Photo by Lorenzo Sernicola via Flickr

When a teacher tells a dancer to lift the arches of the foot, you’d think it’s a simple instruction with no room for misinterpretation. Think again.

Are you doing it wrong?

Following our recent post on arches (Fact or Myth: Do high heels strengthen the foot arch), we’ll show you one surprisingly simple exercise to lift and strengthen your arches, while avoiding overusing the wrong muscles.

Actually, we’ll get Australian dance physiotherapist Lisa Howell to show you with her short and sweet video on the topic.

She calls it the ‘holy grail of arch control’. And if you’re one of those dancers unwittingly gripping the wrong muscles/tendons to lift your arches (like I was), then this little video certainly will feel like the most highly-prized holy secret you’ve ever discovered.

It’s an old video, but a must-see for dancers and dance teachers alike…

Did this video help you? Let us know your thoughts and suggestions on arch control in the comments below.