Boddicker Performance

Yesterday it was made apparent that the feet are rife with afferent neurons that detect and report magnitudes and rates of loading, joint kinematics, and pressure distribution on the plantar surface of the foot.  Also, I said that they are in such a high concentration for a reason.  That reason will be expounded upon today. Recall that these afferent cells are important for the maintenance of posture, detect aberrant movement during the stride, and also help us modulate leg stiffness and joint kinematics in preparation for ground contact (by way of feedback and feed-forward mechanisms, respectively), but that doe... full article »

Here is a little piece that I recent wrote for my friend Kevin Neeld and his blog. Enjoy! Breathing is a critical piece of the movement equation and is one that has been almost ignored until recently. Many people simply breathe, and call it “good” if they do not suffocate, unfortunately this is far too simplistic as there is a “right” and a “wrong” way to breathe. Unfortunately, we know that the majority of people fall toward the “wrong” way and incorrect breathing patterns lead to a gamut of movement dysfunctions. Improper breathing can lead to dysfunction as high as the TMJ (though some osteop... full article »

Barefoot running has become an increasingly popular in the past several years as more and more examples find themselves falling into the popular media.  So what is the deal?  Is there any credence to the craze? Yesterday we gained an elementary knowledge of the foot and ankle's anatomy.  Today, you'll take home a comparison of mechanics in barefoot subjects and those who wear shoes. Before we begin, it would be prudent to define a few things.  The term "shod" refers to some level of modern footwear that is typically characterized by a softer midsole, elevated heel, and potentially some form of "motion" contr... full article »

In continuation of yesterday's post about some of the things that I have picked up over the weekend at Optimum Sports Performance is the idea that the best just don't miss things. While traditional orthopedics would tell us that when a joint is hurting, we need to look directly at that joint, we know that the body is far more complicated than that. Yes, it hurts, but WHY? Just because the plantar fascia is not behaving, simple treatment of the foot and even lower leg will not always suffice. How is the tone of their hip flexors? How about the tone of their cervical musculature? If the athlete is in full body a... full article »

Today I have a great guest piece by Steve Magness examining pronation, motion control, and barefoot running. The running shoe model needs to be fixed. Pronation, Motion Control, Cushioning, and Stability shoes? Get rid of them all. It’s not just barefoot running and minimalism versus running shoes, the either/or situation many portray it to be. It’s much deeper than that. It’s not even that running shoe companies are evil and out to make a profit. Shoe companies may be accomplishing the goals they set out for, but maybe the goals their aiming for are not what need to be done. The paradigm that running shoe... full article »