

Then Amazon sent me an advertising email for Ken Bob's book. Barefoot Ken Bob's book actually tells you how to use your body (and no calf strain is required)! In fact, if you look in the Look Inside! Amazon preview, you will find his most important lesson, which simultaneously eliminates both calf strain and heel striking. After reading everything in the Amazon preview, I couldn't wait to get the book, so I went straight to Barnes and Noble and bought it (since I would have had to wait for it if buying from Amazon, which would have been cheaper though).

The next day, I was on the rough pavement and ran for ten minutes barefoot, with no pain and no strain. I did it again 2 days later and then again and again and so on with no injuries. It has been fabulous. Also, my walking has improved. Thank you Ken Bob and Roy for bringing this clear and easy to understand information to print. I wish you had published the book earlier so that I could have saved myself some grief with some of the other mis-information that is out there. Oh well, I guess that just makes me appreciate it all the more. Hooray, now running is more fun that I have ever known it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I started barefoot running before the latest craze. Years ago I saw someone running in the County Music Marathon barefoot and it caught my eye. This book will help new converts from making some of the mistakes I made when I started out. Well written, steps in the right order, and a enough humor/wit thrown in to make it interesting to read. Recommended for new as well as seasoned barefooters.

This book was absolutely fantastic. It really is all you need to start barefoot running, and it is very step by step. The illustrations are not only of fantastic value, but fantastic quality! I would highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in barefoot running. It not only shows you the technique, but the joy that comes with barefoot running!

I cannot compare this book to other books on barefoot running, as it is the only one I have read (though I was familiar with Ken Bob's website before I ordered the book - and also those of the other barefoot running authors having read through the "free" resources on the Internet). But I can compare the book to ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running and to the running techniques argued for in Pose Method of Triathlon Techniques, and the Barefoot Running Step by Step comes across as a far more practical, credible and honest endeavour.

The structure of the book is a strong point. The first section is the usual motivational stuff. If you are already convinced that barefoot running is a good idea, you can skim through. The second section is about technique and drills. This is the core of the book. It is very easy to grasp and well written. The third section, on how barefooting can make you faster is a bit weak, but still worthwhile to read. The last section has barefoot stories. These stories are often spread across all chapters in other running books, which can be quite annoying. Here, they are clustered in one place, and they are of real people (some "famous") and they are honest, in the sense that some of his "subjects" disagrees with elements of the theories of Ken Bob, and there is no attempt to hide this fact.

The graphical design of the book is pleasant to the eye and aids understanding. As opposed to many other running books, Ken and Roy were clever enough to work with a serious publisher and editor.

It also helps that Ken Bob comes across as a very sympathetic guy, the kind of person who makes one still believe a bit in humanity. Though - I hope - he will make some money on the book, it does not come across as a commercial project, which can not be said of many of the other running methods and coaches, which seem to look for ways to monetize everything. The journalist co-writer, Roy Wallack, must have done a good job, because the book is very easy to grasp and flows well.

After reading the book (I got it 24 hours ago), I have decided to try a mix of Ken Bob and Preston Curtis (in Section 4 of of the book) break in plans - wearing no running shoes whatsoever for running for the next 3 months. I switched to minimalist shoes (Nike Free Run, Newton) and some pure barefoot running too fast nine months ago after reading - the excellent - Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Vintage). While it felt good, and I was very happy running, I got an injury that got worse and worse, to the point where I have not done any significant running for the last three months. I will now try the super slow switch to barefoot running and then probably switch to a mix of Vibram FF, racing flats and barefoot after three months if I can get healed from my injury.

I highly recommend this book for anyone considering trying barefoot - it is well worth the $15 to get started in a serious way and avoid injury.

I cannot speak highly enough about this book. It lays out clearly and in a well organized manner some of the most important issues related to running barefoot. Ken Bob's therunningbarefoot.com provides a peek into many of these topics, and this book brings together everything from The Running Barefoot plus a great deal more in a very readable and practical volume. If you buy this book and follow the suggestions contained in it, I am nearly certain you will be glad you did so.

Leí este libro inmediatamente después de "Born to run" ya que me interesó la filosofía detrás del "barefoot" y quería empezar a correr descalzo cuanto antes. Afortunadamente lo compré y lo leí antes de lanzarme a correr por la playa, ya que en el libro encontré todas las recomendaciones "paso a paso" que me están llevando por un camino libre de lesiones para poder correr descalzo por el resto de mi vida.

Es un libro interesante, divertido, pero sobre todo útil si te interesa descubrir el porqué o porqué no de correr descazo.