Why does Mack Hollins go barefoot? Experts from Melbourne Muscular Therapies explain their 'shoeless' advice to Bills WR

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 maintenance, weaving his way into the end zone or speaking his mind 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.

In recent years, Hollins has made a deliberate choice to go barefoot in his daily life, opting for no shoes or socks when working out, traveling to games, warming up, walking in public and, yes, during instructional TikTok videos.

There's a method to Hollins' perceived madness. The 30-year-old has credited the lifestyle change to Australia-based Melbourne Muscular Therapies , a group that takes a holistic approach to exercise rehabilitation.

Ahead of Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, The Sporting News spoke with MMT senior bodyworkers, Aaron Kiegaldie and Marcus "Ninja" Sinfield for a greater understanding of Hollins' journey and how the choice to go barefoot has benefitted his NFL career.

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Why does Mack Hollins go barefoot?

To put it plainly, Hollins goes barefoot because of its benefits on his health and durability on the football field.

Hollins' relationship with MMT began in 2019 as he contemplated retirement because of groin ailments that kept him off the field. With the help of his partner, Hollins found a video of Ninja working on Kiegaldie's groin and knew that was the type of treatment needed for his lingering issues.

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A connection was established and Hollins began seeing results, leading to a working relationship between him and MMT's duo, who flew to the United States for more hands-on work, a process that emphasized the importance of working out barefoot.

Ninja explained the benefits of barefoot work through the lens of proper landing and force absorption.

We've got so many nerve endings in our feet and they give us feedback up to our brain about how we're moving. A lot of times when we're moving around, we land on our heels. So when we're in bare feet, we get the information that we're not landing properly — we're not overcoming those breaking forces properly. We should be like a suspension rather than a hammer. It gives you that feedback about what is pure. We want to go back to pure biomechanics because that is the most efficient biomechanics.

In addition to the biomechanics of force absorption, Ninja added that barefoot movements teach the body how to properly sprint, change direction, accelerate and decelerate.

By teaching those movements correctly, the risk of soft-tissue injuries on the playing field decreases.

Since establishing a connection in 2019, Hollins takes time out of his schedule to train in Australia and the MMT duo travels to the States to work with Hollins, Kiegaldie explained. This offseason, Hollins' work included barefoot deadlifts, squats, sprints and much more.

Their approach is more than just physical, as they tap into the mental, spiritual, emotional and psychological elements of the process, Ninja and Kiegaldie said. The duo praised Hollins' buy-in on those fronts, adding that he has never missed a session in their five-plus years of working together.

It's hard to deny the buy-in from Hollins, who proudly sports shirts that read "Free the feet" in all caps during pregame warm-ups. The 30-year-old talks the talk and, quite literally, walks the walk.

"It's been great for me," Hollins explained in an interview. "Everybody should be barefoot — you don't see people walking around in mittens. If you don't use your fingers, you don't have the dexterity to use them — same thing with your feet and your toes and your ankles. … [Going barefoot] has definitely helped me with my take offs, my get offs because I feel like I can grip the ground better."

Since missing the entirety of the 2018 NFL season, Hollins has appeared in 80 of a possible 84 games. In his Buffalo debut, Hollins snagged two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.

As Hollins' barefoot lifestyle continues to make headlines throughout the 2024 season, don't lose sight of the fact the lifestyle has impacted his ability to make plays, too.