Bills WR Mack Hollins is an eight-year NFL veteran, Super Bowl champion and one of the most interesting people in the league.
Whether he’s giving TikTok tutorials on dancing and home care, slogging his way into the end zone or voicing his opinion on NFL Network’s “GMFB,” Hollins’ personality always shines through. And while he wears Jordan 1 cleats on the field, Hollins does almost everything else without shoes on his feet.
Over the past few years, Hollins has made a conscious decision to go barefoot in his daily life, wearing neither shoes nor socks when he practices, drives to games, warms up, walks in public and, yes, during TikTok instructional videos.
There is a method behind Hollins’ apparent madness. The 30-year-old attributes his lifestyle change to the Australia-based group Melbourne Muscular Therapies, which takes a holistic approach to movement rehabilitation.
Ahead of Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, The Sporting News spoke with MMT lead bodyworkers Aaron Kiegaldie and Marcus “Ninja” Sinfield to better understand Hollins’ journey and how the decision to run barefoot benefited his NFL career.
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Why does Mack Hollins walk barefoot?
To be clear, Hollins runs barefoot because it benefits his health and his resilience on the football field.
Hollins’ relationship with MMT began in 2019 when he was considering retirement due to groin problems that were keeping him off the field. With the help of his partner, Hollins found a video of Ninja working on Kiegaldie’s groin and knew this was the type of treatment that addressed his ongoing issues.
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A connection was made and Hollins began to see results, leading to a working relationship between himself and the MMT duo, who flew to the United States for further hands-on work, a process that highlighted the importance of barefoot training.
Ninja explained the benefits of running barefoot in terms of proper landing and force absorption.
We have so many nerve endings in our feet and they give our brain feedback about how we’re moving. When we move, we often land on our heels. So when we’re barefoot, we’re getting the information that we’re not landing properly – we’re not overcoming those braking forces properly. We should be like a suspension and not like a hammer. That gives you that feedback about what’s pure. We want to go back to pure biomechanics because that’s the most efficient biomechanics.
Ninja added that in addition to the biomechanics of force absorption, barefoot movements also teach the body how to properly sprint, change direction, accelerate and decelerate.
By learning these movements correctly, the risk of soft tissue injuries on the field is reduced.
Since connecting in 2019, Hollins has taken time to train in Australia, and the MMT duo travel to the States to work with Hollins, Kiegaldie explained. This offseason, Hollins’ training has included barefoot deadlifts, squats, sprints and more.
Their approach is more than just physical, as they also consider the mental, spiritual, emotional and psychological elements of the process, Ninja and Kiegaldie said. The duo praised Hollins’ commitment in this regard, adding that he has never missed a session in the more than five years they have worked together.
It’s hard to deny Hollins’ commitment, who proudly wears T-shirts with “Free the Feet” written in capital letters during pregame warmups. The 30-year-old talks the talk and walks the talk, literally.
“For me, it was great,” Hollins explained in an interview. “Everyone should be barefoot – you don’t see anyone walking around with mittens on. If you don’t use your fingers, you don’t have the dexterity to use them – the same goes for feet, toes and ankles. … (Going barefoot) definitely helped me take off and jump because I feel like I can grip the ground better.”
Since missing the entire 2018 NFL season, Hollins has played in 80 of a possible 84 games. In his debut in Buffalo, Hollins caught two balls for 25 yards and a touchdown.
While Hollins’ barefoot lifestyle continues to make headlines throughout the 2024 season, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this lifestyle has also impacted his ability to play.
