The Strong Feet Guide

Welcome to the Strong Feet course!

Before we dive in, we've prepared five simple tests to assess your current foot function based on key skills crucial for foot strength and functionality:

1. Toe Splay
2. Single Leg Balance
3. Ankle Mobility
4. Controlled Pronation (Impact Absorption)
5. Supination (Arch Stiffening for Force Production)

Each test is scored from 1 to 4, totaling up to 20 points. This will help you identify any weaknesses and see how functional your feet are overall.

Our course is structured around these five skills, with each one explored in depth in its own dedicated chapter.

Based on your test results, you can focus on the specific chapters that address your areas for improvement.

Plus, you can retake these tests later to track your progress. By aiming for a perfect score of 20/20 by the end of the course, you'll know you've built a solid foundation through strong feet.

Skill 1: Toe Splay

This is the ability to spread the toes so that they form the widest part of the foot, which improves stability in two way:

First, it forms a stable three-point base, similar to a tripod.

Second, it properly aligns the foot bones, allowing the intrinsic muscles connected to the toes to activate into a strong arch [1] [2].

Unsurprisingly, research has established a connection between toe misalignment issues, such as bunions, and flat feet [3] [4].

Let’s see where you’re at in your toe-splaying ability.

The Toe-Splay Test

Splay Test Scoring

1. Can't spread toes at all—they feel glued together.

2. Can spread toes a little, but big toe tends to lift instead of spreading.

3. Can spread toes wide, but get a cramp in arch within a minute of holding the position.

4. Can spread toes and hold the position for more than a minute without any issues.

Skill 2: Balance on One Leg (Stability)

When we move, we're mostly supported by one leg.

This is the case 60-70% of the time while walking, and 100% of the time when running [5].

So it's crucial that each foot be strong and stable enough to support the entire body while in motion.

Practicing the single-leg balance can improve this ability.

A 2004 study revealed that a six-week single-leg balancing program significantly increased the arch height (indicating better foot support) among 11 participants [6].

Let’s see how good you are at balancing on one foot.

The Single-leg Balance Test

Single-leg Balance Test Scoring

1. Can’t balance on one leg for more than a minute.

2. Can balance on one leg for more than one minute, but can’t do a heel raise without support from the other leg.

3. Can do heel raises, but can’t do them with a controlled 3 second ascent and descent.

Can do heel raises, slow and controlled, without any issue.

Skill 3: Ankle Mobility

Basic human movements like walking and squatting depend on good ankle mobility [7].

When ankles are tight, the body adapts by spinning out and overpronating the feet, leading to flattened arches. This compensation essentially forces the feet to act like a second ankle joints

A 2022 study confirmed the link between flat feet and tight ankles, finding that over 70% of people with fallen arches also had restricted ankle mobility [8].

The Squat Mobility Test

Squat Mobility Test Scoring

1. Weight shifts back, feel unsteady, lower back rounds, or heels lift.

2. Can deep squat with upright torso and flat back but feet turn outwards like a duck.

3. Can deep squat with upright torso, flat back and straight feet but can't hold position for over a minute.

4. Can do a perfect squat with upright torso, flat back, straight feet and hold comfortably for over a minute.

Skill 4: Absorb Impact Forces (Controlled Pronation)

While running, the impact forces of each step can reach 3 to 4 times body weight [9] [10].

So being able to land and absorb these impact forces through the feet and ankles is critical for safe running.

Consider a 70kg person running 3km with an average stride length of 1.5 meters. This results in about 2,000 strides, or 4,000 steps (strides x 2) during the run.

If each step generates an impact force of three times their body weight, over a 3km run (or 4000 steps), the feet would experience a total of 840 tones of impact force.

So, without the ability to efficiently absorb such immense impact forces, the risk of injury would increase significantly.

Statistics indicate that the chance of a recreational runner getting injured within a year of training is as high as 79%. It's clear that many of us need to improve the shock-absorbing capacities of our feet [11].

The body’s way of absorbing these impact forces is through pronation. But, it has to be done in a controlled way, where the foot doesn’t collapse and overpronate.

Overpronation is a sign of a weak foot arch that collapses after impact.

The Overpronation Test

Overpronation Test Scoring

1. Can’t balance on one foot, in this position.

2. Can balance in this position, but foot arch collapses – identified by the big toe deviating inwards.

3. Can hold the balance position with a stable foot arch and good toe alignment but struggle to hold the position for a minute.

4. Can hold this position, with good toe alignment for a minute or more, with no issue.

Skill 5: Become a Sturdy Base (Supinate)

The final skill for developing strong feet is the ability to re-stiffen the foot arches after impact. This prepares them to push off into the next step.

Instead of absorbing the impact forces, the foot now channels them back through the body to propel it forward.

Same hardware; two completely different functions. This is a testament to the remarkable engineering of the feet!

So can you maintain a stiff foot arch? Try this test?

The Supination (Arch Strength) Test

Supination (Arch Strength) Test Scoring

1. Cannot fit two or more coins between the floor and arch without touching.

2. When standing on one foot, arch collapses down and touches the coins.

3. Arch doesn’t collapse when standing still, but touches the coins when moving through the hours of the clock.

4. Able to move through the hours of the clock without arch touching the coins.

Now that you've completed the five tests and have a clearer picture of your foot function, it's time to begin your journey toward stronger feet.

Our course is structured to guide you through each of the five key skills in a logical order—starting with Toe Splay, then moving on to Single Leg Balance, Ankle Mobility, Controlled Pronation, and finally Supination.

We recommend following the course in this order because each skill builds upon the previous one; improving your toe splay, for example, can enhance your ability to control pronation.

By working through the course as designed, you'll build benefits across all areas. If your tests showed specific weaknesses, you can focus more on those areas while still engaging with all the chapters. This way, you address your individual needs without neglecting other important skills.

Let's get started on building stronger, more functional feet together!