Oztag may be a low-contact sport, but just because you’re not being unceremoniously tackled to the ground makes it no less of a challenge!

Created in Sydney in the 1980s to fill a gap in the market for a sport that was fun, safe and easy to play, Oztag is hugely popular across Australia.

The combined dynamics of fun, fitness, safe play and healthy competition have seen the game grow in popularity, with hundreds of thousands of people playing Oztag (and universal versions including International Tag), in many countries worldwide.

To play the game of Oztag well, you well know you need lightning feet to enable you to pass and catch on the run and swiftly side-step the opposition.

Your lightning feet need the agility to duck and weave, the power to kick and the stamina to endure.

In addition to the skills and drills your coach will take the team through, you can give yourself an edge that many athletes, even many professionals are still neglecting – although the tide is turning quickly…

Here’s what you can do:

Strengthen your feet.

Intrigued?

People are often surprised by the idea that you can make your feet stronger.

It’s an often-overlooked fact that the human foot is made up of 29 muscles working together. And just like our biceps or abs or glutes, all of our 29 foot muscles benefit from being worked and strengthened.

Strengthening your feet may seem like a strange idea – and involves more than doing laps of the oval. To explain, let’s think for a moment about how the foot is designed to work.

Before the invention of the humble shoe, man was barefoot. We ran, walked, hunted and played without restriction, and our feet moved naturally. Feet are biomechanically designed to flex, splay, contract, roll and extend.

Unfortunately, even the most technologically advanced sports shoes restrict foot movement, and this can lead to foot weakness and even injury.

There is a way to actually strengthen your feet – and this can be achieved whether you’re in pre-season training, gameday competition, going for a sunset stroll or doing your grocery shopping. 

G8 Performance Pro Series 2620 Insoles exercise your feet and encourage your feet to move naturally in your shoe:

• The 2620 design features an adjustable arch piece. This flexible arch piece supports your foot throughout the entire range of motion. It flexes to suit the load before springing back to its original shape.
• Through this functional movement, your forefoot is strengthened and loosened, and blood flow within your foot is enhanced. This improves the function of the foot’s muscles, and reduces numbness.
  

• This movement is a form of passive exercise of the plantar muscles. 

The result? Increased strength in your foot muscles to hold up your foot arch and keep your feet healthier… greater endurance… less fatigue. And hopefully more victories!

Like any sport, there is a risk of injury when playing Oztag or International Tag. While the non-contact nature of the game does reduce the risk of injury compared to contact sports such as rugby or American football, some of the most common injuries associated with Oztag and International Tag include:

• Sprains and strains: These injuries often occur to the ankles, knees, and wrists from sudden movements or changes of direction.
• Soft tissue injuries: These injuries can occur to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments from overuse or repetitive motion.
• Overuse injuries: These injuries can occur due to playing too much or training too hard, such as stress fractures or tendonitis.

Now let’s cover how we can avoid or lessen these types of injuries…

G8 Performance 2620s can help prevent Oztag injuries by providing support and alignment to the foot and improving foot function. 

These custom-made insoles are designed to correct your gait and address any existing foot or leg issues you may have, such as flat feet or overpronation. 

By providing proper support and alignment to the foot, the 2620s can help distribute weight and pressure evenly across the foot, reducing the risk of stress injuries. 

Additionally, these custom orthotics can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries by cushioning and supporting the foot, reducing the impact of each step and preventing fatigue.