Had a chance to play with the
mind play exercise for the tripod foot yet? Experience any astonishing “a-ha”
moments of revelation? If not,
congratulations! You may already be
using the tripod foot accurately. If so,
then you will need to isolate “why” it is happening.
Many “misuse” problems are more
easily identifiable by other people rather than yourself. So it is a great suggestion to get your
teacher, a family member, or friend involved to observe you as you walk, dance,
and even sit in a chair. Where is your
weight being born by the feet? Are you ankles/feet rolling in towards each
other? Away from each other? Is your
entire body and legs “still” as you stand or are parts continually moving around?
Do not worry if you cannot
immediately identify your own personal “why” at first. Remember it took me years to figure out my
problems. What you can do, right now, is
to perform exercises for the feet, arches and ankles each week. Then as you get physically stronger, do the
mind play exercise again and see if the results are different.
Foot Disabilities Are Caused
by Improper Technique
Most foot disabilities/pain, if
not genetic in nature, are caused by faulty weight distribution, disease, “poor
posture” while walking or standing, or improper body placement while executing
dance technique. Many times after
practicing “turnout” during class, students continue to walk in “turnout” after
going home.[i] It is
crucial to ensure that during this training, their feet and ankles are not
“rolling in” or “out” while dancing or standing in that “turned out”
position. If “rolling” persists, collapsed
or fallen arches may develop making the foot completely “inflexible” and no
longer suitable for dancing. Or a more
flexible arch may arise that “falls” or disappears when applying weight and then
reappears when the weight is removed. [ii] Neither
scenario is desirable. Practicing the
tripod foot gives the dancer a fighting chance to have healthy feet.
Standing
“Still” and Strong on the Tripod Foot:
Plant Yourself
Another problem I see quite
frequently as a student/teacher, especially in the beginner ranks, is a dancer
who cannot stand “still!” Some part of their body is in constant motion! It becomes impossible for them to stand in
“position” with the rest of the class and their attention span seems short. Youthful
energy is one of the main causes, of course, however if the behavior is not stopped immediately, troubles will arise which include: rolling in/out of
the ankles, dancing on the inner or outer part of the foot, slipping and
falling, fallen arches, and weakened painful feet and ankles.
Also if they are a competitive Irish step dancer, these unnecessary movements and gestures must be curtailed right away before their next competition if possible. Please be aware that the adjudicators can
deduct precious points from the score of any competitor who displays any behavior out of the ordinary.
This is especially true if it occurs during those first eight bars of
music as it may appear that the dancer has false started. One small wrong move can cause an otherwise 1st place performance to be scored as a 2nd or even lower.
Please bear in mind that this
situation can be easily and quickly corrected. First, practice the tripod foot exercises as
described below at home where the dancer can concentrate on getting them right
and not be distracted by fellow classmates.
Secondly, have them imagine that they are being “planted to the ground”
just like a flower. You can even make a
game of it and see how long they can stay “planted.” During class as they stand in “dancer
position,” once again have them envision being “planted” into the dance floor. Before long, they will forget about
fidgeting and remain still.
Many dance teachers are not taught
this foundational process of proper foot usage as students and so never
incorporate it into their own dancing or teaching. So it is up to the students
themselves to learn proper technique on their own. Here are three exercises using the tripod foot
so you can reap the rewards of using proper technique in your Irish dance
shoes.
Tripod Foot Exercise 3: Engaged Tripod Foot in Parallel
Stand or sit on a dining room
table chair with you feet firmly on the ground and parallel to each other. You can do this one barefoot or wearing socks
or shoes.
- Engage the three points of the tripod on both feet at the same time so that your weight is borne equally by all points.
- Press all the toe pads gently onto the ground. Do not allow them to grip the floor or curl underneath.
- Activate the arches of each foot.
- Think about “planting” yourself to the ground. The rest of your body should remain still.
- Relax the muscles, tendons and joints of your ankles.
- If you are having trouble activating your arches and/or your toes keep scrunching up, bend over and gently press down on your toes to hold them into place.
- Hold the position for about 5 – 10 seconds. Release. Repeat 10 – 15 times.
Variations for Irish Dancers
The next two exercises are
variations of the one above but specifically geared for Irish dancers. First do the exercise with your ghillies on
and then repeat wearing your jig shoes.
You may find little difference between doing it barefoot and then doing
it with the soft shoes. You should experience
a huge amount of differentiation when wearing your hard shoes due to the
addition of the elevated toes and heels.
Tripod Foot Exercise 3: Engaged Tripod Foot in the “10 and 2”
position.
Stand with your flat feet and turned
out into the “10 & 2” position: left
foot stands in the “10” o’clock position and the right foot in the “2” o’clock
position. Heels touching.
Hold onto a ballet barre or back of chair if you need a little help with balance.
Hold onto a ballet barre or back of chair if you need a little help with balance.
- Repeat steps 1- 5 for the exercise above exactly.
- Does it feel different with your shoes on? You may need to compensate for any Poron padding in your shoes.
- Hold the position for about 5 – 10 seconds. Release. Repeat 10 - 15 times.
 | |
| Tripod foot exercise wearing ghillies in the 10 and 2 position. |
Tripod Foot Exercise 4:
Engaged Tripod Foot in the Crossed position
From the “10
and 2 position,” left foot stays solidly in place as the right foot is placed so
its toes are directly in front of the left toes. Employ the same “2
position” for the right foot while resting on the ground. Both feet
should be touching. Hold onto a ballet barre or back of chair if you need a little help with balance.
- Repeat steps 1 to 6 for the exercise above exactly.
- Hold the position for about 5 – 10 seconds. Release. Repeat 10 - 15 times.
 |
| Tripod foot exercise wearing ghillies in the crossed position. |
Time to
Practice and Grow Stronger
Now you have
three more tripod foot exercises in your collection. Please use them. By applying your weight appropriately on
those three points while dancing, your feet and ankles will become strong and
stable to handle all your intricate steps, especially leaping and jumping. General foot pain should be kept to a minimum
while ankle injuries due to slipping and falling can become a thing of the
past.
The next blog will
be the fourth and final segment of the tripod foot with additional exercises for
the feet including an excellent one known as “doming.”. Watch for the post as you don’t want to miss it!
In the
meantime remember to employ my 3 P motto:
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
Have fun and
enjoy your dancing!
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