March/April 2020 - 28

Perfect Form
Photo 5: Elevated Heels
Photo 6: Dorsiflexion Test
Photo 7: Tripod Foot
Photo 8: Foot Stability
Assessment
Photo 9: Split Squat Front
Photo 10: Split Squat Side
A major issue I see in many
athletes is a lack of dorsiflexion. Not
being able to dorsiflex can lead to the
very common technique flaw of the
heels coming off the ground during
the squat (photo 5). This can arise
from a myriad of issues including
previous ankle injuries, constant use
of braces, or wearing shoes with
an elevated heel, which forces the
foot into continuous plantarflexion.
However, this could also be due to
the athlete simply not knowing how
to squat properly, so determining
ankle dorsiflexion range of motion
is crucial. A quick test to assess
dorsiflexion ability is to have the
athlete kneel next to a wall with
shoes off. Start with their toes next
to the wall and instruct them to touch
the knee to the wall while keeping
their heel on the ground. Have them
continue to move back until they can
no longer touch their knee to the wall
while maintaining ground contact
with their heel (photo 6).
However, improving mobility
without also improving stability can
also lead to issues. The big-toe/foot/
ankle complex must be mobile, but
it also must be stable and strong.
Cal Dietz and Chris Korfist offer
a fantastic course on training and
strengthen the feet on CoachTube
(see references), from which I
gathered a lot of this information.
Ensuring a strong, stable foot not
only improves safety, but it will also
improve performance, as there are
less energy leaks with a stable foot.
Most of us are familiar with the
tripod-foot (photo 7) coaching cue;
however, many athletes cannot truly
feel this with the cushion-filled shoes
that most of them wear. In order to
test and have them feel how a stable
and strong tripod foot should feet,
have them balance on one leg and
26 | Training & Conditioning | March/April 2020
raise the toes off the ground. This
will force the athlete to utilize the
tripod foot, and it can quickly be
seen if there are any stability issues
(photo 8). Of course, we do not want
to squat with toes up, as engaging
the big toe into the ground will
help induce more gluteus maximus
engagement on the concentric
portion of the squat, but this is a
great assessment to notice balance
issues. I have found that athletes who
squat well bilaterally, suddenly fall
apart stability-wise when placed in
a split-squat position, so an athlete's
stability in this position should be
assessed as well (photos 9 & 10).
Another issue that I see all the
time is excessive pronation during
the squat, where the athlete cannot
maintain the arch of the foot and
there is an inward collapse of the
foot. This again often comes back
to the lack of a strong foot and can

March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2020

March/April 2020 - 1
March/April 2020 - 2
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March/April 2020 - 46
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2024-purchasing-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/2023-video-playbook
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/tc-april-may
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/training-conditioning-video-playbook-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/june-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/march-april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/october-november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/august-september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/Training-and-Conditioning/may-june-2019
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