Rolling, or soft tissue mobilization of the lower leg is important to assess muscle soreness, find any trouble spots, increase circulation, and provide some fascial work. My preferred tools for rolling the lower leg are a stick and a golf ball.
The stick allows you to fine-tune your movements and enhance blood flow. A good way to start is rolling the outer part of the lower leg, then the middle and the inside for 10 long steady strokes. This only takes about 1 to 2 minutes and should be done on a daily basis as part of your normal warm-up or mobility routine.
The bottom of the foot which has many muscles and tendons that need to be rolled as well. A golf ball is a good tool for doing this and can be done standing up and applying a little bit of pressure. Start by rolling the medial side of the foot, along the arch. Then do the same with the middle of the foot and along the outside edge. Do not be too aggressive in the beginning. In time, as it begins to loosen up the start to feel better. If you have a lot of fascial adhesions on the bottom of the foot, it will feel a bit gritty or like rolling on the sand. Consistency is important. Daily rolling of 30 seconds on each foot will yield results over time.
Rolling the feet and lower leg is a great complement to the Toe Pro exercises and calf isometrics.
The videos in the next few lessons will outline and demonstrate the rolling techniques.
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson 6:
Soft Tissue Work
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Training The Foot and Ankle is a culmination of several years of research, training and implementation. As an athlete and strength coach, I have combined all that I have learned into a comprehensive program that is designed to reduce injuries and improve performance. Foot and Ankle Training is almost non existant in strength and conditioning programs, and is often not addressed until after an i...
