Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Importance of Dorsiflexion


The least trained movement in most programs is dorsiflexion. Simply pulling your toes towards your shins. Dorsiflexion plays a huge role in sprint mechanics as it gets you ready for ground contact. It places the weakest joint in the leg, the ankle, in the most stable position. It places the gastroc/soleus complex under stretch so that allows more speed and power upon ground contact. It also places the fascial linkages in the posterior chain under stretch. This will pull the leg back under the hips quicker during the flight phase, which minimizes breaking forces. Minimizing breaking forces means you spend less time on the ground, which means faster sprint speeds! So don't neglect dorsiflexion.

No comments: