When your foot bends to take a step in a new shoe, your heels should slip slightly. 1/8” movement is normal but can feel like much more. Loose slipping in the heels will not cause blisters when broken in gradually, but wearing shoes that are too small and tight will cause friction and then blister.
Heel slip does not always mean that the shoe is too big. It may mean that you have a flexible foot.
Heel slip can not only hinder performance in the gym but can also cause blisters which is less than ideal for long-term performance and comfort.
So, heel slipping is not always a bad thing. Therefore, having a heel slip between ⅛ to ⅓ of an inch is normal. These loose shoe slip on heels will not cause any blisters or serious problems, unlike the tight ones that may become uncomfortable because of friction in the long run.
They shouldn't be so tight that you can't feel your toes, but they also shouldn't be so loose that they're falling off. To find your perfect fit with slip-on shoes, you need to measure your foot size. You should get your feet measured regularly, as your feet can change in size over time and impact your shoe size.
As we all know, if you wear a shoe that is too tight it will hurt your feet and lead to foot ailments, such as blisters, bunions and calluses. But wearing a shoe that is too big will cause us to walk in an unnatural and dysfunctional way. This can lead to serious foot problems.
#1 How should heels fit? Heels should always fit tightly around your ankle, offering as much hold and support as possible. If they're too big here, your foot will shift up and down, causing blisters but also leaving you at risk of hurting your ankle. You want your heel to move as little as possible when you walk.
A drop of 12mm would mean that the heel sits 12mm higher off the ground than the forefoot. The importance of the HT drop value is that it's thought that the lower it is, the easier it will be to land on your midfoot or forefoot while running.
If your feet slide back and forth while you walk, the shoes are too big in length and you may consider going down a half or full size. However, if your feet are sliding side to side, the shoes are too wide for you.
Heel slippage: A shoe that fits well in the mid- and forefoot but allows heel slippage or lift may be improved with a supportive, mid- to high-volume insole. This reduces excess volume in the rear of the shoe and stabilizes the heel of the foot, minimizing the heel slip that can cause hot spots and blisters.
Shoes that are on the tighter side are likely to rub, and since this friction can cause blisters, it's best to have a bit of wiggle room. The ball of your foot should fit comfortably in the widest part of the shoe, and at the heel make sure that you have some room for slight heel slippage.
A high heel-toe drop (over 7 mm) is best for runners who land heel first, have issues with their Achilles tendon, or who often wear shoes with an elevated heel. A low heel-toe drop (from 0 to 6 mm) is best for runners who land on the middle or front of the foot.
Heel-to-toe drop can be important if you have a history of injury to certain sites or some key bodily characteristics. In general, a shoe with a higher drop will be easier on the lower leg—foot, ankle, Achilles, calf—while directing more stress to the knees and hips.
There's always going to be that tiny bit of heel lift when you're doing hard toe side turns due to the cushioning of your boot compressing under pressure. As long as there isn't any heel lift in other situations and the heel lift that you're getting is barely noticeable, you're in good shape.
Generally speaking, there are two types of heel slip: 1. The shoes are simply too big and your heel falls right out of them and, 2. The shoes fit but the heel counter is stiff, the new leather is slippery, both causing a bit of movement on your heels but you are not really falling out of the shoes.
Sky High Stilettos
High stilettos tend to wiggle, which results in those painful ankle snapping moments. Any heels that are higher than 10cm/ 4'' will make your weight shift into your toes. These type of sky high heels can be extremely painful and also makes walking in them very difficult.
This is the geometry at which your foot is designed to hit the ground, but the feeling is extremely flat for most runners until your body adjust to it. 4-MM: This will feel very flat to most runners, and caters heavily to midfoot strikers.
An 8 mm offset is the perfect middle ground
There's a reason why most shoe brands produce running shoes with an 8 – 10 mm heel-to-toe offset. Even Saucony, the maker of the 4 mm drop shoe (aka the Kinvara), focuses on running shoes with a higher heel-to-toe offset.
Low heels are typically 1-2 inches, or 2.5-5cm. In low heels, the heel is short enough that the balls of your feet shouldn't be left aching, even if you're on your feet all day. High heels are generally 3-4 inches, or 7.5-10cm.
For better comfort, a lot of female celebrities pick their heels half to one size up for public events so that there will be more space for the toes and the ball of the foot to avoid blistering. If heels fit too big on you or your feet slip when you first put them on, stuff some cotton at the toe cap or use inserts.