In previous posts I talked about how the placement of your ankle matters, and how you want your heel to point in a diagonal towards your back, rather than straight down, without offering much guidance on how to achieve that. Today I start to address this issue with a simple, very funny image.
To start with, let’s remind ourselves of a bit of anatomy and how we want thigs to be. If you want words, go re-read this post, and if a picture is enough, here is what the situation looks like:
An image I love to work with to remind my heel to stay back, is to think that I have a chameleon’s foot. Those feet have two groups of fingers pointing in opposite direction, to grasp branches (or fingers). I imagine that my toes are one of theses two groups and my heel is the other group, and that prior to contacting the floor, I open my foot to make space for the very very wide branch that is the earth, and as I take my foot off the floor, I imagine my foot closing and thus propelling me forward.
Chameleon picture by Rickjpelleg
This is a very simple image and a short post, but it’s helped me a lot! Go for a walk, and have fun with your chameleon feet, notice any change in feeling in your walk, and get new, more optimal feet in the process!
Continue reading: Foot Posture And Alignment, Imagery For Ankle Mobility, Stop Knee Pain With Hip Strength.
Want more like this?
Check out the following blogs from massage therapists I know from around London:- On The Run Health and Fitness on running, nutrition and sports massage.
- The Soma Room on sports massage and exercise.
