The instep is the arched upper part of your foot between your toes and ankle. If you're wearing shoes and look down, the instep is the curved top part where your laces cross. When you stand barefoot and look at your foot from the side, you'll notice your foot doesn't lie completely flat: it curves upward in the middle, creating an arch. That arch is your instep.

The instep matters in sports, especially soccer. When players want to kick the ball with power and accuracy, they often use their instep rather than their toes. A good instep kick lets them control exactly where the ball goes. Dancers also think about their insteps: in ballet, a high, graceful instep is considered beautiful and helps create elegant lines.

Your instep lifts as you walk, helping your foot work with each step. Some people have high insteps with dramatic arches, while others have flatter feet with less pronounced insteps. Shoe shopping can be tricky if you have particularly high or low insteps, since shoes need to fit comfortably across that curved part of your foot.