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What is a good fit? Besides the orthopaedic criteria, the good fit is the well-being in the shoe, and that is a very subjective matter. From the perspective of the shoemaker, the shoe should sit tight in the area behind the ball, meaning that there should be no hollow spaces between foot and shoe. The toes have room for movement and the tip of the shoe should not be felt with the toes. So far so good. Nevertheless, everyone knows that jogging shoes feel softer than mountain boots. Why therefore are made to measure shoes not made as soft as jogging shoes? At this point I must go back a bit to our roots: Our upright movement is not only a characteristic of our species, but also a cultural achievement. i.e. we want only to walk upright, even when we don't always have to. Our skeleton is not completely adapted to this exclusive mode of movement however. Not only the social disease backache, but also the splay-foot common to almost all adults, are also a sign of this. The human foot is an excellent shock absorber, but with every mechanical apparatus, subject to wear and tear. The wear and tear mainly consists of a loosening of the ligaments, corrosion of cartilage between the bones of the foot, and a slackening of the muscles, which can be seen externally in the change of shape. The foot becomes broader, flatter, and individual bones become more prominent or the toes get distorted. It slowly loses its shock-absorbing ability. The shoe attempts to ignore and compensate for this natural loss. Essentially through a kind of bandage which holds the ligaments and bones together, and through a partial lifting of the walking surface, in order to bring the foot back into the right position for the rest of the skeleton. It is important to understand at this point that shock absorption is not the same as elasticity and that the foot itself is not shock-absorbed by the shoe, but that its own shock-absorbing action should be preserved. In this way one can understand why particularly shock-absorbing shoes have to be developed for unusual strain, (jogging shoes) for the maintenance of healthy feet however, well-fitting shoes with a leather sole are perfectly adequate, and are the right choice. The foot should not be relieved from its natural task. Perfectly fitting shoes keep their shape because they follow the form of the foot, and are made resistent enough in those parts which should be keeping the foot in position. That is why truly handcrafted shoes are made inflexible in the middle and back-foot area. The apparently necessary wearing in of shoes until they fit, is a myth invented by bad shoe makers. Shoes which pinch don't fit! Getting used to made to measure shoes must be a process of continually increasing well-being. Another word to actively breathing leather: It is right that leather absorbs water. More, or less, according to the kind of tanning. Therefore the moisture from the foot is absorbed by the leather and then evaporates to a certain extent. In order that this functions, no condensation barrier should be built in between the lining and the upper leather, or the inner and outer sole. Some shoemakers also tend to use too much „Neopren glues“, and these form an excellent condensation barrier. The genuinely traditionally working shoemaker makes do with his paste (wheat starch glue) for the stiffened parts of the shoe, and some latex. The greatest part of the foot moisture is given up to the sole. The use of a sufficiently thick insole of about 4,5mm and best material quality is therefore very important. |
