Foot force full presentation idea format

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©2012 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Foot Force Reaction: Strong take-offs, safe landings

Charlie Hoolihan, CSCS*D, CES, PES


Feet can be happy, helpful

and healthful


Or unhappy, unhealthy, and unhelpful


Humility First

“Where the human body is concerned, we are dealing with a system that is so complex with so many interrelated variables, we can do nothing but be humble in our beliefs and recommendations”

Chris Beardsley Strength and Conditioning Review, May 2012


Goals of this presentation• Increase awareness of foot GRF status

• Provide effective tools and tech for client awareness

• Help improve bottom up chain reaction response that may reduce injury.

• Note – this discussion is a bottom up frame of reference – it is recognized that function (and dysfunction) occurs from the top down as well

• What is your current foot awareness.

• Static position/walking

• Start rolling – M.E.L.T – Sue Hitzmann


Quick anatomy

• 24-26 bones – that have complex mechanics

• 33 joints – facilitating and supporting complex mechanics

• 20 muscles – 12 of which are lower leg muscles that have distal insertions into the foot and cross into the complex foot structures and proximal origins at the knee.

• 7000 plus nerves – some of which are major nerves that transmit messages from foot to spine and back

• 200,000 nerve endings in the sole of the foot.

• All reacting to 2 to 7 x individual body weight in three planes of motion.


Connected by numerous tendons and ligaments to provide the support for movement.


With an interlinking system of nerves to

provide proprioceptive

feedback to the rest of the

neuromuscular system with each

footstrike


Proprioceptive Reactive signals to the kinetic chain

• What does foot strike signal?

• Afferent and efferent proprioceptive signals have to at least make it to the spinal cord.


How can we improve this proprioceptive awareness

Monthly or bi-monthly foot-centric sessions.

Daily dynamic warm-up components.

• Provide effective tools and tech for client awareness

• Help improve bottom up chain reaction response that may reduce injury.

• Note – this discussion is a bottom up frame of reference – it is recognized that function (and dysfunction) occurs from the top down as well.

• Static awareness and walking awareness again.


Movement prep.

• Static assessment/walking

• Foot circles – re-assess

• Calf, Achilles myofacial release – Trigger point therapy – Cassidy Phillips

• Calf stretch

• Ankle squats – DL and SL

• Cats and dogs with arches – medial, lateral, mid.

• Hip mobilizers with foot awareness.


Step by step

• Segment by segment walking patterns.

Heels, H-Ball, HB-Toe, HBT-calf, HBTC-hamstring, HBTCH-Glute, small skips (notice acceleration and deceleration patterns), big bounding skips, glute walks.

• Running patterns – springs not brakes

• Napoleon Dynamite drill (calf running)

• Butt kicks

• Forward lean from foot springs

• Foot strike moves up the foot relative to speed.


Step by step

• Overt multi-planar patterning – do a progression.

• Lateral shuffles – foot stays in frontal plane

• Carioca – pivots w hips following feet or vice versa

• Side running


Complex connectivity and movement of all the parts


Miraculous and brilliant design to accommodate tri-plane motion stimulous


It’s all in how they’re taught or forced to behave.


Do the feet move symmetrically, or are there different forces acting on each foot.


Dorsiflexion, Plantarflexion, abduction, adduction and torque.


Heel strike initiates the chain and the Subtalor joint rocks and rolls mechanics


In walking, lateral heel strike initiatesthe process so bones and muscles can

react up the kinetic chain.


Pronation, Supination & Rotation


As the foot heads towards mid-stance, medial movement begins to initiate metatarsal stability at

mid-foot

So propulsive forces can be initiated through the big-toe catapult from dorsiflexion to plantarflexion


Biomechanical considerations

• Lack of foot mobility is a source of injury in lower extremity and beyond.

• Limited dorsiflexion is one of those sources.

• Locked in eversion – calves bailing early and bi-passing the butt, medial extensors and power

catapult .

• Torque chain reaction of winding and unwinding starts and ends

• Sprinters medial muscles – plantar flexors and medial knee extensors are stronger and thicker. Tendons of extensors are more compliant and thicker


Various running speeds moves these diagonal mechanics further up the foot to mid

or fore foot. (left foot below)


Muscle Heel Strike Mid-stance Heel off

Calf1. Concentric tibial external rotation.

1. Decelerates Dorsiflexion. 2.Decelerates tibial internal rotation.

1. Concentric plantarflexion and tibial external rotation.

Hamstrings

1. Decelerates hip flexion. 2.Stabilizes pelvis 3.Concentric knee external rot.

1.Decelerates hip adduction. 2. Decelerates knee and hip internal rotation

1. Concentric hip extension. 2. Knee external rotation

Gluteals

1. Decelerates hip flexion. 2.Stabilizes pelvis .

1. Decelerates hip adduction and internal rotation

1. Concentric hip extension. 2. Frontal plane control of pelvis. 3.Accelerates hip abduction

Adductors1. Decelerates femoral external rotation

1.Declerates femoral internal rotation and external rotation. "Stabilization"

1.Declerates femoral external rotation. 2.Helps to control frontal plane loading in

This process stimulates complex muscle activity


Linked systems working together in complex movement


And muscles are all linked systems

• Color of Text


Posterior accelerates Anterior Decelerates


Rotation and deep support. These groups, especially deep muscle groups, are most often under-trained;


A myriad of pathways to proper – afferent and efferent signalling


Foot placement initiates proper or improper chain reaction mechanics.

Supination or lateral foot dominance creates external rotation. Over-pronation or medial

dominance, internal rotation.


Loss of neutral foot cascades up the chain and eliminates movement and muscle activity.


Knee and foot alignment are critical to long term health.

Squats/lunges with proper alignment

develop strength and joint health. Squats

that are performed for pure strength may develop a need for

knee/hip replacements. Lunges and step-ups without alignment can create a host of joint issues.

• Color of Text


More issues up the chain

Wrong kind of torque


All this is bad news

But preventable with return to neutral foot.


We have to teach athletes and clients to initiate biomechanics with feet that react

diagonally down the whole foot.


Even when society influences otherwise.

Flat feet/overpronation are influenced by seated posture and vice versa.

Forward lean crashes into the arch.


Let’s not get started on high heels…But.


This knee and ankle are not collapsing into a massive explosion of tendons and ligaments because of foot awareness. The movement actually follows the rules of foot force chain reaction.


We create foot awareness with training to undo

years of improper biomechanics with –

• Tissue release

• Stretching – post exercise dorsiflexion

• Corrective and Reactive exercise

• Kinesthetic awareness drills

• Stabilizing and strengthening exercises

• Foot proprioception – use those 200,000 nerve endings.


Tissue release – fascia

• Foot rolls – bouncy ball/yamuna foot wakers

• Calf and ankle rolls

Stretching

• Plantar and Dorsiflexion – most feet do not achieve optimal ROMs in either.

• Calf stretch, heel drops and plantar stretching.

• Frontal plane mobility

Corrective Dynamic warm-up exercise

• Foot circles & internal/external rotators of the whole leg.

• Bands for plantar/dorsiflexion and abduction/adduction.

• Series of lunges that mimic the forces driving the foot.


Kinesthetic awareness drills

• Movement prep with isolated foot movements all in neutral – shin, Achilles and plantar fasica therapy

• Heel walk, heel-foot walk, heel-foot-toe walk

• Heel-foot-toe-calf walk, toe-calf walk. Skips.

• Frontal plane and transverse plane motions

• Slow deliberate movements to gain kinesthetic feel for the medial to lateral movement of each foot.

Stabilizing and strengthening

• Springs, and spring strides.

• Eccentric loading with strength and light plyo

• TRX or suspension jumps


. Proprioception training: how does

foot affect other muscles and vice versa

• Single leg exercises w awareness of neutral foot squat, deadlift, frontal plane taps.

• Single leg exercises with external demand w foot awareness.

• Single arm oblique movements on single leg

• Waist tether movements

• Frontal plane movements w stabilization.

Balance exercises – stress react and return to neutral feet Stress this especially on unstable surfaces like Bosu, wobble board or airex.

Barefoot/Natural/Pose/Chi running style


Natural running on front of foot


Learn to take advantage of gravity, eccentric loading’s,elasticity, energy

storage and release


At any speed

Sprinters and the best endurance runners are mid to forefoot strikers.But its because they’re

fast!Comfortable fast running


Different speeds, similar strides


Barefoot running


In theory and research it is good

But there are too many variables – Research example on right is a child used to running barefoot who put on shoes not vice versa.Lot of promising early research but more advocates than academics at this point.


Depends on the surface.


Depends on the foot alignment and force reactions


Depends on the foot

• Age – as we get older, restrictions increase shod or unshod. Mostly because of sedentary society.

• Size. Kenyans and Tarahumara Indians 5-3/130 lbs

• Foot mechanics and previous injury history.

• Occupation and environment.

• Any others?

•


Practical guidelines

• Most everyone should do some barefoot training on soft surfaces because it does help increase proprioception and increase foot strength.

• Sand running – shod and unshod – torque awareness

• Individual biomechanics and history of injury dictate the goal amount.

• It should be periodized w 10% per week rule.

• And limited or reduced with any early warning signals

• It can reduce and produce injury.

•


Jumping


Aligned Athletic Landings


Use the foot to stimulate the the whole body to absorb force of landing


Appropriate training goals and techniques

• What are the goals of the jumps

• Fitness – do it right – there are no risks/all rewards

• Athletes have risks for reward but land in sand pit or soft surface. Once! And have daily/weekly jump counts.


Jump landing training

• Take off is concentric strength which is good.

• Landing is eccentric loading which can be good if decelerated properly. Bad if decelerated improperly

• Feet help alert the rest of the body to decelerate.

• Train the Pre activation potentiation with soft landing and quiet drills

• Progressive heights w key check points for joint alignment.


Not a science but its out there


The end is the beginning


Primary resources

• Gray Institute Functional video digest

• Foot, Foot FMR, Calf, Walking, Running, jumping

• Pose Running – Nicholas Romanov.

• Anthony Carey/Justin Price/Egoscue method

• Triggerpoint Therapy – Cassidy Phillips

• M.E.L.T. – Sue Hitzmann

• Strength and Conditioning reviews – Bret Conteras/Chris Beardsly

• Track and Field observations - Olympics

• Slideshare.com

Health & Medicine

Foot force full presentation idea format