I just discovered an excellent test for your Fox-walking skill. In Portland, OR, sunny weather has arrived, and when the sun comes out, the flip-flops go on the feet.

Have you ever wondered why we call them “flip-flops”? Of course not! Everybody knows. They always make that sound, “flip-flop, flip-flop”, when you walk with them on.

Well…

Almost always.

You see, I don’t make the flip-flop sound when I wear flip-flops. I hardly make any sound at all, just the slight scuffing of the soles against the sidewalk.

Question: why don’t I make the flip-flop sound?

Answer: because I don’t push off with my feet. I lift my feet up, rather than pushing against the ground to move forward. I do this in such a low-key way that nobody really notices. It doesn’t look funny, like a Ministry of Silly Walks variation.

(But surprisingly, you will indeed notice that the main character in the sketch, played by John Cleese, does indeed do his own “fox walk” variation much of the time.)

So, see how much you can cancel out the “flip-flop” sound, while wearing flip-flops, without overdoing it. You’ll learn a lot about movement, tension in your foot, and all kinds of good stuff.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 7:55 am and is filed under Philosophy of Tracking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.