The art of moving silently is a skill necessary for a variety of different individuals. It can be useful for avid hunters, martial artists, class clowns, peaceful walkers, and for those who want to learn how to be more stealthy in general. If you’ve tried to walk silently before, you will have noticed that even with the slowest of movement, you still produced noise due to loud footwear; or simply just have a shoddy walking technique. Well, if you haven’t heard of it before, now you have… the best way to walk silently is through a technique called fox walking.
Table of Contents
What Is Fox Walking?
Fox walking is a technique used to walk silently, and is most commonly utilized when walking in the wilderness. The technique is usually done with no footwear, and if mastered, will reduce your chances of being heard entirely.
How Do I Fox Walk?
To learn how to fox walk you must first get used to wearing no footwear. It’s painful I know, but once you have got used to hardening your feet and feeling the ground beneath your toes, you will not only just enjoy walking more, but also minimize the noise produced from walking all together.
The Technique
You must first place the outside ball of your foot on the ground with the front part of your foot and the toes hitting the ground first. After, you then start rolling your foot towards the inside before slowly lowering your heel until it hits the floor. Then simply repeat with your other foot whilst surveying the area for objects that may either damage your foot or create a loud noise.
The reason as to why you must go barefoot is to stop any noise being produced from wearing shoes. It also gives you the optimum balance and feel of the ground.
Using the fox walking technique may feel a little painful on your feet at first because you’re not used to walking like that, but as you do it more often, it will become more natural until you have mastered it. Once you have mastered the technique you will be able to move more silently without even being noticed.
Benefits Of Fox Walking
- Silent Walking
- Increases Your Focus
- Heightens Your Senses
- Hardens Your Feet
- Decreases Back Pain
- Fresh Air Is Good For The Mind
History Of The Fox Walk
Fox walking is the primitive way of walking and was practiced for thousands of years before people even had shoes because shoes weren’t even a thing. Without even realizing, our prehistoric ancestors had hardened feet and had to walk on all kinds of hard surfaces so fox walking was second nature to them. They would use this movement to hunt and escape from dangerous animals, catch their prey, and also travel to other cities hundreds of miles away!
The reason as to why many of you may already be able to fox walk without practice is due to the fact that it’s instinctive. In the past, you may have been forced to walk on hard spiky surfaces such as rocks, and instinctively minimized the damage taken on your feet by fox walking because our sense of pain forces you to do so.
Can You Fox Walk With Shoes On?
Yes, of course you can. Fox walking even with shoes on will greatly reduce the noise produced when walking. The only problem with fox walking in shoes is that the technique won’t be as efficient as walking barefoot.
What Else To Consider
Consider What Else You’re Wearing
Make sure to consider what else you’re wearing when attempting to walk silently. If you’re a fan of wearing jewelry, you have to remember that those bracelets, necklaces, and chains may create noise with a sudden movement of the body, and therefore would make the whole point of fox walking pointless. Also, make sure to put your phone on silent to avoid startling animals and other human beings when fox walking.
Check Your Surroundings
If you’ve taken fox walking upon you because you’re an avid hunter, you need to make sure that you check your surroundings at all times, and the same goes if you simply don’t want to get spotted out and about.
Before stepping foot, you must check for any loose branches, pinecones, water and just about anything on the floor that will produce noise if you step on it. Once you have analyzed the area you are going to walk in, you can take a quieter route and minimize the sound produced.
Practice Calm Breathing
If you’re fox walking with the aim of being able to move silently you must also consider other important factors such as mastering your breathing. Breathing through your nose for one is much quieter than through your mouth, so as a first step you must get used to inhaling through your nose. Once you have inhaled through your nose, you must fill your lungs with oxygen and slowly exhale through pursed lips. Being able to breathe calmly will relax you and allow you to walk even quieter without being spotted.
