My thoughts on Bartold Clinical: ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR — THE MASTERCLASS

It took me quite a while, but I have finally completed the “Bartold Clinical — The Athletic Footwear Masterclass”. Here are my thoughts from the masterclass in just under 5 minutes. This article encompasses both the video lessons and the comprehensive guide that came with the bundle sale.

Overview:

First, a disclaimer from their website:

“It was conceived as a vehicle to inform on athletic footwear at the very

highest level, and to equip those who attend the Masterclass to enter the

Athletic Footwear Industry should they wish. Alternately, many have attended

to gain a knowledge advantage and to improve their clinical practice.”

The masterclass does and achieves what it says on the tin.

I have come from the Masterclass with a new appreciation of what I put on my feet.

What it has done superbly is to remove the nativity of what I thought I knew and there was to know about footwear, injury and running and replace it with evidence-based and expert knowledge. I do think that if you want to say you know something about footwear, you must go through this masterclass.

TLDR:

It was well worth the time and money spent (I paid $100 for it through the sale). It was engaging, albeit being virtual, and informative. However, there are some considerations to this.

A rudimentary understanding of lower limb biomechanics is necessary to get the most out this resource. I had to read a few texts on some concepts to get a good grip on what was being presented but if you do already have a solid background in biomechanics, this would be great for you.

The video lessons and additional content are great and accomplished what the masterclass aims to put out. However, because the guide was so comprehensive (No pun intended), without it, it feels incomplete. Again, it might be just my own learning style and I have no idea how the masterclass was when it was not virtual, but the guide consolidated the learning so well and introduced an extra dimension to the masterclass. Honestly, if the guide were published like a book/textbook and cleaned up, it would be a perfect standalone product. Hence, if the current price of $300 does not include the guide, although still good, can be a little pricey.

Conclusion: Great but wait for a sale or price that includes both the lessons and the comprehensive guide. It is important to have a basic understanding of biomechanical concepts before embarking on this Masterclass.

Why is it good?

It benefits both Clinicians and Runners.

Clinicians and Future Clinicians:

Information is packaged to present information from a service user perspective. This makes it extremely applicable as the questions answered throughout the masterclass, are probably the most pressing issues on the minds of runners.

Moreover, with the variety of technologies in footwear nowadays and the different shoes that are offered to the public, it is up to the clinician, with his/her knowledge of how the body moves kinematically and kinetically, to make full use of what is available to the utmost benefit to the service users/runners/patients. This masterclass sets the path for clinicians to be able to achieve this goal.

Runners/Athletes/Shoe Enthusiasts:

Although the Masterclass can be very technical, there are still many palatable aspects of the course that is relevant. The knowledge of current and past trends, the proposed benefits of the technologies that shoe company offer and general injury prevention measures are helpful. This would allow runners to be able to make a more informed decision on running in general.

Also, the technical aspects of the Masterclass are a great bait to get even more entranced by the subject. Which if anyone is willing to take up, can lead to a whole treasure chest of opportunities.

The Anatomy of Shoes

The masterclass breaks down the different parts of the athletic running shoe and takes a step further to explain the production processes behind them. This helps to paint a picture for the listener to appreciate what is currently being offered and its limitations. It manages to satisfy the most inquisitive of learners on various aspects:

· Components of the shoe and what it does for the runner

· The limitations and benefits of the materials used for these components

· Current and future improvements to these components that relate to the performance of the runner

· The mentioned components in relation to its effect and injury

· Simon Bartold’s personal and objective take on the issue (He tries his best to be objective on a very subjective topic, which is something really appreciated)

Ultimately, you get what you came for.

Research-based Analysis with as much objectiveness as any self-dignified sports scientist can offer.

The whole masterclass is substantiated by past and current research. It presents the current consensus from well-known researchers (Benno Nigg — remember him?) and saves you the time from scanning through PubMed to get it.

What is greatly appreciated is that it does not hide from you what the research and Bartold Clinical does not know for sure, giving you the intellectual freedom to judge the information being presented. I felt that there were many moments where Bartold Clinical could push the novice learner to be convinced of their own conclusions, but they held back and instead, let the learner decide for themselves. This, I greatly appreciated.

Although, I had to say that there were some moments where they dismissed ideas as well. (However, it was well justified!).

Slight drawback:

The video lessons had a great flow and progression of concepts. However, the history portion could have been more succinct and a slight introduction on the biomechanical concepts discussed in the masterclass would have aided the learner.

Research articles and information presented in the comprehensive guide could also have been more refined and organized for a smoother read.

My own thoughts

Overall, I am very happy that I had devoted a lot of time to consume the information in this masterclass and it has set me on the path towards a better understanding of shoes, running and injury. It was a masterclass in every right.

The field of running is exciting and there is so much more we can do as clinicians or sports scientists to benefit the service user. However, what can we bring more to them?

I believe that there is still an undiscovered way to benefit most runners. I think the clue in discovering that method might be in recalibrating the new sweet spot of statistical modelling between the outliers, individual relativism, and standard significant tests in running-related research. In other words, maybe how we determine success or benefit in research needs to be revisited to accommodate the multi-faceted influences of running and body kinematics and/or kinetics on results. However, it probably depends on what this so called “majority” is, with it probably being not the size we supposedly think it was or that the “majority” comes with its own individualized parametric caveat.

Or the key might instead be on innovative discoveries such as vibration attenuation or geometrically aided propulsion that are currently and already in production.

Whatever the case, the future of running is exciting. I do hope that I can eventually be a part of it.

More Information

Bartold Clinical — The Athletic Footwear Masterclass can be found here: https://www.bartoldclinical.com/masterclass/

While you are there, do look at the many different products and free resources they have to offer as it is a treasure trove of information.

Afterword:

Again, these are my own personal views, and I am not endorsed for my comments. Rather, I would like to thank you for giving me your time to read my thoughts.

I might be horribly wrong in the things I have said, and I may have had a wrong perception on things. So please do comment below to discuss with me about anything I have wrote:)

Stay safe and run well!