Toe Splay and Footwear Science

[BobW]

I have been asked by Forum members about the width of our shoes and the wide toe box.  Width of a shoe and a wide toe box are two different things.  The interesting thing is that most everyone uses these terms interchangeably to mean a wide shoe (width).   

Shoe Width is established under the ball of the foot, along the distal transverse arch noted below with a blue line.   Many people with a wide foot try to pick up more width by going up a half size in length.  This is NOT a good thing to do, as the foot will move back and forth and create a host of foot issues long term.  Wide Toe Box is probably not the best phrase to use to describe the area in the toe box.  This area is measured from slightly beyond the blue line where width is established to the end of the big toe (red line).   SQAIRZ opened up the area of the toe box without increasing the width of the shoe.  This inherently allows the toes to sit naturally and splay as pressure is exerted on the ground providing measurably more balance and stability.  The added benefit of the design is extraordinary comfort.  

SQAIRZ will be offering wide shoes in October.  I appreciate all the feedback.  My best, Bob 

 

[Rob Person]

4 hours ago, BobW said:

I have been asked by Forum members about the width of our shoes and the wide toe box.  Width of a shoe and a wide toe box are two different things.  The interesting thing is that most everyone uses these terms interchangeably to mean a wide shoe (width).   

Shoe Width is established under the ball of the foot, along the distal transverse arch noted below with a blue line.   Many people with a wide foot try to pick up more width by going up a half size in length.  This is NOT a good thing to do, as the foot will move back and forth and create a host of foot issues long term.  Wide Toe Box is probably not the best phrase to use to describe the area in the toe box.  This area is measured from slightly beyond the blue line where width is established to the end of the big toe (red line).   SQAIRZ opened up the area of the toe box without increasing the width of the shoe.  This inherently allows the toes to sit naturally and splay as pressure is exerted on the ground providing measurably more balance and stability.  The added benefit of the design is extraordinary comfort.  

SQAIRZ will be offering wide shoes in October.  I appreciate all the feedback.  My best, Bob 

 

I'd be interested in trying a wide width shoe possibly, as I posted my feet issue earlier (with photo)  my big toe is also offset by 1/2" or more too. So perhaps the combination of the width and open toe box may be a solution for me. I am definitely guilty of having to go up half a size to accommodate my odd feet 

[BobW]

Rob ... my guess is that it would help.  Please sign up for SQAIRZ Nation on our website.  I will warn you ... you'll receive about 4-5 emails per week including sales, new product releases, and lesson of the week.  If you purchase the shoes, you can wear them for 30 days and if they don't meet your expectations, you can send them back for a full refund.  Thank you.  Bob 

[rhaze91]

I thought I would bring it up again as I saw someone else ask if they studied if there was any difference in the swing corresponding to the shoe drop.  Coming from a running background this has been addressed more in that industry as a lot of the comfort shoes, Hoka, have a large drop on most of their shoes, where as a shoe like Altra are almost all zero drop shoes.  For someone not used to this it greatly impacts running as most people experience pain in knee and shins when they are not used to a flat shoe.

Just curious if being more zero drop keeps you level compared to a large drop shoe which would push your heel up leaning you slightly forward without ever knowing.

Just wondering if Sqairz looked at that aspect?