How to Care of a Soccer Player Feet: Foot Care Tips 101
As a soccer player, or as a footballer, it should come as no surprise that proper foot care is one of the most important things you can do to improve performance and avoid common injuries. I mean it is literally in the name, “foot” ball.
As a current amateur soccer player and a soccer coach, I’ve experienced many foot issues in the past such as ankle sprains and toe problems. I’ve also graduated with a degree in kinesiology: rehab science and have a good understanding of how the foot works and how to take proper care of your feet.
In this blog, I will explain how the feet of professional soccer players look and function completely different compared to the average player’s feet. I will also explain how you can regain full foot function to improve athletic performance and give you some tips for proper foot care.
Your feet are like the roots of a tree. This means they need to be strong and have a good base of support since they are your foundation and your first connection to the ground. You need to be able to feel every single part of your foot, from the arch to the toes like in the image below. Dysfunctional feet lead to problems elsewhere in the body and how much control you have of your feet is a huge dictator of how athletic you can become.
Image by source
Common Injuries Related to the Foot
Before I begin explaining how the foot is supposed to function, it is important to understand the myths about soccer injuries and how all of your lifestyle choices, from sleep, nutrition, hydration, EMF exposure, and recovery affect your rate of injuries and how fast you heal from them.
For the most part, non-contact injuries are completely preventable, and we can train to minimize the impact of contact injuries. This is a list of the most common foot and ankle injuries that soccer players at all levels, from youth to amateur, to professional, experience the most.
- Abrasions or scrapes
- Athlete’s foot
- Blisters
- Calluses
- Ingrown toenails
- Toenail fungus
- Broken toe nails
- Fungal infections
- Turf toe
- Big toe problems
This is a list of more serious foot problems that are not as common, but have more consequences. For the most part, these problems can also be completely preventable, especially if there is no contact. If there is contact, the chances of you getting injured will depend on various factors covered on our post about injuries.
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Bone bruise
- Foot fractures
- Broken bones
- Ankle sprains
- Bone spurs
Feet of Elite Athletes vs Average Athletes
If you have ever come across some images of the feet of your favorite athletes, you may or may not have noticed some interesting features. Looking at feet is not exciting, it may be pretty gross for some people, but by looking at them you get huge insights as to what exactly is happening inside the cleats of top athletes.
The feet of elite athletes of any sport not only look different, but they also function much differently than the feet of regular people and this is way more important than it seems. When you look at the feet of elite athletes, there are clear signs of fascial tension, which relates to how much subconscious control they have of their deeper layers of fascia.
Fascia covers your entire body, but certain parts have more fascia than others, such as the plantar fascia, or bottom of your foot. Check out this video to get an even better understanding and visual of what it means to apply fascial tension to the feet.
These are some of the signs that tell is about degree of fascial tension in the feet:
- Retracted toes
- Calluses at the top of middle toe joints
- Prominent extensor tendons on the top of the foot
- Prominent Anterior tibialis tendon which connects the feet and the shin
- High ankle stiffness
- Strong and visible arch that does not collapse easily
- Effortless athletic movements
Thoughts on Foot Experts
If a podiatrist were to look at the images above, according to them these would be dysfunctional feet that don’t work and need help, but look again at who those feet belong to. These two athletes are two of the best of all time in their sport, yet “foot experts” would say they have dysfunctional feet.
However, we all know that these guys are elite athletes so their feet work perfectly fine, even better than average athletes. What many people don’t know is that feet are very pliable and can change and mold shape depending on the inputs you give them.
This is why their feet look so messed up, because their feet have molded and changed shape to help them perform better at their sport. When it comes to the feet it is much more important to focus on how they function, not how they look, as well as focusing on getting the right sensations from the feet to the glutes, and eventually to the rest of the body.
If a regular athlete, that does not have the athleticism of Ronaldo or Lebron James, had the same feet as they do, then chances are that person would experience pain since again, how the feet function and how they are mapped out inside of your brain’s homonculus is much more important than how they look.
However, since Ronaldo and Lebron James do not have pain and are elite athletes we know their feet are functional and are working properly even if they look like they don’t work. Next, I also want you to watch this video of another elite basketball player.
The training Wemby does may look funny because most people think training the feet is weird and is a waste of time, but look at the injury he was able to survive. Most people would be out for months if they rolled their ankle like that. However, now you know that by training your feet and fascia consistently you will also be better able to survive similar falls like this.
There are also tons of videos online of elite footballers like Messi surviving horror tackles while others get injured right away with the same hit. So what factor makes the difference in surviving those injuries or not? It is your feet and your fascia.
The Posterior Chain: Foot to Glute Connection
When we talk about fascia and the feet, we also have to talk about the glutes, specifically the feet-to-glutes connection. There is a neurological connection from the feet to the glutes that many people are not yet aware of and this is a “hidden” mechanism that all top athletes have.
I say “hidden” because if you are not aware of this, you will have no idea what I am talking about, even if you already have this function because no one has told you about it. Check out this blog to learn how you can test the foot to glute connection for yourself with the basic fascia training exercises.
Also answer the following questions. Do you FEEL your glutes when you walk? How about when you run? How about when you kick a ball or do any soccer skill?
If you don’t innately feel this connection now or have no idea what I am talking about, then good thing you came across this blog. If you do feel this connection, then congratulations because you have a basic body function that many people lose due to modern lifestyle choices such as too much sitting, bad footwear, poor biomechanics, and not following a proper training program.
As you get better at applying fascial tension to the feet, meaning you get better at retracting the toes, engaging the arch, locking the ankle, and actually feeling every part of your foot (think back to the image of the tree) you will reach a point where you will be able to engage your glutes simply by thinking about the arch of your foot.
This is completely different from squeezing your glutes and feeling them contract strongly. The point of this neurological connection is to have the glutes “on” and “activated” all of the time without really having to think about it because that is how the body is supposed to work.
As you gain more access to the deeper layers of your fascia, you will gain more access to your glutes, and feel these sensations more. Eventually the goal is to also feel your core “on” or “activated” all of the time, which again is completely different from bracing the core and squeezing hard.
Tips for Proper Foot Care
By now I hope you can understand why the function of your feet is really important. Here are my best tips for you so that you can be pain free and not have to worry about any foot problems.
– Get outside, take your shoes off, and go for grounded barefoot walks: 10+ minutes daily
– Do barefoot soccer training; 10+ minutes daily
– Prioritize sleep, nutrition, hydration, and EMF protection
– Perform the exercises on this playlist 3-4 times a week
– Roll out plantar fascia and calves with a spiky ball, which is the best massage tool: 3-5 minutes each foot daily
Spiky Ball
$6.99
– Start wearing barefoot-style shoes and stop wearing cushioned shoes with a raise heel
– Wear toe spacers daily for 10 + minutes daily
-Wear toe shaped socks daily
Toe Shaped Socks
$16.65
-Wear Grip socks or high quality regular socks to prevent blisters
Lux Anti-Slip Socks
$17.95
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-Wear high quality soccer insoles
– Wear wide soccer cleats, ideally made from leather
Nike Tiempo Legend 9
$120
– Wear shower shoes or sandals if you use a team locker room to avoid stepping on the shower floors to prevent athlete’s foot and other fungal infections
– Keep your toenails trimmed regularly to avoid any toenail problems such as an ingrown toenail
– Sit in Seiza position more often: 10 + minutes daily
– Avoid going to a podiatrist at all costs and try everything on this list first for a couple of weeks first.
If you are looking for soccer drills to do during a barefoot training session and if you are interested in more fascia training exercises plus much more, make sure to contact me and mention this blog post or fill out the form on our private training page.
Summary
To summarize, foot care is very important as a footballer, as obvious as that sounds. There is a lot of misinformation out there about the foot and my goal with this blog was to teach you a thing or two about how the foot actually works.
As someone who has gone through Kinesiology education and has received help from “foot experts” I can confidently say that fixing your foot issues are up to you and you only because there is a huge misunderstanding about how the foot is supposed to work in the mainstream world.
Do your own research, starting by reading and understanding the concepts of this blog, and then experiment by trying our tips and exercises. Many of the tips provided are things you can start doing today to help improve your foot function which will lead to better performances and less injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is foot care important?
Your feet are the first thing that are in contact with the ground and they are your foundation and the root to athletic performance.
How can I learn more about the game?
To learn more about soccer the most important thing is to join a team and play the game as much as possible. If possible, analyze high level games as much as you can and your own games as well by recording them with a soccer camera. Also read soccer books, listen to podcasts, watch soccer documentaries, as well as some movies, tv shows, and anime.
