Coaches often emphasize the importance of staying on your toes, but is this really the best advice for athletes? While the intention behind this cue is to promote quickness and readiness, it can actually do more harm than good. Playing exclusively on the toes can lead to instability, unpredictable foot mechanics, and increased injury risk. Instead, athletes should focus on full foot contact, utilizing dorsiflexion to enhance force production, responsiveness, and movement efficiency.

In this blog, we’ll break down why proper foot positioning is crucial for athletic performance, how movement mechanics affect acceleration and deceleration, and why common coaching cues should be reconsidered. Whether you’re a coach, trainer, or athlete, understanding these principles will help improve performance while keeping athletes safe.

A common coaching cue in sports is to tell athletes to “stay on their toes” to stay light and quick. While this advice seems logical, it ignores fundamental movement mechanics.

When athletes position themselves exclusively on their toes, they create an unstable base. The lack of full foot contact makes it difficult to generate force efficiently. More importantly, it places the foot and ankle in an unsafe position—highly dependent on plantar flexion, which limits stability. If an athlete needs to quickly react, change direction, or absorb force, they risk rolling an ankle or losing balance.A more effective and safer position involves keeping full foot contact with the ground while maintaining an athletic stance. This allows the athlete to engage dorsiflexion, shifting weight toward the front of the foot while keeping the heel low. This small but significant adjustment creates a stable, elastic, and reactive position—allowing for both quickness and control.

1. Stability and Injury Prevention

Stability is the foundation of movement. If an athlete is unstable, their ability to accelerate, decelerate, or change direction is compromised. Foot positioning plays a key role in stability, and full foot contact provides a stronger, more reliable base than being on the toes alone.

When an athlete plants their foot for a cut or pivot, keeping the foot fully engaged with the ground reduces the risk of rolling the ankle. Instead of relying on plantar flexion, which places unnecessary stress on the lower leg, dorsiflexion allows for a more controlled force absorption and a safer repositioning of the foot.

2. Acceleration, Deceleration, and Reaction Time

Athletes need to both accelerate quickly and decelerate effectively to control their movements. Playing on the toes can hinder this process.

Acceleration: When an athlete pushes off, they generate power by applying force into the ground. With more surface area (full foot contact), they can produce greater force, resulting in a more explosive start.
Deceleration: Slowing down is just as important as speeding up. A dorsiflexed foot position allows for controlled braking, reducing excessive stress on the joints. Without this, an athlete can lose control or increase their injury risk.
Reaction Time: A well-positioned foot allows athletes to respond to unpredictable changes in play efficiently. If their weight is solely on the toes, they lack the necessary stability to react with precision.

By optimizing foot positioning, athletes improve their ability to transition between movements smoothly and safely.

Athletes often rely on muscle elasticity to generate movement. The more efficiently they load their joints and muscles, the more explosively they can react.

When an athlete has full foot contact, the ankle, knee, and hip all contribute to absorbing and redirecting force. This natural loading process enhances force production and energy return, making movements more efficient.

On the other hand, a toes-only approach disrupts this natural loading. It isolates stress on the calf and limits how effectively force can be transferred through the kinetic chain. As a result, movement becomes less elastic and less reactive, leading to decreased performance.Simply put: full foot contact optimizes force production, enhances movement efficiency, and reduces injury risk.

Social media has amplified short, often misunderstood coaching cues. A brief post like “don’t play on your toes” can lead to misinterpretation, making it seem like the alternative is to play completely flat-footed. However, the real message is about finding the most effective foot positioning for movement efficiency and safety.

Coaches should:
Encourage athletes to engage the full foot while keeping weight slightly forward.
Teach proper dorsiflexion mechanics for quicker, more stable movement.
Explain why too much plantar flexion (heels lifted too high) is risky.
Use contextual coaching rather than generic cues that can be misinterpreted.A well-rounded coaching approach ensures athletes receive accurate, applicable guidance rather than just repeating outdated advice.

Foot positioning plays a crucial role in stability, acceleration, deceleration, and injury prevention. While staying on the toes might seem like a logical way to stay quick, it actually puts athletes at a disadvantage by reducing force production and increasing instability.

Instead, athletes should use full foot contact with dorsiflexion, allowing for safer, more explosive movements. By refining coaching cues and emphasizing proper movement mechanics, coaches can help athletes perform at their best while minimizing injury risk.At the end of the day, foot positioning is not just about speed—it’s about efficiency, control, and longevity in sports performance.