How Well Do You Know Your Feet?
Written by Sage Burgener
The Olympic lifts are not only physically challenging, they often leave us feeling mentally inept. The struggle is REAL when we’re required to think about the 456 things that need to happen (all within a 2-second time span) in order to have a successful lift.
If I find my athletes starting to overthink things, I like to take it back to the basics. The basic fundamentals of this sport are STANCE, GRIP, and POSITION – the MOST important being the stance.
Our stance is not only about our foot placement in the jump and the land; it’s also about how our feet FEEL against the ground when we pull, when we jump, and when we land. If we can connect with our feet, we can connect with the ground and use it as our SOURCE OF ENERGY AND POWER! Isn’t that cool?!
Here are some questions you can ask yourself about your feet:
#1. When was the last time you clipped your toenails? 1 week ago (RIGHT)? 4 weeks ago (WRONG)?
#2. When you’re pulling off the floor, are you gripping the floor with your big toe, pinky toe and heel equally (RIGHT)? OR is the majority of your weight on the outside of your foot because you are EXCESSIVELY driving your knees out (WRONG)?
#3. When the bar starts to pass your knees and gets higher on your leg and you’re getting ready to jump, is your weight centered and balanced on your mid foot (RIGHT)? Or do you have your weight too far back on your heels in an attempt to keep that weight from pulling you forward (which then causes you to rock too far forward on your toes when you go to actually drive against the ground) (WRONG)?
#4. When you pull and punch your body under the bar, do you land with a solid base, feeling balanced and strong through your feet (RIGHT)? Or do you land with your ankles caved in, and/or weight on the toes (WRONG)?
If the questions you asked yourself all resulted in the wrong answer, don’t worry, you’re still a good person and there is still hope for you in this sport. But take the time now to fix your STANCE!
Stay connected with how your feet feel during every part of the lift, and you’ll have a way easier time of feeling connected to the barbell, and staying connected to your movement.
Bada- Bing, Bada- Boom.
Sassy Sage, out!
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