Decoding How an Irish Dancer Excels: Tripod Foot: Part 2

So now you know the basics concerning how to “engage” your tripod foot.  Great! Had an opportunity to experiment with the exercise yet?  I hope so.   If not, go back and do so soon.  If yes, feeling any difference in your walking/dancing?

 

How I was Introduced to the Tripod Foot

Perhaps you are a little curious about what led me to the study and my own usage of the tripod foot?  Fantastic question.  Many years ago, I developed pain across the top of my left foot.  To make a long story short, I went on a research spree for many years searching for an explanation and ultimate cure. Luckily for me it did not happen continually, but whenever flare ups occurred, I struggled to dance through the cringe-making pain.  Not only that, but my left foot felt so weak all the time and would drop to the floor without warning while performing simple steps of my reels and jigs!  Since Irish step dancers must remain high on their toes constantly, this was devastating when it happened during competitions! 

I was first introduced to the tripod foot while taking Alexander Technique lessons as previously noted.   My teacher and I worked countless months on many aspects of my body “misuse” but the pain in my left foot often took center stage.  Due to the decline of my Mother’s health, not my own, I stopped my lessons.  As events unfolded in her life, I would forget for a time what I had learned. 

Whenever circumstances seemed to calm down briefly or the pain in my foot worsened, I would remember these simple techniques once more.  This past year while writing my book on Irish dance shoes and getting this blog up and running,  I am once again in research mode and striving to incorporate good practices into my everyday living.  And of course, the use of the tripod foot while walking, standing, sitting and, most of all, dancing is one of the most crucial!

The Tripod Foot is Not a New Concept

The concept of the tripod foot and its significance to dancing has been around for decades.  Way back in 1964, Dance Magazine produced a book entitled, “Raoul Gelabert’s Anatomy for the Dancer with exercises to improve technique and prevent injuries” to address the physical ailments being suffered by many fellow dancers including his own self.  Gelabert, a well-known New York City ballet teacher and dance physical therapist, had studied at The Royal Ballet teaching school before opening his own school in New York City and became an authority on dance therapy.  This short concise book explains superbly how and why the use of the tripod foot is so very important by all dancers:

 

“When the foot is taking the weight of the body, it should be holding the ground equally at three points: behind, the back of the calcareous; in front, the heads of the 1st and 5^th metatarsals (the 1^st and 5^th toes).  This triangle creates a base from which the muscles of the leg and sole of the foot can work strongly.  This triangle also works to hold up the foot’s arch.  In this position, the long muscles of the leg, having no actual movement to perform, give the ankle and foot the stability and balance it needs.”

In other words, the greater “balance” the dancer can maintain while executing her steps, the greater chance that the weight will been born by the stronger parts of the foot.  So the less load the feet must hold, the less stress and strain they must endure and the less chance injuries will occur.[i]    The use of the tripod foot to remedy foot pain will be further discussed in the next blog.

To begin with let’s work with the first exercise specifically for the tripod foot that I like to call “mind play!  It is one of my own designs and has proven quite successful for me.  Now time to share it with you.

Tripod Foot Exercise 1:  Mind Play 


Sit in a chair and place both feet flat but firmly on the floor parallel to each other. At first do the exercise with bare feet or socks but then repeat while wearing shoes as you get more proficient.

1.  Using your mind, imagine the three points of the tripod foot one at time. Try to feel them mentally.  It does not matter in which order you do this. Just keep concentrating until you can feel the one point that you are working on at that moment.  
2. When ready, move to the 2nd point and play around with it.
3. Then finish by working on the third point.   
4. Are some points easier to feel than others? 
5.  Once you can isolate them separately, play around by alternating the order of the points as you think about them.  
6.  Lastly engage all three at the same time.

Do the exercise for at least 2 – 5 minutes each day (or longer if having a lot of fun.)  That’s the exercise! The best part is that you can do it anytime, anywhere!  
 

Position of Feet for Tripod Foot Exercise 1:  Mind Play

My Results

When I did this exercise for the first time over a year ago, I had no problem sensing each position on my right foot in any combination since it is my dominant foot.  But when I tried concentrating on my left, I failed to “feel” the place behind my little toe.  In an instant I realized that by not feeling that one point during the exercise meant that I was probably NOT utilizing my foot properly while walking around either.  Ultimately I was dancing only on three toes!    No wonder I was struggling with my balance and suffering from mysterious pain.  


With that knowledge revealed I immediately began to rehabilitate my feet by doing all the exercises that I could.  After exercising almost every day over the last few months, I can now report I am finally using all the points of my tripod foot while dancing in my ghillies (an Irish soft dancing shoe.)  As a result, my feet feel happier and healthier as I am able to dance longer and longer without pain thus creating an additional lightness to my steps! 

My hope is that you too can benefit greatly from using this simple technique as well.  Do this exercise at least two minutes a day everyday at first.  Make note of any points that are difficult for you to pin down.  Look in a mirror or ask your teacher or friend to pinpoint any misuse in your body alignment or dynamics that they see.  Then work on correcting those areas.  

The next blog will be part three of our tripod foot discussion and contain more exercises.  Watch for it!

---

[i] Como, William, Raoul Gelabert’s Anatomy for the Dancer with exercises to improve technique and prevent injuries.     Dance Magazine, New York, New York, 1984, p. 51.

Decoded: How an Irish Dancer Excels: The Tripod Foot, Part 1

So from my last two blogs entries, you now know the 8 steps needed to maintaining a perfect Irish dancer posture.  On the steps for the feet, ankles and legs, I told you to employ your  "tripod foot" to maintain your balance. Many of you are probably unfamiliar with that concept. Right?  That's fine. 

As I will now begin explaining it to you so you can start using it immediately in your daily life.  As you do, you will find that you can maintain greater balance and stability while dancing, make your soft shoe steps more graceful, your hard shoe taps a lot stronger, and most importantly, you will slip and fall less!

Quick Foot Facts

Let's start by taking a brief look at the foot itself first. Here are a few facts to keep in mind.  Each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 distinct muscles and more ligaments than you can count.  It also has two arches:  the longitudinal arch or instep which runs along the medial border (from the heel to the ball) of the foot and the transverse arch which is deeper and longer and extends from the medial to the lateral side across the ball. 

So although the foot is relatively small in comparison with the rest of the body, it is filled with a multitude of wonderful things that must all work together to keep it functioning properly.  However, if any of those tiny parts are damaged or weakened, the simple acts of walking and dancing become extremely painful endeavors. Believe me because I can speak volumes concerning my own battle with foot pain due to injury!  In order to protect these assets as best we can, there are some easy things that we can do to keep them and their companions the ankles in tip top shape.

A Dancer's Feet is a Very Important Asset

In an article written by Rodney Devitt, D. Pod.M., M. Ch.S.I., a Chiropodist and Podiatrist, entitled “Your Feet are Your Fortune” which appeared in an issue of Irish Dancing Magazine, he stated that “For dancers, not only does the comfort and well being of their daily lives depend on having a pair of fit, healthy pain-free feet, but also their pastime, their lifestyle, perhaps even their livelihood.”  So in other words, it is extremely important to learn good use practices and exercise routines to take care of these "claims to fame."  Most of this is not rocket science, just common sense ideas to assist you to keep your feet healthy, happy and grounded to the earth. 

Let me tell you from my own personal observations that if you do not use proper technique, you will suffer the consequences of pain, injury and the ultimate rehabilitation processes (which can take months and sometimes years) in order to heal.  Please hear my words and take them to heart.  Just by taking a few minutes each day, right now, to work on learning the "proper technique," may enable you to add years to your dancing career! Now that's something to think about, isn't it?

The Tripod Foot Explained

One of the first and easiest steps in your goal to maintaining healthy and happy feet is to master the concept of the tripod foot.  I first learned about it a few years ago when I began taking Alexander Technique lessons to undo years of misuse I had subjected my body too.  I found an excellent book called The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Alexander Technique: A Practical Program for Health, Poise and Fitness written by Glenn MacDonald.  (I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Alexander Technique, a natural partner with Irish dancing!)  

The three steps of the tripod foot are:

A.  Apply equal pressure on the three weight-bearing points of the foot that form a tripod:  

1. the point on the outer ball of your foot underneath the big toe
2. the point on the inner ball of your foot underneath the little toe
3. The point on the middle of  the heel.

B. Engage the arch of the foot as this forms the top of the tripod.

C. Apply pressure on the pads of each of the five toes as they are used for balance. 

 

The Tripod  Foot Points

For proper standing, the three points of the foot and the arch need to be engaged in unison with the toes on the floor as you allow your neck to be free so that your head can go forward as your spine lengthens and the back widens.

Exercise to Demonstrate The Tripod Foot in Action

In Glynn’s book, she has provided an exercise so that her readers can experience immediately how important employing the tripod foot is to how we stand, walk and of course, dance.  

Step 1:  Stand up tall with the weight of your body evenly distributed between both feet.  Allow the neck to be free.  The head should then go forward and up as the back is allowed to lengthen and widen.

Step 2:  Lift the right leg up in front of the body to a 90 degree angle with knee bent and foot flexed downward.  You must “balance” using the left foot.  “Experience” the weight moving between the “three points” of the “tripod” in the foot on the floor.  Do not fear the feeling of being unbalanced.  Place the right foot back on the floor.  Now lift the left foot up in the same way. “Experience” the feeling once again.  Place the left foot back on the floor.

Step 3 Next with both feet firmly on the ground and without locking the knees, allow yourself to “experience” your weight being distributed equally between all three points of your "tripod foot."  You should feel a lightness and stability. 

As you practice step 3, try to remember the feelings of being unbalanced when you were only standing on one foot at a time in step 2.   Doesn't this feel much better?

The Tripod Foot is the Foundation


The "tripod foot" is the foundation from which many of the exercises for the foot and other parts of the body will be done.  This is why it is important to master the concept at the beginning.  The next blog will include some exercises so watch for it!

Now since you know the basic move, over the next few weeks, try to be more conscience of your feet while sitting, walking and dancing.  Are all all "eight points" properly engaged?  If so, great, you are on  your way to improved balance and stability in your dancing.  If not, stop a second. Think through the points! Correct any weak points and then continue on "properly."  Then practice it regularly until you can do it automatically!

Stay tuned! Enjoy the dance!

Source:  MacDonald, Glenn, The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Alexander Technique: A Practical Program for Health, Poise and Fitness,  Element Books Limited 1998, Boston, MA, 1998.

Decoded: the 8 Steps to Achieving a Perfect Irish Dancer’s Posture: Part 2 Steps 6 - 8

I hope that you already have had a chance to read "part one" detailing steps 1 through 5 on how to achieve a perfect Irish dancer’s posture! If not, scroll below and check it out first.  If so, have you had a chance to work through and practice any of those components yet?  Please be aware that each part of the body must be engaged and in its proper spot to master it so that you can look eye catchingly fabulous as you dance across the stage!

Remember for anyone injured or/and for growing children, slight modifications/compensations may be advisable for the next three steps as well.  Speak to your dance teacher if you harbor any questions or concerns about you or your child’s individual body type or ability.  

In part two, we are studying steps 6 through 8:

Step 6:   TORSO

Your torso should be held straight at all times never bending or twisting at the waist unless a specific step requires it. 

• Your dancing strength originates here so it is very important to keep it extremely strong yet flexible.  This can be achieved "over time" by completing specific exercises designed to work your inner core muscles every week.  This group is comprised, in part, of the pelvic floor muscles, the transversus abdominis, the diaphragm, the internal and external obliques, the gluteus maximus, and several other muscles that all play key roles.***
•  Many beginners do not have strong core muscles right away.  This is fine.  For posture purposes, just tighten the muscles of your abdominal (stomach) area and gluteus maximus (your rear) in order to hold your torso erect and straight.  
• Your goal is to move the lower body (legs and feet) as your pelvic region remains in place.  To do this you must maintain your body’s “neutral spine position”*** as you dance while continually engaging your inner core muscles! 
• Your back should be curved just a little bit forward with your shoulders back and down.  Attempting to make too large of an arc can result in creating a “C curve” with your back!  This position is not a natural body alignment and can result in undue stress on your middle back and across your shoulders. Please avoid it. 

Step 7:   FEET

Feet are without a doubt the most important asset for any dancer!  As such, having them correctly placed at all times is crucial to moving across the floor.  Irish "step" dancers must remain as "high up on their toes" as possible while executing their steps and keep their feet CROSSED at all times.   To get the "crossed" position:

• Stand with your feet “turned out” into a wide “10 & 2” position***: left foot stands in the “10” position as on a clock and the right foot stands in the “2” position.   For beginners and those with little or no "turnout," this is your starting position.  
• Adjust the width of your feet accordingly to achieve your widest angle possible WITHOUT twisting your body.  Children especially should not be "forced" into positions that are wider than what their "natural turnout" allows.   The goal is to reach "full turnout" with your feet standing comfortably at the "9 & 3 positions."
• Heels should be touching.   
• While keeping the left foot solidly in place, move the right foot placing its toes directly in front of the left foot's toes.  Employ the same “2 position” for the right foot while resting on the ground.  Both feet should be touching.  
• Control your balance and steadiness by employing the “tripod foot.”***
• Remember, the higher you can stay up on your toes while dancing, the better.  Only let your heels touch the ground when performing “heel steps” or stamps.

  

10 and 2 Position

Crossed Position

 Step 8:   LEGS AND ANKLES

Your legs and ankles should remain crossed and close together until your step requires them to move apart.   To get the position: 

• Stand with feet in "crossed" position as discussed above employing your “tripod foot” to help you balance.
• Your knees should be touching with the right one in front of the left.  Squeeze the knees together tightly along with your inner thigh muscles.
• Rise up as high as you can distributing your weight between the toes and the top ball portion of the feet.  This is the demi-point position.
• Now hold your legs and body straight to get the full effect.  Of course, trying to maintain this position throughout your dance is extremely difficult but do try as often as possible. 
• “Turnout” comes from engaging your “turnout muscles” (six muscles including the piriformis), NOT by forcing the feet out.  “Turnout”*** is a favorite subject for all dancers and will be discussed in great length in the future.  Right now just learn how to turn out your “whole leg” not just your hip and feet. 
• Make sure to point your feet strongly whenever they lift off the ground.  

So in summation,  the 8 steps to perfect Irish dancer’s posture include keeping your shoulders, arms, hands, head, eyes, torso, feet, legs and ankles in proper position.  That’s right your whole body must be engaged!  If you “release” at all during your dancing, your body will quickly fall out of alignment and be immediately viewable by your audience.

Remember that your goal is to master each step to at your own rate and no one else's.   After all these years of dancing, I still have to work on my own posture each day, especially the shoulder area.  I have found some great exercises and tips just recently that have really made a difference for the shoulder, feet, and legs which I will be sharing with you soon.   

Right now remember the 3 P's:

Practice…………Practice……………Practice. 

  

*** All terms marked with three asterisks will also be discussed in much greater length in the coming months.  These articles can really help explain these concepts which are crucial for all dancers to understand, not just Irish! 

  

                                                                 Enjoy the dance!