Links and articles on feet

Look at the orientation of the foot

On 15th May, 2025 I ran a continuing professional development workshop for teacher and trainee members of the Australian Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique.

After the course I provided that attendees with the following list of links and articles so that they could go into more depth and detail on the material I referenced in the presentation.

Here are some extra links and references which you may want to follow up on.

• People walking in San Francisco 1906. Note the overall orientation of most of the people as they walk and compare this to what we generally see today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5Nur642BU

• Passive Walking Robot propelled by its own weight demonstrates how the proportions of our leg musculature will create the walking movement automatically if we organise the upper body and hips effectively. Of course, in humans we also have the spring mechanisms working for us if we connect effectively through the body, giving us an extra dimension to the walking. How this spring mechanism works in walking is demonstrated in the next video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhu2xNIpgDE

• Passive Dynamic Walker with Flat Feet, Toes and Ankle Springs demonstrates a very different gait to human beings but replicates how the sprung nature of the muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia act in relation to the spring mechanisms walking (if you are a penguin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvyJhWhz38c

• Conclusions Drawn from a comparative study of the feet of bare-footed and shoe-wearing peoples. Phil Hoffman Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 1905

• Flexible mechanisms: the diverse roles of biological springs in vertebrate movement. Roberts TJ and Azizi E Journal of Experimental Biology Jan 2011

• Normal Biomechanics of the foot and Ankle: Donatelli, R The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy 1985

For anyone interested to see how to introduce the Alexander technique to the general public via the prism of the feet, I’m running a workshop on Sunday 14th September, 2025 Details here: https://www.alexanderschool.com.au/foot-workshop

And I will be presenting this material in workshops which I'm running in Europe and the UK between 9 June and 18 August, 2025. Details here https://www.alexanderschool.com.au/workshops-overseas