Going Down the Slide

As we move forward of the talus, we are at a crucial juncture. Our falling straight down has enabled us to use heel contact to slow forward momentum and to direct us to the strong, medial edge of the foot. But we are now about to head down hill toward the tips of the toes. We will pick up speed on this descent. To regulate this speed optimally, we need to allow our body mass to fall squarely into the ball of the big toe. This will make our deepest foot and lower leg muscles do the job for which they were designed, minimizing the need to over-tense large leg, pelvic, torso and neck muscles. But because falling straight down is contrary to our habit, allowing the ball of the big toe to bear our weight is difficult to do. Our under-used plantar muscles are weak and will resist our weight. But we must persist in committing our weight straight down, thereby insisting that these muscles do their job.

We then make initial heel contact with the other foot, and the cycle renews.

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