A lot of things change when you switch to minimalist footwear. One of the benefits is that your feet ‘wake up!’ No longer cocooned tightly each day, they now start having a say and they won’t be quiet any longer. This changes how you walk, how you perceive your steps, and how you connect to the environment around you.
It can also make you downright picky. When your feet are held tightly, you get used to that feeling. Wake them up and let them move, and you’re not so happy with that feeling anymore. Maybe your feet don’t want to be so tightly squeezed. Or maybe now that your splay has increased and your size has changed, you realize you have too much room in a lot of shoes.
Some of these issues are easier to deal with than others. For instance, if you have a shoe with no removable insole and your foot has too much room, you can add an insole or a felt pad. But if your shoe is too tight, you can’t exactly rip off the bottom.
Laces are one of the best ways shoes can be accommodating to different feet. Too much room? Lace them tighter! Too little? Loosen them up! But even that won’t always help, so you can take it a step further and change your techniques to give yourself the room you need (or remove the room you don’t).
Shoe Feel Too Tight
If you generally just have a sense that your shoes are tight, feel free to skip the top set of eyelets. This works for high-tops, like the picture, as well as low-top shoes. This is one of the stealthiest adjustments as it looks like a design choice on your part, rather than a necessary relief. You can just try loosening the top criss-cross, but if that’s not enough then take it a step further.
Wide Feet
With wide-all-over feet, you may need to take it a step further. And even if you’re feet aren’t wide visibly but you have a high volume (I want to write up something about this eventually, but for now check out this great post by Katja at Bosenogice) then this alternate lacing style can work very well. I’ve got a pair of Groundies Ibiza laced this way as they break in, which is also a valid temporary use. Remember, these are your shoes, and your feet – so do it your way! They are awake now, so help them be happy.
A variation of this involves a bit of alternating laces, with the normal chris-crossed technique. It’s worth a shot if you don’t like the straight-laced look, but I think this version here is simpler to pull off and doesn’t leave you guessing about which ones to slip and which ones to use.
Wide at the Middle or Ball of the Foot
Here is a technique for those with a bigger spread at the front of the foot and a more average ankle. If you find that this area of the foot bothers you, try skipping the section like this. You can modify this particular technique to match any part of your foot. And a further modification (which I used on my narrow roller skates) is to skip the first set of eyelets altogether.
Narrow Ankles or Too Much Volume
If you find that the volume of the shoe excessive, consider this technique, known typically as lock-lacing. This should help pull the ankle in more tightly, reduce any gaping, and prevent slippage. If that’s not enough to keep the shoe secure, definitely consider insoles and pads, but keep in mind that anything you add to a shoe reduces the flexibility and ground feel, so if you’re really struggling with too much volume, you may want to consider a different brand.
Conclusion
When choosing barefoot shoes, it’s important to make sure you’re hitting all the right qualities, but every person’s foot is different and not all brands are made for all feet. These techniques can take a close fit to a great one, but don’t use them to keep yourself in shoes that are too different from your foot shape. Never let your toe movement be restricted or leave yourself needing to grip with your toes.
Pictured shoes: Mukishoes (use OBSESSEDWITHBAREFOOTSHOES) to receive a 10% discount
Insole options (affiliate links) include this, this, and this. Unless you buy the inserts from a barefoot company with a proper foot shape, you may need to buy a larger size and trim the tips. Always make sure the insole you buy is completely flat.
Felt pads to reduce volume include this and heel grips may also be helpful in such situations.
Sometimes none of this will help and you just flat out need to pick different shoes. These are not comprehensive lists, but just places to start.
Lower volume shoe options include: Vivos, Luks, BeLenka Eazy
Higher volume shoe options include: Mukishoes, Ahinsa, BeLenka City
Wide toe box shoe options include: BeLenka, Bohempia (and even wider in their Wide shoe), Vibram Five Fingers
Have you tried any of these techniques or have a different one to share? Let us know in the comments, or join the conversation on Instagram.