Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 41

Thread: Air Jordan's?

  1. #1

    Air Jordan's?

    What is going on with the Tar Heels and all these foot and ankle problems? Could it be that their beloved Air Jordan's are not as supportive as they need to be? Lawson (last year), Zeller, Ginyard, Graves all have had foot and or ankle issues. Time to change brands?

    I am only half kidding, I wonder if there is something causing the problems with the heels?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by oldnavy View Post
    What is going on with the Tar Heels and all these foot and ankle problems? Could it be that their beloved Air Jordan's are not as supportive as they need to be? Lawson (last year), Zeller, Ginyard, Graves all have had foot and or ankle issues. Time to change brands?

    I am only half kidding, I wonder if there is something causing the problems with the heels?
    It's all in the nickname...
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Simple, the answer is "polygone de sustentation." For you mooks, if your center of gravity gets pushed outside the polygon that your feet form within which the center must remain (a function of height from the polygon), the thing will fall, unless the body does something to offset the forces of gravity. Stress is put on the polygon through the leg muscles which are working like crazy to keep you upright. Sometimes the polygon breaks.

    In simpler terms, you ask guys to do things that they perform less than ideally that puts their weight outside of where it needs to be, the system gets stressed. You might do something with your upper body to keep from falling, even though your center of gravity would otherwise cause it (think skiing here sports fans--your center of gravity on a turn is way outside your skiis to the left you lean with your upper body to the right), but the strain on your feet and ankles can be enormous.

    Now, the thing that trainers work the least on are the feet. In fact, form-fitted shoes are usually placed on an athlete's feet BEFORE they begin stretching and working out. NEITHER TRAINERS NOR ATHLETES DO ANYTHING AS PART OF A ROUTINE TO HELP BETTER ALIGN THE METATARSALS OF THE FEET SO, THE MACHINE THAT THEY MAKE WITH THE ANKLE WILL PERFORM OPTIMALLY IN WITHSTANDING STRESS AND TRANSFERING ENERGY.

    Thus, Roy has guys running the floor and doing stuff that puts them in positions in which the laws of physics put too much stress on poorly aligned feet.

    Or, it might be the water.
    Last edited by greybeard; 01-14-2010 at 01:00 PM. Reason: replace two words with two others

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Washington, DC
    All I know is, every time I work out I make sure to step into my laser-guided foot alignment machine first. I knew those BMEs were on to something...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA/Durham, NC
    And in Lawson's case - he didn't even tie his shoes...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Asheville, NC

    Strange

    Quote Originally Posted by SupaDave View Post
    And in Lawson's case - he didn't even tie his shoes...
    I think they have a few classes for that at UNC-remedial and advanced. Must not have fit into his schedule...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Go ahead and laugh, or come to me, a soon to be certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, and I could help do wonders for those puppies of yours.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Here's a few short, good tips:

    When at home, go barefoot as much as possible.

    When watching games, instead of twiddling your fingers when you get nervous, play with your toes, each individually, elongate each one, twirl it gently (if you do it gently enough and find the right direction, you will twirl your metatarsals as well), and then interlace the fingers of your hand with your toes from the top (cross your ankle over your other knee before trying this, I will not be responsible for anyone who reaches down to the floor to try this and yanks out his back).

    When you get to the gym, take a 6" roller, they all have them, place it about a foot from a wall, put hands gently on wall, and step on roller with one foot, the other on floor, and roll the foot all the way up to the top joint on the toes and then back to the arch, SLOWLY. Make each roll its own thing. Do 10 times. Then step onto the roller with the same foot. Once settled. Step up with the other foot. If the other foot is the LEFT, lift the right shoulder blade towards the ceiling a little as you step up. OH, DO DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR SHOES ON.

    Then switch feet. Better than any stretching exercise you could ever do.

    Don't mention it.
    Last edited by greybeard; 01-14-2010 at 01:38 PM. Reason: add a few words

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Quote Originally Posted by greybeard View Post
    Go ahead and laugh, or come to me, a soon to be certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, and I could help do wonders for those puppies of yours.
    Haha i believe it. It's always surprising to me when I hear docs talk about how most knee/back problems are caused by your feet distributing weight improperly. It makes total sense though, I mean there's a reason the hardest part about building a building is setting a foundation. It's also crazy to me when I think about the shoes that Larry Bird played in.

    Do you really think though that Roy designs plays that have people cut too hard?

    Also, I'm completely blanking here, but wasnt there some incident 10-15 years ago when an NCAA player had his shoe basically explode during a fast break and it completely ruined the public perception of that brand? Anyone know what I'm talking about here?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazieDUMB View Post
    Haha i believe it. It's always surprising to me when I hear docs talk about how most knee/back problems are caused by your feet distributing weight improperly. It makes total sense though, I mean there's a reason the hardest part about building a building is setting a foundation. It's also crazy to me when I think about the shoes that Larry Bird played in.

    Do you really think though that Roy designs plays that have people cut too hard?

    Also, I'm completely blanking here, but wasnt there some incident 10-15 years ago when an NCAA player had his shoe basically explode during a fast break and it completely ruined the public perception of that brand? Anyone know what I'm talking about here?
    I think all coaches at a top level have players playing too hard and that that is a major cause of injury in basketball. And, it is not cutting to hard that is the issue necessarily.

    If you play fast-break basketball and are required to reach for a pass in an awkward fashion as a big guy on the move, the stresses placed on maintaining balance because you have or are about to move outside the paragon of sustentation will cause injury more than if you are running the floor at a more normal pace.

    Closer to home, get down in a slap-the-floor defensive position, are your ankles and feet more tense (less free to move or more). I'm sure you will find that it is the former. Now, your paragon of sustentation will have a greater range of stability, you will be able to shift your upper body and butt from side to side and remain in balance much further than if you were more upright, but if you step wrongly, are pushed or cut in a manner that causes your upper body to shift with great momentum, your feet and your ankle are much less equipped to deal with the sudden force flexibly, to absorb the force. Do it enough, the connective tissue or small bones are more likely to break down, especially if your feet are out of whack to begin with. (And, just stand barefoot sometime, and look at the different shapes and directions of the toes, where the weight is on each foot. A freakin mess that trainers ignore. Not me and my Feldenkrais colleagues we don't.) Just a theory.

    By the way, if you try the thing with the roller, and do just one foot, see what it feels like to stand and then walk around a bit. I think you will be surprised how different one side of the body feels, from these simple little movements. (Do not press into the roller when rolling your foot, just let your foot mold to the roller). The same with playing with the toes. Both will considerably diminish the residual tension held in the muscles--in the calves, shins, hammies, quads, gluts and even up into the shoulder girdle. No, it's true.
    Last edited by greybeard; 01-14-2010 at 02:43 PM.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by greybeard View Post
    Here's a few short, good tips:

    When at home, go barefoot as much as possible.

    When watching games, instead of twiddling your fingers when you get nervous, play with your toes, each individually, elongate each one, twirl it gently (if you do it gently enough and find the right direction, you will twirl your metatarsals as well), and then interlace the fingers of your hand with your toes from the top (cross your ankle over your other knee before trying this, I will not be responsible for anyone who reaches down to the floor to try this and yanks out his back).

    When you get to the gym, take a 6" roller, they all have them, place it about a foot from a wall, put hands gently on wall, and step on roller with one foot, the other on floor, and roll the foot all the way up to the top joint on the toes and then back to the arch, SLOWLY. Make each roll its own thing. Do 10 times. Then step onto the roller with the same foot. Once settled. Step up with the other foot. If the other foot is the LEFT, lift the right shoulder blade towards the ceiling a little as you step up. OH, DO DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR SHOES ON.

    Then switch feet. Better than any stretching exercise you could ever do.

    Don't mention it.
    Greybeard, you are starting to scare me.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Quote Originally Posted by oldnavy View Post
    Greybeard, you are starting to scare me.
    I see your point, I got the shoulder blades mixed up. You lift the same shoulder blade that you are shifting your weight onto as you step up with your other foot. Otherwise, you would be pushing down on the side you are trying to lift, which would be counterproductive. Wee, glad you caught that. You think I'm starting to scare you?

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by greybeard View Post

    play with your toes, each individually, elongate each one, twirl it gently (if you do it gently enough and find the right direction, you will twirl your metatarsals as well), and then interlace the fingers of your hand with your toes from the top
    Congratulations on your impending certification but if my husband starts playing with his feet while we are watching a game, I may just freak out.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    20 Minutes From The Heaven That Is Cameron Indoor
    Quote Originally Posted by oldnavy View Post
    Greybeard, you are starting to scare me.
    Actually this is one of his simpler explanations!


    His big man/post play diagnosis is much more complex and interesting!


    All in fun Greybeard...I am one of your fans!

    Carry on..

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hudson Valley
    Quote Originally Posted by Boozer View Post
    Actually this is one of his simpler explanations!

    His big man/post play diagnosis is much more complex and interesting!

    All in fun Greybeard...I am one of your fans!

    Carry on..
    Let's not go there. Last time we had that discussion, I tried to follow it and ended up with a headache that lasted three days

  16. #16
    Here is an interesting tid bit. I currently go to Appalachian State University which is now coached again by Buzz Peterson (MJ's college roommate/teammate). With Buzz coming back the basketball team here is now sponsored by Jordan for this season. I know that during the first week of practice around 7 or 8 players' Jordans blew out and there were some ankle injuries but nothing real severe. So this actually could be the case.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California
    As long ago as the 1961-64 years, Jeff Mullins used to go though one pair of Converse All-Stars in a game. Those shoes were the best of their time, yet still couldn't hold up to what an elite athlete like Mullins could do.

  18. #18
    Being a former D1 basketball player, I can assure you that "air jordans" have absolutly no achillies support. Worst pair of "basketball" shoes on the market. If it wasn't for the name, they would be sold in Payless or would be next to the Starburys in Steve and Barrys.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by CharlotteExpress View Post
    Being a former D1 basketball player, I can assure you that "air jordans" have absolutly no achillies support. Worst pair of "basketball" shoes on the market. If it wasn't for the name, they would be sold in Payless or would be next to the Starburys in Steve and Barrys.
    "It must be the shoes!" I refuse to buy Nike shoe for reasons dating back to some ads and sponsors around Christmas several years ago. They offended me, so I stopped buying them for that reason ( I am a rebel at heart!). I prefer Reebok, but that is just me. I know Duke is a Nike school, so I do have some Nike appearal but that is because I love Duke more than I dislike Nike, but no Nike shoes for me.

  20. #20
    New Balance, New Balance,
    New Balance, New Balance,
    New Balance, New Balance,
    New Balance, New Balance

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •