I've read before that striking the ball of the foot first is more natural without shoes, especially when running. I think the article was in context to ultra-marathon runners. Heel first was said to be an adjustment to shoes and can cause issues.
Edit: Can't find the original but this is similar. They say walking heel first is natural but you want a rolling gait, not a stomp like a lot of us do with shoes. That sounds like this article. They say running should be similar but with an even softer heel drop which is different to the other article that I remember, which I think looked at tribal south americans who didn't wear modern shoes.
"But (you might say) if you walk or run with no padding, it’s murder on your heels—which is precisely the point. Your heels hurt when you walk that way because you’re not supposed to walk that way. Wrapping your heels in padding so they don’t hurt is like stuffing a gag in someone’s mouth so they’ll stop screaming—you’re basically telling your heels to shut up."
Edit: Can't find the original but this is similar. They say walking heel first is natural but you want a rolling gait, not a stomp like a lot of us do with shoes. That sounds like this article. They say running should be similar but with an even softer heel drop which is different to the other article that I remember, which I think looked at tribal south americans who didn't wear modern shoes.
"But (you might say) if you walk or run with no padding, it’s murder on your heels—which is precisely the point. Your heels hurt when you walk that way because you’re not supposed to walk that way. Wrapping your heels in padding so they don’t hurt is like stuffing a gag in someone’s mouth so they’ll stop screaming—you’re basically telling your heels to shut up."
https://nymag.com/health/features/46213/