‘Naked’ shoes for Japan
‘Naked’ feel is in works for shoes
December 30, 2007 / ChicagoTribune.com—
…James Stoxen, a chiropractic physician at Team Doctors Treatment and Training Center in Chicago…. is working with Converse Footwear Co. in Japan to develop a shoe that allows the feet to flex. The company plans to launch it in Japan next spring. We may never see it here, but who knows how much that “naked” feel could catch on?…more...
Nike has given up promoting their popular niche-market “Air Rift” toe shoes and companies like Converse see an opportunity to the void. There’s even an underground market for Air Rifts on e-Bay. In addition, Vibram Corporation is selling their “FiveFingers” footwear (see right) for those who want to going barefoot with some protection and grip.
It’s no wonder that Converse is going to launch their ‘Naked’ shoes product in Japan where there is PRIOR ART for …
“Jikatabi“—often referred to as ‘Ninja Shoes’— the type worn by the ninja of long ago, and are still used today by Japanese workers who need more agility, safety and grip than regular construction boots. 
Japanese prefer Jikatabi [地下足袋] for their split toes and softness of their soles that gives tactile contact with the ground, as well as their gripping ability that allows workman to use their feet more agilely than rigid-soled shoes allow.
For example, Japanese iron workers who traverse steel girders on construction sites like to know what is under their feet, and Japanese craftsmen such as carpenters and gardeners additionally use their feet as if they were an extra pair of hands to hold objects in place.
(Jikatabi are available via our sponsor J-List.com.)
- 
December 31st, 2007 at 9:34 am
From: Dr Jamers Stoxen (teamdoctors@aol.com)
http://www.teamdoctors.org/
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 5:34:27 AM
Pedestrians Beware Athletic shoes may feel pillow-soft, but get ready for long-term pain
….Many athletic shoes now have too much cushion, gels or air soles that can weaken the foot muscles, especially when worn all day long for fashion as well as exercise, Stoxen said. “A shoe needs to be supportive to allow for athletic performance, but it needs to allow the foot to move the way it was designed to move,” he said. “The modern day ‘foot binding’ is the shoe. We have all kinds of shoes that alter the natural movement of the foot.” Stoxen cites interviews with African runners, who often practice barefoot and frequently perform exceedingly well in marathons.
He recounts the story of Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila, who set a new world record and won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympic marathon while running barefoot over cobblestones in Rome. Bikila won gold again four years later in Tokyo, despite recovering from an appendectomy he underwent a little more than five weeks earlier.
The new “barefoot” shoe will strengthen rather than weaken the natural spring mechanism of the foot, said Dan Weiss, director of marketing and product planning for the Converse Performance Team in Japan.
“Basically the foot has all the parts needed to perform,” Weiss said. “A barefoot athletic shoe will allow the foot to continue to strengthen this performance mechanism and thus improve the overall endurance and strength of the foot, which is where most movement begins. — By aligning the foot correctly and giving the support only where needed, this shoe will allow the foot to strengthen those muscles and ligaments that support the arch and give you the spring to react. With this stronger framework and correctly functioning spring mechanism, players will have quicker reactions and be able to avoid those common roll-over sprains.”
Stoxen has worked with dozens of professional athletes and celebrity entertainers, including performers on tour with Aerosmith, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Cirque Du Soleil, the American Idol contestants and the Australian children’s band The Wiggles. Nearly all of the 14 dancers on tour with The Wiggles were suffering from shin splints, sore knees and hamstring problems from their grueling tour schedule before enlisting Stoxen’s help in 2004, said Anthony Field, the “blue Wiggle,” speaking from Sydney, Australia.
Many of their pains were due to lack of proper injury prevention exercises and poor dance performance footwear, Field said. “He showed us exercises and the right footwear,” Field said. “Once the foot was right, the rest of our bodies were OK.” Dr. Ron Klatz, president of the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, said that the majority of athletic shoes are designed for young people and do not accommodate our bodies as they grow older. Many foot problems can happen after the age of 45, he said. “Not everybody is jumping and running on the courts,” he said. “Some people need less cushion in their shoes. Elderly people have falls because they are walking around on pillows all day. They lose that connection with the ground.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Great post! I bet you put a lot of research into it…like 3 minutes worth on Google Image Search.
February 25th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Some people write with no pa$$ion for feet, but yours is undoubtedly evident of how much you enjoy doing what you do. It is nice to see your love for writing in your work. Continue inspiring other e-writers like me.
March 5th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Thanks for taking a couple of moments posting this report.
September 6th, 2011 at 4:11 am
A bbuddy of mine, posted this on his facebook. I really like the website, looks great. ;)
March 16th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
granite & marb1e
March 17th, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Damn. That “granite and marble” comment was random (even for a spam-bot0.