2 easy exercices to warmup your feet

Melissa Witmer thowing a flick
Melissa Witmer thowing a flick

As a high level player and NCSA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Melissa is on a mission to improve the sport of ultimate by giving players the tools they need to train like the serious athletes they are. In addition to writing The Ultimate Athlete Handbook and starting The Ultimate Athlete Project, Melissa gives ultimate fitness clinics internationally. Gain access to many more of Melissa’s articles and videos by signing up for her email list at 25UltimateTips.com.

I have devoted a lot of time to teaching players how to train for ultimate. By now, most players are using a dynamic warmup before training and practices. Today I want to suggest that we also pay closer attention to the feet, especially before training for speed and agility work.

Here are two times and two ways to take better care of your feet. If you suffer aches and pain in your feet in the morning, this is for you. These exercises take just a few minutes. Use them as part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth (or even while brushing your teeth).

In the morning

Roll ‘em out!

Start off your morning right with a quick rollout of the feet. The fascia of your posterior chain is all connected. If you suffer from chronic hamstring tightness, rolling out your feet each morning as well as the hamstrings is a great place to start.

Quick, simple and requires only a tennis or lacrosse ball.

Now with your feet starting of the day feeling a bit looser, you can avoid compounding your tightness problems.

Before an SAQ workout

I recommend doing speed, agility and quickness (SAQ) work in cleats on grass. But before you put on your cleats, take a few minutes to warm up the feet. Though they’ll be in cleats, they are still flexing and working as you lightly bounce on the balls of your feet or make sharp changes of direction.

Here are a few exercises which will bring more awareness to your feet, help you develop strength in the feet and control in the ankles.

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