Sport began as a religious cult – as a way of controlling and changing the world.   Living in the most-arid regions of Mexico, the Zunis played games which they thought would increase the probability of rain. To ensure a good whaling season, Makah Indians of the Pacific Northwest played the first known hockey contests, using whale bones as both “pucks” and “sticks.” Some of the original tribes of India arranged tug-of-war contests to expel demons and encourage the sun to...

A runner’s choice of foot-strike pattern is likely to have an effect on running economy, competitive performance, and the likelihood of overuse injury. The foot is the only body part which directly supplies propulsive force to the ground during running, and it is also a part of the lower limb which is highly susceptible to injury.   The two most commonly used foot-strike techniques are the rear-foot strike (RFS), in which the heel of the running shoe is the first structure which make...

  Barefoot running is taking off! One reason for this is the increasingly popular story which is being spun about the nature of a barefoot run: According to some “experts” (and of course many non-experts), unshod running decreases impact forces with the ground, reduces the likelihood of injury, and also enhances running economy, a key predictor of performance. Compared with stuffing one’s feet in 800-gram brogans with mattress-like mid-soles, barefoot running also appears to be p...