HOW: Start in a standing position. Rotate your legs outward. Push into the ground while your legs are rotated out lifting your body up and your knees straight(only rotate them as far as you feel comfortable with) and walk for the amount prescribed. Focus on small, quick steps.  

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the outside part of your shins and lower calf working with this variation. 

COMPENSATION: Keep your toes pointed out as you walk forward, don’t lose the toe position. Keep your heels off of the ground as you walk.

HOW: Start in a standing position. Rotate your legs in and have your toes attempting to face each other. Push into the ground while your legs are rotated in lifting your body up while keeping your knees straight(only rotate them as far as you feel comfortable with) and walk for the amount prescribed. Focus on small, quick steps.  

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the inside part of your shins and lower calf working with this variation. 

COMPENSATION: Keep your toes pointed inward as you walk forward, don’t lose the toe position. Keep your heels off of the ground as you walk.

HOW: Place a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or any other small circular like object in between your heels. Squeeze the ball with your heelas and keep that constant tension during the whole exercise. Then, push up with your toes raising your heels. Make sure to push straight up with all of your toes working simultaneously. The goal is to keep the ball between your heel the entire time.

 

FEEL: You should feel your calf muscles working.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let go of the ball as you raise your heels. Control the motion and do not go too fast.

HOW:  Place a resistance band around your forefoot. Use your other foot to apply a line of resistance that is to the inside and closer than your working ankle (shown in the video). Your goal is to slowly push your ankle in a down + outwards direction in a diagonal line. Point your ankle down and out. Slowly return back to the starting position.

 

FEEL:  You should feel the muscles on the outside part of your calf working as you move your foot away from you.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not let the band pull your foot back into the starting position. Slowly bring your foot back in and fight the resistance of the band.

HOW:  Place a resistance band around your forefoot. Use your other foot to apply a line of resistance that is to the outside of your working ankle (shown in the video). You will have to cross you opposite leg on top of your working leg. Slowly push your ankle inwards. Imagine you are a car windshield wiper cleaning just the inside of the window. Slowly return back to the starting position.

 

FEEL:  You should feel the muscles on the inside part of your calf working as you move your foot away from you.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not let the band pull your foot back into the starting position. Slowly bring your foot back in and fight the resistance of the band.

HOW: First tie a band around a sturdy anchor. Then place the looped part of the band around the front part of your forefoot. With resistance on the band, slowly bend your ankle upwards towards the sky and towards you. Then slowly lower it. The further you are away from the anchor point, the harder the exercise.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the front part of your lower leg working.

 

COMPENSATION: Try your best not to also extend/move your toes. Try only move the ankle joint. 

HOW: Stand facing a wall on one leg. While balancing on that leg with a slight bend in your knee, toss the ball into the wall and play catch with it. Keep your hips facing forward as you throw the ball. The farther you are away from the wall the harder it will be. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your lower leg and foot muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hips facing forward, don’t rotate your whole body while throwing the ball.

HOW: Shift your weight to one leg with your knee slightly bent and the other leg off of the ground. Slightly bend down and push into the ground, jump to the side landing on the opposite leg. Get your balance, pause, and jump back to the other leg going back into the starting position. 

 

FEEL: You will feel all the muscles in your legs working.

 

COMPENSATION: Landing Position. Make sure your knees are aligned over your toes. They should not dive inwards on the landing. Your goal is to absorb as much of the landing forces as you can and land softly. That means that you want your hips and knees to bend as much as they need to, to absorb the force. If you do not let them bend much, you will land “stiff” and hard. Let your hips go back and while keeping your chest up to help absorb the forces. Your toes should touch the ground first when you land and quickly your heels will follow. You should land in a “ready position” like you would if you were playing sports, with your weight ever so slightly forward on the balls of your feet. You should not fall forward or backwards after landing. 

 

For a detailed video on landing mechanics on one leg, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCOGM5tZRM

HOW: Shift your weight to the outside leg with your knee slightly bent and the other leg off of the ground. Slightly bend down and push into the ground, jump backwards and land on the opposite foot as you rotate your body facing the opposite direction. 

 

FEEL: You will feel all the muscles in your legs working.

 

COMPENSATION: Landing Position. Make sure your knees are aligned over your toes. They should not dive inwards on the landing. Your goal is to absorb as much of the landing forces as you can and land softly. That means that you want your hips and knees to bend as much as they need to, to absorb the force. If you do not let them bend much, you will land “stiff” and hard. Let your hips go back and while keeping your chest up to help absorb the forces. Your toes should touch the ground first when you land and quickly your heels will follow. You should land in a “ready position” like you would if you were playing sports, with your weight ever so slightly forward on the balls of your feet. You should not fall forward or backwards after landing. 

 

For a detailed video on landing mechanics on one leg, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCOGM5tZRM