We all should find 15 minutes a day to train our feet. You can do the exercises while watching TV, listening to a lecture, having a meeting at work, or standing in a grocery line. One of the most potent strengthening exercises is Janda's short foot exercise.
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When mastering this exercise, you will improve the control over your intrinsic feet muscles, which will help to create more stable base of support for your legs, hips and the entire body. The exercise will be difficult in the beginning, because you won't be able to find or control those muscles. With a regular practice, you will be able to do it any time and with progressively higher difficulties.
15-Minute Exercise
Start with standing on your foot and transfer some weight on it. Observe if your arch flattens out and if the foot becomes longer. The weaker the intrinsic muscles, the more action you will see.
The main idea with the exercise is to make your foot shorter through a higher arch. In other words, contract the muscles under your arch so the arch would lift and the foot becomes shorter.
Do not curl your toes or turn your foot outward. You will be very tempted to do so, when you feel that you have no control over the correct muscles.
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Cannot find and feel those muscles? Focus and keep searching. When you connect for the first time, it will be easier each time. Eventually, you'll be able to control them just as you control your hands. Once you find how to control them, practice any time you have a moment of standing. Shorten your foot, elongate. Shorten, elongate. Always keep your metatarsals down on the floor.
When this becomes easy, make the exercise harder by transferring your body weight on that leg. Another level of difficulty is doing this Short Foot exercise while doing single legged squat or deadlift, or balancing on one leg while throwing/catching a ball.
Train your feet regularly and observe how great you will feel and your tennis performance will improve as well.
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