 The Vibram FiveFingers has separate slots for each toe and no cushioning.Traditional racing flats are fairly minimal; offering good ground feel and control.Conversely, the Nike Free line of footwear, designed as a 5, features a segmented sole which provides greater flexibility while still having an amount of cushioning, Saucony introduced the Kinvara line of shoes which feature a dropped sole, which halves the thickness of the sole and removes much of the heel cushioning, to encourage more of a midfoot strike for the foot.