So Mike and Glenn, what do you do with people who have excessive plantar flexion/too little dorsiflexion? Which drills and cues do you use?
I really just make them aware of it by telling them they have foot flop, running toey, etc.
Also, perhaps more importantly, how do you determine if the answer is more therapeutic in nature (ie improve ROM, ankle mobility, soft tissue qualities, etc.), more structural (heel walks, other dorsiflexion strengthening exercises), or technical/neurological (drills, drills, drills)?
I’ve never found the issue to be this complex. In every bad case I’ve ever seen (which involved active plantar flexion) the athlete had a history in gymnastics and had actually been coached TO run like that…basically taught against what they probably would do naturally. While some athletes outside of gymnasts have slight issues it’s again just an issue of making them aware of it and it usually corrects within a session or two.
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