How to Jump Higher (part 6) – Tibialis Anterior
The tibialis anterior muscle is the large muscle that runs down the outside of the shin. Its tendon can be felt at the front of the ankle. The anterior tibial tendon helps control the front of your foot when it meets the ground.
That’s a major muscle group that helps you jump and land.
Inflammation can arise through overuse particularly through running on hard surfaces or in racket sports where you have to change direction frequently. Doesn’t it sounds familiar? When you coach keep telling you jump … jump … jump on hard ground.
Dorsiflexion is a foot movement upward produced by the activity of the front part of shin muscles. At this position the front part of the foot is higher than the rear part in relation to the horizontal plane.
Develop the strength of the front group of shin muscles – tibialis anterior – by doing dorsiflexion exercises with different kinds of resistance. Take a look at the following vids, which show a simple yet efficient way of training the tibialis anterior:
Training the muscles is one thing. Stretching is the key for injury prevention.
Try shin stretching with the following easy 1, 2, 3…
- Kneel with your shins flat on the ground
- Sit back on your heels, slowly increasing the pressure
- Hold for between 10 and 30 seconds
An advance method would be:
- Kneel with your shins flat on the ground
- Place your hands on the floor next to your knees
- Raise your knees of the floor, keep your heels and knees together and feet on the floor
- Hold for between 10 and 30 seconds
If you miss the previous articles, you can catch it HERE.
