When our weight is accurately committed, soon after making heel contact to slow both forward and lateral momentum, our weight will pressure the small foot bones located just in front of the talus (the navicular, and the 3 cunieforms). Getting weight into these bones activates the deep and powerful muscles that run diagonally on the central part of the bottom of the foot (flexor hallucis brevis and adductor hallucis). When fully activated, their tensing creates the skeletal solidity needed to support us as we are moving over this central part of the foot - a part that has no ground contact underneath; their tensing also lifts the second and third metatarsals a little bit, creating a little 'speed bump' that further slows lateral momentum and steers us back to the strong, medial side of the foot. Our habitual ways of mis-committing weight, however, has resulted in these muscles being drastically under-used.
