Walking in Heels

[alexandtm]

This is a bit embarrassing to post, but I've never quite mastered walking in heels. My mom always chides me for walking so "heavy," and I always seem to get stuck in the cracks of the sidewalk, or wobble if the heel is a stiletto, even if it's a short 2-3". I took dance when I was younger, and have no issues walking in flats, so I thought I'd turn to you all to see what tips or tricks you might have. I wear a 2-3" heel every day to work, and am always banging them up or worrying about looking like I'm stomping. There's got to be something I'm missing! Should I go the old fashioned route and practice with a book on my head?

What are your best tips and tricks for walking in heels?

 

[Chirp]

Yes! I've been looking for answers to this as well. I have a great pair of nude platform pumps I adore, but I look like a baby deer walking on ice when I wear them. NOT hot.

 

[leila]

Well I'm certainly no expert...but, I've been wearing heels for a while, so just my 2c to follow:

1) Obvious perhaps but the quality of the heels themselves can really impact how difficult it is to walk in them--as in I think even the most seasoned expert would have trouble walking in $20 heels, although of course even this is possible. So better quality-> less risk of pain/injury.

2) You DO walk differently in heels than in normal shoes, its a postural thing. I'd say its easier if you are tightening your butt, tightening your abs, and lengthening your back up through to your neck--I don't know but when I wear heels I actually feel like I'm 'lighter' and more 'airborne'--not more clunky (like with my normal boots or whatever).

3) There is no substitute for practice, if you wear heals every 3 months it will be difficult regardless--but it seems that you are getting quite alot so thats probably not relevant here.

Good luck!

 

[TubbsMcGee]

I used to be a huge tomboy(well, a skinny tomboy) and never wore heels. When it got the the point where I actually wanted to wear heels I found it impossible! I just stuck to flats and decided heels weren't for me. UNTIL! I saw a lovely pair of shoes which only had a kitten heel but I was so worried about walking in them. I decided that the only way it was going to work was if I just sucked it up and practised. I bought them and at first only wore them in the house until I was ok with normal walking without tripping, then one day I wore them outside and although I was terribly self-conscious it wasn't as bad as I though. I then bought another pair with a 2 inch heel and did the same, I stuck to wedges only for the first year. They're much easier as you have more surface in contact with the floor, way less wobble to worry about Gradually they got easier to walk in until I bought myself some 3&1/2 inch block heels and practised in those to get used to walking on an actual heel rather than a wedge and lo and behold, today I can strut around in 5 inch stilettos with no problem! It just takes a lot of practise, buy some shoes you love, start out with wedges to get used to walking with a different centre of gravity and when you're comfortable in those get some 'proper' heels and practise in those. It takes time but before you know it you'll be running in 4 inch stilettos without a second thought.

Good luck! x

 

[Silent Night]

get used to walking with a different centre of gravity

Yes, exactly. Lean back - you aren't actually leaning back, you're correcting yourself from leaning forward.

Get some shoes that are attached to your feet to begin with, rather than strapless pumps. That should simplify things.

And get shoes that actually fit, and put the little gel pads inside if they rub. That way you won't have to distort your step to avoid blood-loss.

I went through the high heels transition recently as well I only wobbled the first time - it's easy!

 

[SugarFree]

Shorter heels are usually harder to walk in for me
The taller the better

 

[Coral]

Shorter heels are usually harder to walk in for me
The taller the better

Agreed! Also a hidden platform makes it easier as well.

 

[alexandtm]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I'm thinking I need to practice in front of a mirror to really pinpoint where I'm going wrong. I'll try out the tips and see what works best.

Shorter heels are usually harder to walk in for me
The taller the better

Now I'm wondering if a higher heel might help, since I apparently walk "heavy" - I think I'm striking too much on the heel and a higher heel to tip me forward more might help. I noticed a few weeks ago on a date I walked better in a pair of 4" heels, so maybe my work shoes are just too short? If I went for a higher heel that wasn't a stiletto, that might fix things. :hmm:

 

[Sky]

I would honestly walk in wedges first to get your feet used to heels. They are so much easier to walk in. Once you're used to it you can work your way up to a higher heel or try out different heels.

Speaking from experience I went ahead and walked in 5'' wedge booties and they were so comfortable, I was amazed. After that I tried out stilettos and 6-8" heels and had no problem walking in them.

Hope this helped, good luck.

 

[Lolita]

I have read in quite a few articles that doing jump roping considerably helps your posture and your ability to walk with heels.. Don't quote me on that, though

 

[anna1594]

This is a bit embarrassing to post, but I've never quite mastered walking in heels. My mom always chides me for walking so "heavy," and I always seem to get stuck in the cracks of the sidewalk, or wobble if the heel is a stiletto, even if it's a short 2-3". I took dance when I was younger, and have no issues walking in flats, so I thought I'd turn to you all to see what tips or tricks you might have. I wear a 2-3" heel every day to work, and am always banging them up or worrying about looking like I'm stomping. There's got to be something I'm missing! Should I go the old fashioned route and practice with a book on my head?

What are your best tips and tricks for walking in heels?

Watch this video it definitely helped me! Best of luck you can do it!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoXDrL1_rWc

 

[proseccoprincess]

Reviving this dead thread to ask if anyone shares my predicament:

5’10 with relatively small feet (US 7/EU38) and tiny ankles (and wrists)
Extreme underpronation (weight distributed mostly on the outside of the heel) and high arches
One foot slightly smaller than the other, so I often size down in heels because I’d rather walk in shoes that are too tight than shoes that slide off

These factors make walking in non-platform stilettos treacherous for me, no matter how much I practice. Learned the hard way by trying to runway stomp in the wrong pair of heels and faceplanting 4 times during practice and rehearsals (because I’m not a quitter) before asking if I can wear boots instead. My knees are completely bruised and one of them had a bump that looked like a second kneecap for a while, but worst of all I look like an idiot who can’t walk in heels Does anyone have advice or know of any insoles/pads/grips etc that would make it easier?

 

[proseccoprincess]

To clarify, I can walk in some heels, like these= totally fine:

(Platform, more grip, pretty adjustable in terms of foot placement/alignment with the Velcro closure and the front/back straps)

However, these= the reason why I’m currently icing my knees and not beating the whore allegations anytime soon:

(Also the floor was uneven/industrial, the venue was cold so my knees were stiff and locked, etc etc excuses and model tears I know)

(Both shoes are half a size too small)

 

[GucciTShirt]

@proseccoprincess I don’t know if this will be helpful to you, but when I was first learning to walk in heels, somebody explained to me that it’s easier if you hit the ball of your foot hard with each step. Make your foot as “flat” as possible and jam that baby to the floor with purpose. I never had an issue with any pair of heels after that advice and it comes naturally after awhile. Maybe that would help? My only other advice would be finding a YouTube tutorial from somebody with a similar walking pattern. Good luck, you got this!

 

[proseccoprincess]

@proseccoprincess I don’t know if this will be helpful to you, but when I was first learning to walk in heels, somebody explained to me that it’s easier if you hit the ball of your foot hard with each step. Make your foot as “flat” as possible and jam that baby to the floor with purpose. I never had an issue with any pair of heels after that advice and it comes naturally after awhile. Maybe that would help? My only other advice would be finding a YouTube tutorial from somebody with a similar walking pattern. Good luck, you got this!

My problem is that the “center” of my heel is actually the outer edge of it, so for someone who doesn’t over/underpronate it would be like trying to walk in stilettos where the heel of the shoe is on the inside or outside of your foot- it just isn’t where your center of gravity falls. That’s why I only have this problem with certain heels (rigid, can’t adjust foot placement) and not others (where I can adjust the straps and tilt my feet a certain way when putting them on so that they match my weird heel strike.)

Side note but I first realized I overpronate when I used to run long distance in high school, and my sneakers eventually would get completely worn out on the outer sides but stayed perfectly intact on the inner sides. I had specialty insoles made for my running shoes back then bc running with incorrect form often/for long distances can cause serious injuries, but you can’t really do the same for like all heels in general lol

 

[GucciTShirt]

My problem is that the “center” of my heel is actually the outer edge of it, so for someone who doesn’t over/underpronate it would be like trying to walk in stilettos where the heel of the shoe is on the inside or outside of your foot- it just isn’t where your center of gravity falls. That’s why I only have this problem with certain heels (rigid, can’t adjust foot placement) and not others (where I can adjust the straps and tilt my feet a certain way when putting them on so that they match my weird heel strike.)

That makes sense…sorry that I couldn’t be more helpful. Maybe it’s something worth seeing a physical therapist for, to see if you can retrain how you walk?

 

[proseccoprincess]

overpronate

*underpronate it is fashion week and I am sleep deprived lol

That makes sense…sorry that I couldn’t be more helpful. Maybe it’s something worth seeing a physical therapist for, to see if you can retrain how you walk?

It’s ok, growing up in the tumblr era taught me that bruises are #aesthetic and this website specifically has prepared me for the next three weeks of “well now we know how she booked the job” jokes

 

[pricklypear]

Extreme underpronation (weight distributed mostly on the outside of the heel) and high arches
One foot slightly smaller than the other, so I often size down in heels because I’d rather walk in shoes that are too tight than shoes that slide off

It might be useful to try the opposite approach? Specifically, I’m thinking you could get a pack of generic assorted insoles (that target the heel, sole, toe, etc.) and then size accurately / up rather than down.

It could give you more stability in where you do rest your foot, since this seems to be an issue with particularly rigid heels. Softening up the inside with some padding in the right places might redistribute more.

…I admit that would be pretty annoying for each individual pair of shoes, though, if it even worked at all. It’s definitely not a quick fix.

 

[squiggle]

If any of y’all have ankle issues and regularly wear heels, see a physio or podiatrist!! There are exercises to strengthen your foot muscles and correct for any misalignment. If you leave it uncorrected you’ll end up with knee, hip, back issues and especially back issues are a pain to correct down the line.

 

[FashionThin]

I took forever to chime in here but this is something that is SO SO important but extremely hard to teach. It's kind of like swimming where you have to do it to learn it. We have a couple of great instructors who coach on posture, poise, weight distribution and how to hold your foot, etc. But it varies so much because each model has their own gait and needs different kinds of coaching to unlearn bad habits (with posture and movement) and learn good ones. Sometimes girls who "can" walk in heels look ridiculous and awkward doing it, so they have to totally re-learn how to move in them. But the main thing that applies to all of them is practice, practice, practice. Get feedback, practice more. Etc.