"It All Begins With Your Feet" - facts, exercises and information on how dancers and skaters can better their performance through awareness

I originally wrote this series of 4 articles on feet and ankles in October of 2008 for Susan Chun’s “LifeSkate” E-zine. Although much research and many new findings have developed since then, I still feel they are completely relevant for todays dancers and athletes. People are still using devices to get a better "point" and forcing their bodies to do things they are not ready for, thus creating an environment ripe for injury. Understanding HOW your body works, and working WITH it, is always the better way.

This first article "Taking Time for your Feet" is an excerpt from my first book "Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters" and deals with myofascia - an extremely important but often overlooked part of biomechanical functionality.

Taking time for your feet

by Annette T. Thomas

While dancers have long had a "love-hate" relationship with their feet, more often than not, skaters seem to neglect them. And yet, as dancers and athletes, our feet are the foundation of all that we do. In this article, I hope to not only raise awareness of how strong, healthy feet are vital to you as a skater; but also to help you love your feet!

A few "feet facts":

• Much of accurate proprioception comes from sensitivity in the soles of the feet. If your feet have not been included as an essential part of your training they will not send accurate information to your nervous system. This inaccurate information can cause problems in every area of your skating as balance, timing and artistic sensitivity require that the entire body be fully attuned to every nuance of movement through time and space.
• The muscles, ligaments and tendons in the feet are connected through the ankle to the lower leg. Having strong articulation in the toes and feet will greatly improve balance, jump technique and even pointing your foot accurately (toes straight and not pointing down toward the ice!).
• Even though the feet are "locked" into the skating boot, the surface quality of the ice should still be "felt" through the floor of the boot. If your feet have been neglected they will lack the sensitivity to feel the ice. This in turn directly affects edge quality and as well as whole body line.
• A thin, sensitive membrane that covers all skeletal muscles called "Myofascia" connects at the bottom of the feet and continues in one "sheet" all the way up the legs, back and neck right to the top of the eye sockets. The condition of this Myofascia can determine whether your feet, legs, lower back and neck feel "stiff" or tense, your ability to breathe deeply; and even if you have a headache. (from Thomas W. Meyers Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists (Elsevier Science, 2001) p.65)
• Holistically, the condition of your feet has much to do with the condition of your entire body. It has long been known that acupressure points in the feet lead to every organ in the body. As Eastern medicine gains recognition in the West, these concepts will increasingly become an integral part of sports medicine and injury prevention techniques.

Before and After Skating "Treatment"

Here is a quick and easy self massage foot treatment which will really do wonders for your entire body. It will help increase circulation, loosen up your calves and hamstrings, as well as enhance overall body sensitivity. Make this the last thing you do before you put your skates on and the first thing after taking them off.

Step #1: Take bare foot in one hand and with the other rub knuckles firmly into the plantar fascia from the ball of the foot to the heel. Do this for at least a half a minute.

Step #2: Flex foot and firmly stretch all the toes back.

Step #3: Crunch toes forward.

Step #4: Spread toes out as wide as you can.

Step #5: Firmly squeeze sides of foot inward toward the center. Hold in this position for five slow counts and release.

* Repeat steps 2-5 and then work other foot.

In conclusion, these self massages will raise mind-body connection awareness, increase blood flow to the entire body and release the Back Line (which is the stiffest line of the body) for better, safer jumps and higher extensions. I call it "the warm-up before the warm -up". For a skater, everything begins with conscious connection to the blade on the ice, so actively including your feet as an integral part of your training program is essential to becoming the best skater you can be. For dancers, these exercises, and other related ones which are in my book, eliminate the need for external foot articulation "devices" which can cause injury as you are forcing the foot without understanding how the foot works. Knowing how your body works is the very best and smartest way to up your game; your feet (and the rest of you too) will thank you!

Article and photos are copyright (c) 2008 -2022 by Annette T. Thomas and Prime Radiant Press LLC. This material may not be copied or distributed without the prior consent of Annette T. Thomas.

For more information on teaching resources, books and my video, please visit: https://www.balletforfigureskaters.com/books

Up Next: "Feet and ankles: Keys to releasing flow of movement" - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/feet-ankles-keys-releasing-flow-movement-annette-thomas-thomas/