Walking Digitigrade, how to, and stories!:)

[Wildhead_the_fox]

Have you ever walked around the house/yard/halls like your fursona?
Have you ever tried?
Do you freepaw?
If so, then this is the topic for you to tell those who are curious how it's done/funny stories!

[Loc]

I do it when I'm not wearing shoes as an unconscious habit. Toe walking is common in small children, and I just never grew out of it.

Worth mentioning it isn't as great as it sounds - It's uncomfortable for me to put my heels down when barefoot as a tendon in the back of my leg is slightly shorter than it should be. I wear shoes with a small heel to counter that.

[Wildhead_the_fox]

Wow, almost like you were born to be furry!!

I have been walking digitigrade at school, at home, and in various public settings. My brother resents me as a furry (silly humans! ) and often hates on my thoughts, comments, and views on life and theoretical sciences.

[Timberwuff]

I have been walking digitigrade at school, at home, and in various public settings. My brother resents me as a furry (silly humans! ) and often hates on my thoughts, comments, and views on life and theoretical sciences.

Siblings can be cruel for no reason, but sometimes they come around later in life.

Regarding my walking, I do mostly plantigrade when I'm working or cooking since constantly being on the tips as you just stand there for hours is painful. Any amount of standing for extended periods gets to be brutal with any stance.
But I do a lot of running, and I have these fancy "toe-shoes". I absolutely love how I can feel textures and temperatures through these shoes.
Any time I'm not standing, I'm being digitgrade.

[GrayWolf448]

when barefoot or sprinting i tend to walk on my toes. when ever im wearing shoes im almost always walk with my heels (excluding sprinting)

tho when im standing still i usually have one foot flat on the ground and the other only with the front of my shoe on the ground

[Storm Fox]

I've walked digitigrade for as long as I can remember, and so much so for so long that it is considerably uncomfortable to walk the more traditional heel first, plantigrade way.

The only time I'll use my whole foot and let my heels touch the ground is when I'm standing in one place for a while, wearing shoes, or when carrying/holding something exceptionally heavy.
Though my natural stance tends to always keep my center of balance and weight far forward, a bit past the ball of my foot.
So even in those cases I'm still technically in a digitigrade stance, albeit a minimal one.

[Mylo]

I suppose I'm more like a kangaroo than an arctic fox...I tend to use whichever stance is best suited for the moment, and most of the time its plantigrade.  I use digitigrade when walking downstairs, walking quietly, and when running, among other times.  Though, I think this is how most people use digitigrade stances.

[Turgius]

Iv had a tendency to walk on my toes since childhood, as well as due to pain in my right foot from having a injury from a large foreign object (pencil lead don't ya know) being stuck in my heal for around 8 months when I was in high school. Though this is mostly when I'm bare foot, I tend to distribute weight evenly when I'm wearing shoes.

[Shivu]

Sometimes I walk on my toes but when I'm running I'm almost always digitigrade Actually I remember people having a laugh in school because I ran hunched over and in long bounds instead of straight up and with shorter strides; but they couldn't complain, because I was one of the fastest in my year!
For that reason, I was one of the first to be picked at races, which was nice :3
People in school didn't know I was a furry, or even what a furry was, but for the most part it was a playful teasing that I didn't mind for my running XD

Recently actually when the summer was really hitting in this country my brother and I were in the woods and there was no one else around so I tried running on all fours lol It's very crampy in the chest, but otherwise kind of fun! Not something I could do for long period of time though

[Takanuva]

I usually walk normally. But it is fun to get up on your toes and run, as that's how the human foot and leg have evolved to run most efficiently. The large gluteus muscles, the achilles tendon, and the shaping and size of our toes are designed for max efficiency running on your toes. The achilles tendon acts like a spring then, propelling you forward more efficiently, without damaging your heels in the weird heel-strike method of running and walking we've adapted with shoes. But I do plan on getting a pair of Amuri Clouds, for hiking and backing since they're supposed to be more comfortable and healthy on your ankles, knees, and feet while walking and hiking.

[Honey Bun]

My sona's technically plantigrade. ^_^'  But I like to run and jump digitigrade. It makes me feel lighter and faster. It makes going up the stairs more fun too. XD

[Solodarkwolf5]

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[Arachnid]

How do you run and walk on all fours? I cant do that.

[Takanuva]

You have to sort of propel yourself forward, springing off your your legs, kicking them back into the air, and using your arms as a balance point to land your legs further forward. Take a look at these videos, they really demonstrate how to run on all fours, without your arms and legs tangling up or getting too close. Only thing is, your butt's in the air at least a good foot above your head to allow your legs to kick out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1eUuwm6fo4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqpO58x7vuE

The DARPA cheetah robot one is the best, as it really explains the whole concept quite easily. But it makes me wonder... Has anyone ever made digitigrade stilts or quad suit stilts you can run in?

[Arachnid]

I'm flat footed so I would probably make a idiot out of myself doing that.

[Takanuva]

I'm actually somewhat flatfooted . It's mostly due to muscles atrophying from wearing shoes constantly, leading the arch of the foot to collapse. If you look at health studies about feet and running, it's actually somewhat healthier to walk, run, and jump partially plantigrade.

[EarthTurtle]

I've tried walking digitigrade a few times. The marching band in me puts a stop to that rather quickly, and I'm roll-stepping for a while afterwards

[Silver, The Wolf]

I've tried walking digitigrade a few times. The marching band in me puts a stop to that rather quickly, and I'm roll-stepping for a while afterwards

I am in marching band as well so I definitely know that feeling.

[Takanuva]

I've tried walking digitigrade a few times. The marching band in me puts a stop to that rather quickly, and I'm roll-stepping for a while afterwards

I am in marching band as well so I definitely know that feeling.

Oh. That sucks. And those shoes wreck your feet too, leading to foot, ankle, and knee pain, and atrophied muscles like I said earlier in the thread. But you should try running digitigrade, it's so much fun.

[Kain (Asher) Eralf]

I kinda just stand/walk digitigrade whenever... though I've noticed myself doing it more often as time goes on. I often find myself standing digi-style when just standing in place, especially when waiting/readying for some burst of movement.
I don't really see myself doing it full-time, but it's a lot of fun  The digitigrade stance
fits my mode of movement better than plantigrade.