Hop to it: do children ever stop hopping about?
The sights of rabbits and lambs hopping around on adverts this Easter sparked a thought: at what age do we stop hopping? Young children seem to do it all the time, as part whether walking into school or with their parents around the mall. As adults, unless we participate in certain sports (more on these below), we only tend to hop if we hurt our foot, such as stubbing a toe or dropping something heavy on it, or when trying to put our socks on in a hurry!
What is hopping?
“Hopping is a continuous skill that involves taking off and landing on the same
foot. Hopping may occur on the spot or travelling.” (1)
- For children, hopping is usually done for the sheer fun of it and in certain kids’ games such as skipping or hopscotch.
- In adults, it’s a skill that is invaluable in various sports, where the definition of “hopping” depends on the action required.
Hopping about due to a foot injury?
Make an appointment to see our specialist team at one of our three Ontario foot clinics.
Do children stop hopping at a particular age?
Kids don’t “stop” hopping in the sense of completely abandoning it. Hopping is an essential motor skill that improves as children develop their balance, coordination, and leg strength.
In general:
- Toddlers experiment with jumping aged around 18 months, often starting with a jump with both feet leaving the ground, often called a “bunny hop.”
- By 3 years old, most kids can jump forward a few inches
- By 4 years old, they often start to hop on one foot for a short period.
- By age 5, children can perform sustained hopping on one foot, alternating feet ass they do so. Hopping also becomes part of a wider range of movements and activities like skipping and jumping rope..
- By the age of 6, hopping is generally a well-established skill, performed with good control and coordination, to the point of becoming annoying for parents trying to get kids anywhere on time!
Hopping in adult sports
Hopping features in various sports including:
Track and field athletics
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- Triple jump: hop, step, and jump
- High jump: a powerful hop
- Pole vault: final hop
Gymnastics
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- As part of tumbling and acrobatic floor sequences
- During sequences on the balance beam (impressive as it’s only 10cm wide) (3)
Martial arts
Various martial arts include a quick hop as preparation for a particular movement, or in kicking. It features extensively in Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), when competitors are almost permanently hopping on one leg.
“The hop step involves hopping forward or backward to quickly change your position. Maintaining good footwork in Muay Thai is crucial for effective movement, balance, and striking.” (4)
NOW May Thai (2023, April 23)
We get a lot of clients coming to us with injuries from taking part in taekwondo. So, we wrote an article about it.
Basketball
In basketball, ‘hop’ is another name for a jump. A true hop as above will result in a penalty.
“Upon ending his dribble or gaining control of the ball, a player may not touch the floor consecutively with the same foot (hop). PENALTY: Loss of ball.” (5)
So the so-called Pro Hop isn’t actually a true hop, as the player needs to land on two feet:
Sports-related injuries
Many of our patients come to us with sports related foot and ankle injuries, whether they are elite athletes or weekend warriors. For some of the most common sports injuries we see at our clinics see these blogs
Or call us to make an appointment.
Hopping, jumping, and landing impact
All hopping and jumping will involve landing back on your foot/feet at the end of the movement. When you land, the force of impact can be equivalent to several times your body weight. So if you are continually landing on a hard surface, whether inside out outside, it’s important that your sports footwear properly supports and cushions your feet to absorb and distribute force of the impact.
Sore feet, heels or lower leg muscles?
If you are experiencing any foot pain after sports involving jumping and landing, book an appointment with one of our team at one of our three foot clinics in Ontario.
