- Nov 22, 2019
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The Achilles being stretched isn’t the exact focus, it’s the interaction with the calf. If the ankle goes through full ROM as you’re driving out that is a knee extension dominant movement and will achieve more calf/quad interaction only allowing force to be expressed at the angle you drive from. Often we ask athletes to use hips but they can not structurally do so unless joint orientation or angles change. The Achilles interaction when loading is more Isometric (what we want) in more explosive movers. This is trainable.
My 10-year old daughter started with a new pitching coach recently, and after an initial evaluation she was given a lot “toe” exercises (among other things) she has to do everyday to help her become more rotational in the hips. I’m guessing this is the reason behind it. It reminds me of Karate Kid training.