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A couple of weeks ago I was at the pub with friends and the woman that was with my friend was so please to note that I was standing in the same manner that she does (basically 3rd position in ballet - one foot placed in front of the other with the heel of the front foot near the arch of the other). Whether it is relevant I'm not sure, but I've studied dance and she happens to be a hip-hop dance teacher. I find it's a very comfortable and stable position to stand in such as if I'm in a queue at a supermarket, for instance. It feels particularly suited to heels.

Do you have any particular ways of standing? Does it depend what you are wearing, or perhaps what shoes you are wearing?

I also noted the position of your feet in some pictures.

When I stay in line, I have my feet slightly outwards. Maybe 5 to 10 degrees from the center line. If I have to be stationary for some time, I might start alternating my weight between my feet. I don't think I change my ways with different shoes.

After I broke my leg in fifth grade and spent a long time in traction and then a cast, my right foot turns out about 20°, unless, for some reason, I try to hold it straight, which is a slight strain.

One great corrector of feet alignment is a pair of cross country skis. With those on, your 6-foot feet tell you pretty quickly where they're pointing !

Tom

This topic is a bit of a coincidence because yesterday a friend commented on my gait.  I was walking up a slight hill in very heavy hiking boots and he commented that I seemed to be putting my feet down flat instead of toe-heel.  I haven't looked into this any further, but it seems probable that the boots were making me walk differently from normal.

Kirbstone wrote:One great corrector of feet alignment is a pair of cross country skis. With those on, your 6-foot feet tell you pretty quickly where they're pointing !

That makes sense. It's probably why I get an achy right hip after skiing awhile.

pelmut wrote:This topic is a bit of a coincidence because yesterday a friend commented on my gait.  I was walking up a slight hill in very heavy hiking boots and he commented that I seemed to be putting my feet down flat instead of toe-heel.  I haven't looked into this any further, but it seems probable that the boots were making me walk differently from normal.

Don't worry, I do the same. It all depends on the rate of the slope. When it is sloping slightly, I walk quite normal heel-toe. When it gets steeper, I put my feet just flat on the ground. When it gets too steep to do bend my ankle that far, I just go on my toes only. If the slope is soft like sand or dirt, I go even sideways. When I have to walk in soft sand like on a beach, I walk like a camel: shorter steps and with my feet flat. It is less tiring on the ankles that way.

I tend to man-spread, to compensate for being a little topheavy. Knees slightly past the hips, toes slightly pointed outward for greater stability. Much the same for walking downstairs.

Interestingly, though, when I walk on level ground I find that I use the "model catwalk" technique, placing each foot directly in front of the other more or less at my body center. My chiropractor said that's good for my spine, or something, so I make a conscious effort not to waddle when I walk.

Ralph wrote:interestingly, though, when I walk on level ground I find that I use the "model catwalk" technique, placing each foot directly in front of the other more or less at my body center. My chiropractor said that's good for my spine, or something, so I make a conscious effort not to waddle when I walk.

Oh nice, I wasn't aware of that. I think I've always had that tendency, even as a kid. I used to walk along the kerb, or painted lines. Even now I find myself walking along the lines of the paving slabs out of habit. It's a sort of compultion, I don't choose it.

I'm a "senior millennial".... we don't stand, we lean.

My knee was crushed in an accident nearly 40 years ago so I usually stand on the other leg. I hike in the desert and when looking at my tracks they look like a penguin's prints. I tend to walk without bending my knees very much and kind of rock from one foot to the other with my feet pointing outward. I am considering knee replacements. Several women have told me I have nice legs. I was traveling with my family several years ago and went in to a restaurant to buy some coffee and a waitress was staring at my legs and told me "you sure have nice legs." I was wearing shorts. That was before I began to wear skirts. I am sure I blushed.

SkirtsDad wrote:A couple of weeks ago I was at the pub with friends and the woman that was with my friend was so please to note that I was standing in the same manner that she does (basically 3rd position in ballet - one foot placed in front of the other with the heel of the front foot near the arch of the other). Whether it is relevant I'm not sure, but I've studied dance and she happens to be a hip-hop dance teacher. I find it's a very comfortable and stable position to stand in such as if I'm in a queue at a supermarket, for instance. It feels particularly suited to heels.

Do you have any particular ways of standing? Does it depend what you are wearing, or perhaps what shoes you are wearing?

Having taken ballet and modern decades ago, I still find myself standing in third, or fifth (nearly), because it seems so right when attuned to the feeling of being skirted and free. I think the beauty of those moments becomes indelible in one's soul. Otherwise, I am just standing like any other dude.

I try to keep mine on the ground,
Steve.

That reminds me of some advice given by a choir conductor: "Put your feet on the floor before you stand up to sing"!

We knew what he meant, and it made perfect sense. Honestly!

SkirtsDad wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2019 1:15 am A couple of weeks ago I was at the pub with friends and the woman that was with my friend was so please to note that I was standing in the same manner that she does (basically 3rd position in ballet - one foot placed in front of the other with the heel of the front foot near the arch of the other). Whether it is relevant I'm not sure, but I've studied dance and she happens to be a hip-hop dance teacher. I find it's a very comfortable and stable position to stand in such as if I'm in a queue at a supermarket, for instance. It feels particularly suited to heels.

Do you have any particular ways of standing? Does it depend what you are wearing, or perhaps what shoes you are wearing?

Dang, now I am going to have to think.

Yes, it definitely depends on what I am wearing and what shoes I am wearing. In skirts my legs and feet are almost always closer together than they were when I wore pants. This is partly, I think, because all our elevators have full length mirrors in them, and I use the moment to look like what I like to see: feet parallel and not splayed, and legs close if not together. Partly too is the fact that it is just more comfortable to do that in a skirt than in trousers, so that way of standing has simply entered my repertoire.

I have been conscious of doing "runway" walk a lot more now that I often wear heels. Heels just look very awkward when walking like a duck or Festus, and feel less stable as well. My standing posture at exit lines and such is probably halfway between first and third ballet positions, and the separation between my feet probably gets wider the lower my heels are.