inside edge

[fascination]

my feet just do not like to stay on the inside edge...I know some of the strategies, but probably not all of them so I thought I might collect some helpful hints here...anyone?

[Chris Stratton]

Walk around toe-to-toe on the inside edge of the ball of foot?

[fascination]

particularly as pertains to latin

[fascination]

Walk around toe-to-toe on the inside edge of the ball of foot?
:Dworth a try

[liz]

I could be wronge about this! But, aren't you only to use the inside edge during compressing actions, not during traveling? Was told to go on compete ball when traveling. I was trying to use the inside edge all the time....
Can someone else let me know if this is correct? I think this is a common misunderstanding and one you maybe having,fascination..

[Larinda McRaven]

Generally you keep the weight to the inside edge of the foot because (or so that) the energy of the body is funneled into a smaller space and can be directed more efficiently into the directions you intend to move into. Keeping the adductor muscles activated will help.

Sit on a chair with feet flat and slightly spaced apart. Think of Suzanne Sommers and her Thigh-Master. Give a very subtle squeeze to your thighs inwards and just quietly listen to the feeling that produces in the bottom soles of the feet. They gently shift inwards too. Just being aware of this feeling of bringing the energy to a center line in the body will help LOTS of things.

[madmaximus]

my feet just do not like to stay on the inside edge...I know some of the strategies, but probably not all of them so I thought I might collect some helpful hints here...anyone?

[As an exercise] think of knocking your knees together (without visibly knocking them together), instead of trying to walk purposely on the inside edge of the foot (it should feel like the adductors are really active).

i.e., stand with your feet about 6 in apart and try to make your knees meet---notice that just a very slight effort is needed for the weight to shift into the inside edge.

[N.B. Please, do not attempt/not recommended for those with bow legs, or other problematic knee/leg issues]






m

[liz]

Generally you keep the weight to the inside edge of the foot because (or so that) the energy of the body is funneled into a smaller space and can be directed more efficiently into the directions you intend to move into. Keeping the adductor muscles activated will help.

Sit on a chair with feet flat and slightly spaced apart. Think of Suzanne Sommers and her Thigh-Master. Give a very subtle squeeze to your thighs inwards and just quietly listen to the feeling that produces in the bottom soles of the feet. They gently shift inwards too. Just being aware of this feeling of bringing the energy to a center line in the body will help LOTS of things.
What she said...
Larinda, I just got the Dance Vision catalog and did you know that you can order back vidoes of U.S. Championships? Seen, where you were in the finals...

[Medira]

This is probably going to sound very strange, but... be very aware of your toes. The awareness of the feeling of where you want to be vs. where you are helps to get you used to making that adjustment. This is actually something that I learned from Giant Slalom racing that helped control my speed through the edges of my skis.

Stand with both feet flat and your weight spread evenly through your foot. Make sure that you have contact with the floor through each toe. Feel it and be aware of that feeling. From there, shift the weight slowly to the inside edge of your foot. Become aware of where the pressure is on the toes that remain on the floor and hang on to that feeling. From there shift back to flat, then inside edge. Be aware of the transition. Keep at it until you get to the point where you instinctively *know* that you're at the point where you need to be to achieve the correct position.

...oh. And hi!

[Terpsichorean Clod]

...oh. And hi!
Welcome back, Medira!!!! :D

[fascination]

bounce bounce bounce....hughughug...slobber drool...hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

ya know...i am fine in basic walks...guess i should specify that it is usually after a spiral....but I always seem to roll to the out side edge there...and I just have to plin work hard to stay on the inside edge to begin with...again generally I do it quite well but there are times when i just can't seem to get the front foot turned out well enough and/or struggle with staying on the inside...again F and B walk are no biggie...and I know a turn is really only forward walks but my feet apparently don't

[latingal]

Hi Medira! Long time no see!!

And fasc, if you're going to the outside edge at the end of a spiral it might be more of a balance/alignment issue on where you are placing your weight during the turn. You may also want to check if you are turning the standing foot far enough.

[fascination]

I think this is likely the issue

[Peaches]

Hi Medira! Long time no see!!

And fasc, if you're going to the outside edge at the end of a spiral it might be more of a balance/alignment issue on where you are placing your weight during the turn. You may also want to check if you are turning the standing foot far enough.Hmmm...interesting. I always have problems with spirals and losing my balance...and not turning the standing foot enough...with pretty much everything. Interesting.

[samina]

getting rolfed will help, fasc...possibly even dramatically.

rolfing significantly affects the feet, the ankles, and sense of balance through the inner line of the body (up through the groin to the pelvis).

[fascination]

...the balance is generally quite good...I just tend to lose it on spirals by rolling to the outside...and i suspect (since it is exactly what NP said) that LG is right...which makes practice the real solution...as always...pout...but if Rolf is cute he can come and practice with me ;)

[fascination]

so...let me clarify...my underlying reason for concern when rolling to the outside of the foot on a spiral is that it has a consequence to my balance.. so my main concern, which I think was largely addressed by LG, was how to prevent that....

[gracie]

...the balance is generally quite good...I just tend to lose it on spirals by rolling to the outside...and i suspect (since it is exactly what NP said) that LG is right...which makes practice the real solution...as always...pout...but if Rolf is cute he can come and practice with me ;)

I want to dance :bouncy: with Rolf!

[j_alexandra]

I want to dance :bouncy: with Rolf!

Yeah, you do. You really do. I love dancing with Rolf.

[fascination]

lol...my thread has been highjacked ;)

[samina]

LoL...at least you tried to bring it back...

[fascination]

meh...i got what I needed...;)

[btfgus]

lol...my thread has been highjacked ;)

Sorry :neutral:

We should have started a separate thread for all this other nonsense.

How did your spiral work out?

[Josh]

lol...my thread has been highjacked ;)

I just moved all the related posts to a new thread, hope everyone's okay with that--I felt it a relevant enough discussion here to warrant it's own home, as the discussion wasn't really very realted to the original question.

[Josh]

Sorry :neutral:

We should have started a separate thread for all this other nonsense.

No need to be sorry, thanks for your input--and I took your advice and moved all related posts to a new thread!

[fascination]

Sorry :neutral:

We should have started a separate thread for all this other nonsense.

How did your spiral work out?
I think it will take a while for me to un-do some bad habits that I developed early on WRT when to release the spiraling foot a bit ...and I think that being a good bit more forward throughout will go a long way...thanks for asking

[fascination]

I just moved all the related posts to a new thread, hope everyone's okay with that--I felt it a relevant enough discussion here to warrant it's own home, as the discussion wasn't really very realted to the original question.
well thanks josh...I actually didn't mind on a personal level but I would have hated to have the whole: "to turn out or not to turn out debate" lost on my self-serving little thread...which was largely dead after LG chimed in

[fascination]

No need to be sorry, thanks for your input--and I took your advice and moved all related posts to a new thread!ditto...no worries

[madmaximus]

lol...my thread has been highjacked ;)

Apologizing for my role in the heist... :)






m(ea culpa)

[fascination]

thanks, but again, I was a willing victim ;)

[Angel HI]

Generally you keep the weight to the inside edge of the foot because (or so that) the energy of the body is funneled into a smaller space and can be directed more efficiently into the directions you intend to move into. Keeping the adductor muscles activated will help.Re the orig. post, Fasc, LM's reply is a good one. Perhaps, this will help also (forgive me if you've heard it before); think of not the feet, but the ankles. In closing, for example, think of closing the ankles...not the feet. with doing this, the succeeding forward/back step is more likely to hold the inside edge, as well.

[fascination]

thanks AH

[kurisutina]

Hi everybody! I’m new to DF, though I’ve lurked here in the past to pick up some tips. :) I’ve had a problem that’s been bothering me for a little while now that I have a better idea of what proper technique is supposed to feel like, so I was hoping for some advice.

I've poked around a lot of threads that recommend various strengthening exercises, but I haven’t seen anything targeting this particular issue yet. I tend to put my weight on the outside of my foot—the soles on my sneakers are disproportionately worn on the outside, and sometimes I roll my ankle just walking down the street in sneakers of flats! With ballroom, I’ve learned that the weight when on the ball of your foot should be over the “big toe” area, but I’ve been struggling to center my weight there when I dance (or heck, just walking normally). I think that it’s negatively affecting my balance and preventing me from improving my technique properly.

My team captain gave me some ankle strengthening exercises, which has helped a bit, but I’ve heard from two teachers that the ability relies on the muscles in the inner thighs and that I’ll damage my knees if I don’t strengthen those muscles first. One of them suggested I try this exercise which involves squeezing my thighs together while up on my toes with my feet shoulder-with apart.

I’ve tried this in the last couple weeks, but I’m not sure how effective it’s been? Perhaps it’s because when I played volleyball in high school, I was used to having sore muscles after conditioning training. Considering that I have a lifetime of poor walking habits to correct, I thought I’d feel similar soreness or something to let me know that the muscle is being torn/built, but I’m not… Am I doing it wrong? Are there perhaps any other exercises that I can try to help correct my feet? I’d really appreciate any insight or suggestions!

[Another Elizabeth]

Are you a member of a gym? The thigh adductor machines should do exactly what you want. It's a tricky muscle to exercise without a machine.

Oh, and if you look around here for "toe exercises" and look for posts by Warren Dew, you should find some good foot/ankle strength exercises. Doing these plus getting some appropriate shoes for wearing when not on the dance floor helped me a lot with oversupination. (I went to a real running store where they watch you walk with and without shoes and then suggest shoes to correct your gait. It made a huge difference to wear those as my main walking-around shoes.)

[Warren J. Dew]

Are you a member of a gym? The thigh adductor machines should do exactly what you want. It's a tricky muscle to exercise without a machine.

Or practice tango lowered as far as it's possible for you to lower, keeping the knees correctly pointed somewhat inward.

[toothlesstiger]

It is probably not so much that the adductors need strengthening, but you need to be conscious of activating them when you are dancing.

[j_alexandra]

I have your issue, and here's what I've done.

calf raises with my knees and ankle bones touching each other, all the way up, and all the way down, no cheating

stand with feet wider than hip width apart, then pull them together, slowly, using the thigh muscles, without letting the feet leave the floor; this is excruciating and works, especially when I focus on making sure I move both legs, not just one at a time

when I walk, I am conscious all the time of correcting my supination and walking on the inside of my foot; I have a lot of rolling-to-the-outside to correct and do not fear overcorrecting to the inside, I should be so lucky

yoga toes; I fall asleep with them on, wake and take them off some time during the night

And welcome to DF!

[kurisutina]

Wow, thank you everyone for your suggestions! Having just come back from a Foxtrot lesson, it does seem like I have greater control over it in Standard (perhaps because of the lower heel? The closed toe?).

Warren--The tango sounds like a good idea, thanks! I also saw your post on toe exercises, and I'll attempt those as well, although maybe not until after the social dance if it'll feel as excruciating as it sounds.

j_alexandra--Thanks! I'll definitely try those exercises out. No pain, no gain, right? I was actually pretty perplexed that I hadn't been feeling some soreness. About the second one--are you doing this on the balls of your feet, or flat? What kind of surface do you recommend? (I tested it just now with my bare feet on hardwood--needless the say, movement was quite difficult!)

[j_alexandra]

j_alexandra--Thanks! I'll definitely try those exercises out. No pain, no gain, right? I was actually pretty perplexed that I hadn't been feeling some soreness. About the second one--are you doing this on the balls of your feet, or flat? What kind of surface do you recommend? (I tested it just now with my bare feet on hardwood--needless the say, movement was quite difficult!)

I do it in dance court shoes, on the gym floor or studio floor, depending where I have practice space. If I do them in the kitchen at home, tho, I do it flatfooted, in socks.

[latingal]

Welcome to DF kurisutina!

[Steve Pastor]

Welcome kurisutina, and here is a different take on this.

No pain, no gain, right?
Not exactly.


Buried in an artilce you can find on WebMD you can find this...
"The aches and pains should be minor," says Carol Torgan, an exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, "and are simply indications that muscles are adapting to your fitness regimen."
There are all kinds of different little roads that your muscles can take to get stronger," says Torgan. Regardless of whether you're sore, there are still improvements occurring in your muscles during exercise.

I've been training to climb mountains each summer the past 4 years, and except for passing out on Mt Kilimanjaro (which had nothing to do with what kind of shape I was in) I've made my goals without getting sore during my training. In fact if I DO get sore, I consider it to be a failure of sorts in not training smarter.

When I read your post yesterday, I immediately thought about how you could teach yourself to walk differently by becoming more aware of how do walk currently, and learn how to walk "more correctly".
Of course that would involve a long term commitment of sorts, rather than a quick fix.

Only commenting now because you don't have to feel pain to gain!
(but maybe you know that already)

[Casayoto]

And be careful with the exercise where you pull your feet together. That's an easy one to pull a muscle doing if you start with your legs too far apart.