Essential Ankle Strength and Mobility Strategies

April 4, 2009 on 10:24 am | In Strength Training | 14 Comments

Today is a rare Saturday morning where I have some time to sit down and watch Sportscenter.  They just showed highlights of the Miami Heat (basketball team) game where two starters of their rolled their ankles in a span of 3 minutes!

I also have read that the most common injury in football is………….ankle sprains.  Obviously, this is not just an issue for basketball players, but all athletes.  There are some complicated strategies, but I’m going to keep this post SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE.  Most of these suggestions won’t alter your time in the gym at all.

The sad thing is that ankle sprains can be HUGELY reduced with a few tweaks to the training program.  A little information on ankle sprains first.  There are ligaments that keep the ankle bones and foot in the correct position.  A sprain occurs when the ligament is stretched beyond its normal range of motion.  Sprained ankles often come from landing on uneven ground or off balance.

I know from personal experience that a sprained ankle is painful and annoying.  I broke my right ankle in a high school basketball game by coming down on someone’s foot.  I had issues rolling my ankles frequently.  A few years later, I made some tweaks in my training program and have not had A SINGLE ANKLE SPRAIN IN 5 YEARS, despite a close call a few months back(story at the end).

Simple Ankle Health Strategies

• GET OUT OF THE STIFF HIGH TOPS – Of course I’m talking about training, not games.  I posted a “Who Trains The Best” NBA version a few weeks back and you will notice that nearly all of these athletes have stiff high tops on while training.  These stiff shoes lock the foot and ankle in place and limit the training effect.  The simple fix is to warm up and do appropriate exercises in socks.  This will help increase strength and proprioception in the foot and ankle.  Below is a photo of Lamar Odom training in stiff shoes and lots of braces.  Which brings me to my next point….

• LOSE THE ANKLE BRACES – As soon as the injury is rehabbed, its time to lose the braces.  An ankle brace and taping are used to hold the foot and ankle in place, just like stiff high tops.  Again, if the joint is constantly braced, it will not develop any strength and stability! Simple Solution – strengthen and rehab the ankle appropriately, then let it free!  Here is another option to training in socks – Vibram Five Fingers. A new market is developing out of the realization that foot stabilization is often a crutch.

• WORK ON ANKLE MOBILITY/STRENGTH – It is important to stretch the gastrocnemius, soleus, and achillies to achieve proper mobility.  I have not had to incorporate many drills to strengthen the ankles.  I occasionally use some band resisted ankle movements and marching on foam or a soft surface.

Most athletes have suffered from injured ankles.  This is extremely preventable.  I am excited to see the fitness and sport industry paying more attention to joint health.

However, I also see another disturbing trend, athletes dressing up more and more just for looks.  This trend includes all these sweat bands and braces that kids are finding popular, but also spatting, especially in football. Spatting is taping the outside of the cleat.  This is mostly done for looks,and often includes an ankle brace UNDER the spatting as well!  No need for this in youth sports.  Protect you body, not your perceived image!

Ankle health has been beneficial to my training.  A few months ago I was walking 500+ lbs out of the rack for a box squat at a gym that had a worn down platform.  One step out of the rack and  my right ankle rolled over.  Even with all that weight on my back, my ankle was stabilized and I was able to continue the squat.   Could have been really bad!

UPDATED:  Here is an Ankle Health Video I shot for Alex Maroko from Truth About Quickness

-  Joe Hashey, CSCS -