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Laterality: Foot Dominance
“Typically, foot preference for a particular task is characterized
by its stabilizing and mobilizing (or manipulating) features.
That is,
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One limb is used to
manipulate an object or lead out (e.g., kicking a ball, stepping up on a
chair, letter tracing with a foot while standing, picking up a pebble),
whereas
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The other foot has the
role of lending postural (stabilizing) support.
In such a bilateral context [a task involving both
the left and right sides of the body], which provides a relatively
clear division of functional limb action, the consensus is that
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The mobilizing limb
[the limb that is exerting greater force] is the preferred (dominant)
foot, whereas
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The foot that is used to
support the actions of the preferred foot [e.g. by maintaining balance] is
defined as the nonpreferred limb.
In this context, tasks that are more unilateral, such
as one-foot balance [as opposed to two-foot balance, where the
dominant foot supports most of the body weight, while the other foot only
helps to maintain balance] and hopping on one limb, are questionable,
because they do not provide clear bilateral role differentiation.”
Journal of General Psychology: 'A question of foot
dominance' by Carl Gabbard, Susan Hart
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