What if sports lessons at school were done without shoes? A new study, published in Frontiers un Pediatrics, shows that the motor skills of children, and adolescents, in jumping and the balance, improved when they practiced barefoot physical activities. “Barefoot walking is widely considered to be more natural, and the use of footwear has long been seen as a factor influencing foot health and the development of movements “, explains in a statement Professor Astrid Zech from Jena University in Germany and author of the study.
A total of 385 children from South Africa and 425 children from North Germany participated in the study. They were brought together under 3 different age groups: 6-10 years; 11-14 years old and 15-18 years old. The two groups were chosen to represent both lifestyles: children in South Africa are usually barefoot, while in Germany they mostly wear shoes. The scientists thus assessed their balance, their jumping skills, and their performance in a 20-meter sprint.
More benefits between 6 and 10 years
As a result, children who used to be barefoot had a significantly higher score in the balance and jumping tests compared to the second group, whether they were shod or not. These differences were observed in all groups, but more particularly in that of 6-10 year olds.
For the sprint test, these results were reversed. Children accustomed to shoes had better scores, especially the 11-14 age group. According to the researchers, this could be explained by the environment which is not the same. “In South Africa, the sprint test took place outdoors, with different weather conditions and surfaces, while German children took the sprint test indoors, mainly in a gym.” , details the researcher. the type of shoes may also have influenced the results: South African students wear school shoes, while German students wear sneakers. For the research team, this study could encourage schools to develop barefoot activities in sports programs.
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