'Barefoot' shoe is the choice footwear of Powerade Tigers
21.05.12
Vibram Five Fingers, the revolutionary footwear that was selected by Time Magazine as one of its Best Inventions in 2007, is the footwear of choice by Powerade Tigers Basketball Team, runner-up at the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup.
"I first came across it while reading a magazine a few years back. I read about it again in the book, ‘Born to Run.’ Then I started to look into the benefits of barefoot training and the best compromise seemed to use a minimalist shoe like the Vibram Five Fingers," says Powerade strength and conditioning coach Julio Veloso.
A special kind of footwear that can be used for athletic and non-athletic use, Vibram Five Fingers is known for its corrective and therapeutic qualities that ordinary shoes or sandals can give. Because its features are unconventional, some of the Powerade Tigers had to adjust when they first tried it.
Their doubts about VFF soon began to disappear after seeing the positive effects of the footwear on their performance. That is because Vibram Five Fingers initiates the wearer to the feeling of barefoot running. Scientific studies show barefoot running corrects the way we run, making us land on the balls of our feet (called the midfoot area) as compared to conventional shoes which gives us the tendency to land on the heels first. Landing on the heels first releases more pressure or shock to our legs and knees which slows us down.
Source: Malaya