When playing a sport, the muscles in your hips and thighs create a force that rapidly transfers down your legs to your feet and toes. Great athletes are separated from average athletes by the ability to take forces generated in their hips and legs and quickly and efficiently transfer them through their feet and toes into the surface beneath them. This allows them to jump higher, run faster and change directions quicker. This newsletter will discuss several research studies that point to the powerful connection between strong toes and athletic performance; as well as, the importance of strengthening our feet to reduce injury while running and playing sports.
AGILITY: Researchers measured toe strength in 25 athletes and then evaluated agility by timing them as they ran around cones in an obstacle course. The most agile athletes also had the strongest toes. In another study, highly-trained athletes were divided into a foot strengthening group and a control group who did not perform the strengthening exercises. The athletes who completed the foot strengthening exercises showed substantial progress in their ability to make rapid lateral cutting movements. This boost in agility could greatly improve performance on the field.
JUMPING: A study showed that performing 200 reps of toe flexion exercises, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks significantly improved vertical jump height, 1-legged long jump distance and 50-meter sprint times. When you consider the foot contains 4 layers of muscles that work to transfer energy into the ground during running and jumping, it only makes sense to strengthen foot muscles to improve both jump height and distance.
INJURY PREVENTION: 118 runners were divided into two groups. One group performed foot and ankle strengthening exercises for 8 weeks and the other group did not perform the conditioning exercises. Both groups maintained their usual running routine for 12 months. At the end of the year, the group of runners who did not do any foot strengthening was 2.42 times more likely to have a running related injury. This should motivate all runners to complete some simple conditioning exercises to prevent injury.
LOW ARCHES: Long distance runners were divided into two groups: those with normal arches and those with flat feet. Both groups were given the same foot and ankle strengthening exercises to do daily for 6 weeks. Both groups showed improvement in strength; however, those with low-arches had greater improvements in running performance, specifically sprint performance. This research also explains why flat-footed people with weak arches are significantly more likely to be injured compared to people with a normal arch. Therefore, if you are more flat-footed, an ankle and foot strengthening program can help prevent injury and improve your sprinting!
Now that we are all convinced to add foot strengthening to our exercise routine, what should we be doing? Some of you have probably tried exercises like scrunching up a towel or picking up marbles with your toes. Unfortunately, these exercises really don’t improve the force output from your toes and therefore don’t improve jumping or sprinting ability. toe strength. The best way to strengthen your toes is to start the exercise with your toes in a lengthened or stretched position. At our clinic, we use the Toe Pro foot strengthening system to develop toe strength. This aids patients with plantar fasciitis and a variety of painful foot conditions. It also helps patients looking to improve athletic performance or reduce fall risk.
Targeting the muscles in your feet and toes can produce significant improvements in athletic performance by increasing vertical and horizontal jump distances and improving sprint times and overall agility. Adding some simple foot strengthening exercises is also important for all runners to avoid injuries. Train your feet to boost your game!
References:
Michaud, Tom. The Advanced ToePro Workout to Improve Strength, Speed and Agility. HumanLocomotion.com.
Michaud, Tom. Strengthening Your Feet Reduces Injury Risk and Enhances Athletic Performance. HumanLocomotion.com
