High Heels How To Walk

Stand in the heels on a hard floor. Your toes should not be jammed against the front, and your heel should not lift more than a quarter inch when you walk. If the shoe slides, try a gel heel grip or a ball-of-foot cushion before you change your walk. A heel that fits well removes half the difficulty.

Press down through the ball of your foot and check that your weight feels centered. If you feel pressure only under your toes, the heel is pulling you forward and you will walk on the wrong part of your foot.

Tip: shop for heels at the end of the day when your feet are slightly swollen, and stand on a hard floor, not carpet, to judge true fit.

Stand with feet hip-width apart. Pull your shoulders back and down, lift your ribs slightly, and keep your chin level. Imagine a string pulling you up from the crown of your head. Do not lock your knees or push your hips forward.

Shift your weight slowly from one foot to the other. Notice where you feel pressure. The goal is to feel it spread across the ball of your foot, not only the toes or the heel.

Stand still and lift one heel slightly, then place it back down. Repeat 10 times on each foot. Now add a small roll forward: heel down first, then the ball of your foot, then the toes. This is the exact motion of a proper step, so it trains your foot before you add movement.

Keep the movement slow. Speed hides bad form, and you want to feel the sequence of heel, ball, then toe.

Tip: think "heel, ball, toe" as a three-part rhythm. Say it out loud if it helps you keep the order.

Start walking forward slowly. Place your heel down first, roll through the ball of your foot, and push off gently with your toes. Your steps should be noticeably shorter than your normal walking stride. Most beginners try to stride normally, which forces them onto their toes and causes that stiff, bouncy walk.

Aim for small, even steps. The heel of your front foot should land roughly under your body, not far out in front.

Walk a slow line across the room. As each foot lands, let your weight transfer through it instead of holding tension in your legs. Relax your ankles and let them move naturally. Gripping your toes or clenching your calves will make you tire fast and wobble more.

Keep your arms relaxed at your sides. Swinging them naturally helps you balance far more than holding them stiff.

When you turn, do not twist on the ball of your foot with all your weight down. Instead, take a small step, lift your heel slightly, and pivot on the ball of your foot with less pressure. Hard pivots are how people roll ankles and scuff floors.

For a sharper turn, plant both feet, then step around rather than spinning in place. It looks more graceful and it is much safer.

Going up stairs, place the ball of your foot on the step and let your heel hang slightly off the edge. Going down, place your whole foot sideways or put your heel near the back of the step, and take one step at a time. Hold the rail if one is there. Nobody is grading you.

On grass, cobblestones, grates, or wet tile, slow down and take shorter steps. Wide heels handle uneven ground better than thin stilettos. If the surface is really rough, walk on your toes with your weight forward and your steps small, or simply change shoes.

Check first: skip metal grates, wet marble, and slick escalator edges entirely. These surfaces cause more heel accidents than any other situation.

Practice for 10 to 15 minutes a day rather than one long session. Walk around your home, then try a short errand. Increase the time and heel height gradually. A low block heel you can wear comfortably for hours is better training than a high stiletto you can only stand in for 5 minutes.

Give your feet rest days. Calf muscles and foot arches need recovery, just like any other muscle you are training.