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How to strengthen your ankles for basketball
Save Your Ankles with this Ankle Strength, Mobility and...
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Elite athletes often make explosive movements look easy. However, one weak link can derail even the most powerful athlete. For basketball players, ankles are often the weak link, being very prone to injury. For years, players and coaches have relied on ankle braces or tape to keep from rolling their ankles and preventing sprains—but those things won’t improve ankle strength and mobility.
Here are some better ways to keep your ankles strong and healthy, allowing you to part ways with the bulky ankle braces and tape of years past.
Start With the Feet
Before we tackle ankle function, we have to effectively treat the base of support for the ankle, the foot. The foot provides a balanced and stable base for the ankle to move on. Instead of restraining your feet with shoes, braces and tape, try training barefoot to naturally build stability. You can perform low-impact exercises barefoot for balance and strength to improve stability and function.
To improve ankle mobility and flexibility, you have to loosen the fascia and muscles in the feet. Here’s a good self-myofasical release for the foot and then the ankle:
Roll the bottom of your foot around a tennis ball, golf ball or lacrosse ball, applying light pressure to release tension.
Make sure to get all areas for comprehensive coverage.
Afterward, apply the same procedure to your heels and calf muscles to improve blood flow and mobility.
Do this for five minutes on your feet, heels and calves.
RELATED: Soft Tissue Care for Athletes, Part 1: Get More Out of Your Feet
Develop Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion Mobility
The primary role of the ankle in any linear movement and almost all planting motions is to absorb the impact (dorsiflexion) of contact with the ground, then extend back off the ground explosively (plantar flexion) into a jump, sprint or cut. Both actions need a full range of motion to improve functionality. Dorsiflexion refers to the feet flexing upward toward the body, while plantar flexion refers to the foot flexing down or away from the body.
To improve both ranges of motion, try a unilateral stretch.
Stand on one leg, bend forward and put your hands on the ground or a wall for balance.
Push your knee down while keeping your foot flat to stretch your calf muscle and Achilles tendon.
Extend up onto your toes to stretch the soleus and practice plantar flexion.
Sets/Reps: 2-3×5-8
RELATED: Improve Dorsiflexion Flexibility
Develop Ankle Strength and Balance
We will focus on three key components of ankle strength and balance: developing strength in multiple planes with bands; improving strength and balance through unilateral training; and using game-like scenarios in training. Check out Dwyane Wade’s PPT Band Ankle Exercise in the video player above.
Ankle Band Training Complex
This is a great ankle strength circuit that anyone can perform. Do it as a cool-down after practice, or as a warm-up with light resistance. It consists of three seated exercises to develop strength in four different movements of the ankle.
Plantar Flexion – Wrap a band around the ball of your foot and pull back so that there is tension in the band but your foot can still move. Push your foot forward against the band, hold for one second, then return to starting position.
Dorsiflexion – Wrap the band around the ball of your foot, then push against it with the other foot while pulling on the band to create tension. Pull your toes back toward you against the resistance in a dorsiflexed position, hold for one second, and release.
Eversion/Inversion – Eversion and inversion refer to the side-to-side action or rolling motion of the foot at the ankle joint. Begin in the same position as the dorsiflexion exercise. Keep your foot facing straight and rotate it outward against the resistance, hold for one second, then return to starting position as slowly as possible.
Clock Toe Touches
These are great for improving ankle mobility and functional balance. Begin by balancing on one foot. Reach forward with your elevated foot and lightly touch the ground as far away as possible. Your foot should not rest on the ground at any point. Keep your stationary foot flat and your knee bent to allow for greater range of motion.
Return to the starting position, then repeat, moving your foot/leg slightly forward. Repeat this process on both legs, similar to your hands going around the clock.
Single-Leg Catching Drills
The final phase is to add a component of actual gameplay—shooting, passing and dribbling. The three exercises below describe simple, effective balance drills that mimic game situations.
Single-Leg Shooting Form Drill
Balance on one leg in triple threat position. Have a partner toss you a ball from a couple feet away, then catch and rise into a shooting position. Finish by shooting the ball back to your partner. The goal is to maintain your balance throughout the movement.
Single-Leg, Rapid-Fire Passing Drill
Have a partner throw you passes, slowly at first and away from your center of gravity but still catchable—for example at the knees or shoulders, slightly to the left or right side. Maintain your balance throughout. As you improve in the drill, have your partner increase the frequency of passes.
Single-Leg Dribble Pound
Balance on one leg and practice pounding the ball into the ground as hard as possible while maintaining balance. Then explosively cross over and continue the ball pounds with the other hand, all while maintaining balance.
RELATED: Injury-Proof Your Ankles
Ankle Strength and Balance Workout
Use the following workout as a practice warm-up or cool-down, or as a game warm-up with lower intensity. You should certainly use it in some capacity in any off-season training program. Perform the workout barefoot whenever possible
Self Myofascial Release for the foot, heel, and ankle – 5 minutes
Single-Leg Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion Drill – 2×8 each leg
Ankle Band Complex – 2×15 each exercise, each leg
Clock Toe Touches – 3×6 each leg
Single-Leg Shooting – 3×30 seconds; improve number of completed reps each round
Single-Leg Rapid Fire Passing Drill – 3×30 seconds; improve number of catches each round
Single-Leg Dribble Pound – 1×30 seconds; maintain speed throughout drill
RELATED: 10-Minute Ankle-Strengthening Program
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Elite athletes often make explosive movements look easy. However, one weak link can derail even the most powerful athlete. For basketball players, ankles are often the weak link, being very prone to injury. For years, players and coaches have relied on ankle braces or tape to keep from rolling their ankles and preventing sprains—but those things won’t improve ankle strength and mobility.
Here are some better ways to keep your ankles strong and healthy, allowing you to part ways with the bulky ankle braces and tape of years past.
Start With the Feet
Before we tackle ankle function, we have to effectively treat the base of support for the ankle, the foot. The foot provides a balanced and stable base for the ankle to move on. Instead of restraining your feet with shoes, braces and tape, try training barefoot to naturally build stability. You can perform low-impact exercises barefoot for balance and strength to improve stability and function.
To improve ankle mobility and flexibility, you have to loosen the fascia and muscles in the feet. Here’s a good self-myofasical release for the foot and then the ankle:
Roll the bottom of your foot around a tennis ball, golf ball or lacrosse ball, applying light pressure to release tension.
Make sure to get all areas for comprehensive coverage.
Afterward, apply the same procedure to your heels and calf muscles to improve blood flow and mobility.
Do this for five minutes on your feet, heels and calves.
RELATED: Soft Tissue Care for Athletes, Part 1: Get More Out of Your Feet
Develop Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion Mobility
The primary role of the ankle in any linear movement and almost all planting motions is to absorb the impact (dorsiflexion) of contact with the ground, then extend back off the ground explosively (plantar flexion) into a jump, sprint or cut. Both actions need a full range of motion to improve functionality. Dorsiflexion refers to the feet flexing upward toward the body, while plantar flexion refers to the foot flexing down or away from the body.
To improve both ranges of motion, try a unilateral stretch.
Stand on one leg, bend forward and put your hands on the ground or a wall for balance.
Push your knee down while keeping your foot flat to stretch your calf muscle and Achilles tendon.
Extend up onto your toes to stretch the soleus and practice plantar flexion.
Sets/Reps: 2-3×5-8
RELATED: Improve Dorsiflexion Flexibility
Develop Ankle Strength and Balance
We will focus on three key components of ankle strength and balance: developing strength in multiple planes with bands; improving strength and balance through unilateral training; and using game-like scenarios in training. Check out Dwyane Wade’s PPT Band Ankle Exercise in the video player above.
Ankle Band Training Complex
This is a great ankle strength circuit that anyone can perform. Do it as a cool-down after practice, or as a warm-up with light resistance. It consists of three seated exercises to develop strength in four different movements of the ankle.
Plantar Flexion – Wrap a band around the ball of your foot and pull back so that there is tension in the band but your foot can still move. Push your foot forward against the band, hold for one second, then return to starting position.
Dorsiflexion – Wrap the band around the ball of your foot, then push against it with the other foot while pulling on the band to create tension. Pull your toes back toward you against the resistance in a dorsiflexed position, hold for one second, and release.
Eversion/Inversion – Eversion and inversion refer to the side-to-side action or rolling motion of the foot at the ankle joint. Begin in the same position as the dorsiflexion exercise. Keep your foot facing straight and rotate it outward against the resistance, hold for one second, then return to starting position as slowly as possible.
Clock Toe Touches
These are great for improving ankle mobility and functional balance. Begin by balancing on one foot. Reach forward with your elevated foot and lightly touch the ground as far away as possible. Your foot should not rest on the ground at any point. Keep your stationary foot flat and your knee bent to allow for greater range of motion.
Return to the starting position, then repeat, moving your foot/leg slightly forward. Repeat this process on both legs, similar to your hands going around the clock.
Single-Leg Catching Drills
The final phase is to add a component of actual gameplay—shooting, passing and dribbling. The three exercises below describe simple, effective balance drills that mimic game situations.
Single-Leg Shooting Form Drill
Balance on one leg in triple threat position. Have a partner toss you a ball from a couple feet away, then catch and rise into a shooting position. Finish by shooting the ball back to your partner. The goal is to maintain your balance throughout the movement.
Single-Leg, Rapid-Fire Passing Drill
Have a partner throw you passes, slowly at first and away from your center of gravity but still catchable—for example at the knees or shoulders, slightly to the left or right side. Maintain your balance throughout. As you improve in the drill, have your partner increase the frequency of passes.
Single-Leg Dribble Pound
Balance on one leg and practice pounding the ball into the ground as hard as possible while maintaining balance. Then explosively cross over and continue the ball pounds with the other hand, all while maintaining balance.
RELATED: Injury-Proof Your Ankles
Ankle Strength and Balance Workout
Use the following workout as a practice warm-up or cool-down, or as a game warm-up with lower intensity. You should certainly use it in some capacity in any off-season training program. Perform the workout barefoot whenever possible
Self Myofascial Release for the foot, heel, and ankle – 5 minutes
Single-Leg Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion Drill – 2×8 each leg
Ankle Band Complex – 2×15 each exercise, each leg
Clock Toe Touches – 3×6 each leg
Single-Leg Shooting – 3×30 seconds; improve number of completed reps each round
Single-Leg Rapid Fire Passing Drill – 3×30 seconds; improve number of catches each round
Single-Leg Dribble Pound – 1×30 seconds; maintain speed throughout drill
RELATED: 10-Minute Ankle-Strengthening Program
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Ankle Mobility Exercises For Basketball Players Chicago
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sportsmedicineweekly Ankle, Basketball, Blog, Injury, Performance, Prevention, Training, Youth Comments Off on 3 ANKLE MOBILITY EXERCISES FOR BASKETBALL PLAYERS
Your ankles keep you nimble and agile on the basketball court, so taking care of them is critical to how well you play. Not to mention, weak ankles put undue stress on your knees, according to Danny McLarty, CSCS, of USAB.com.
Luckily, there are a number of simple exercises that help improve ankle mobility while strengthening them to protect against injury. Add these exercises into your regular workout routine and practices to improve performance and prevent strains, breaks and sprains.
JUMP ROPE
Working out your ankles in different angles mimics the same type of angles your ankles
encounter during a basketball game. Grab a jump rope and start skipping.
How to: Avoid boredom, and work your ankles from every angle, with this short interval routine.
Standard up-down – 20 seconds Side to side – 20 seconds Front to back – 20 seconds
Rest and repeat 2 to 3 times.
FULL SQUAT
The full squat helps improve both ankle strength, mobility and give you power for
jumping up for rebounds or shooting.
How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart and hinge your hips backward, keeping your back straight. Go past the parallel squat point, until your knees are at a 135-degree angle. The key is to keep your heels and toes on the ground. You may naturally pull your heels up, which shows tightness in the calves. Keeping the weight on your heels, and keeping them down, helps improve ankle strength and mobility.
Complete 6 to 8 reps for 2 to 3 rounds.
LUNGES
Lunges work on stabilizing your ankle muscles as your weight shifts when you sprint
down the court or change direction on defense or when driving to the basket.
How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, and step forward, keeping your back leg straight and your front leg slightly bent-knee should be at a 90-degree angle. Put all your weight on the front foot to push yourself back to standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg to complete one rep.
Repeat 10 times on each leg for 2 to 3 rounds. You can further improve mobility with backward, diagonal and lateral lunges.
Use these simple exercises to improve ankle mobility and strength. Not only will it protect you against injury during basketball, but you’ll also become a stronger, more agile player on the court.
BY FARA ROSENZWEIG for BetterBraces.com
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Net Proceeds from the Sports Medicine Podcast are donated for the Advancement of Orthopedic and Cell Biology Research at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago IL.
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Ankle strengthening exercises
Lower leg, foot, Rehabilitation
Turning the ankle is very easy, which is well known to athletes, especially basketball players. This is the most common injury in basketball. It is very important for an athlete to recover quickly and return to the site, and for this it is necessary to strengthen (pump) the muscles and tendons with ligaments.
Below is a selection of simple and very effective exercises for a quick return to the game that you can do yourself at home. They will be effective for any ankle injury - from sprains to bruises.
Clothing should be loose, it is advisable to remove shoes. All exercises (especially the first days) should be performed smoothly and gradually. Remember the important principle: “Tolerate mild pain, do not allow severe pain.”
Try to do these exercises daily for at least 2 weeks.
Towel Stretch
Sitting on the floor with the target leg extended in front of you. Pull the toe of your foot towards you with the towel while keeping your leg straight. Hold for 15-30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Back Leg Stretch
Standing facing a wall with hands at eye level. The heel of the developed leg rests on the floor, the toes look straight. Slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Return to starting position. Repeat 3 times.
Calf Strain
Stand at arm's length from a wall or other fixed support. Hold on to the wall with one hand. Bend the leg to be developed at the knee, and grasp its toe with your free hand. Pull the toe towards the heel until a stretch is felt in the front of the shin. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Ankle resistance
Sit on the floor facing the door. Using a loop, fasten one end of the expander to the toe of the leg being developed, the other end to the door. Move away from the door until you feel enough tension. Keeping your leg straight, pull the toe of your foot towards you, stretching the expander. Slowly return to the starting position. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Toe circle
Sitting or lying on the back, legs straight. Pull the toes of the developed leg towards the body, then away from it. Next, turn your fingers towards the healthy leg, then away from it. Finally, do 10 ankle circles in each direction. Try to move only the toe, the rest of the leg should be motionless.
Achilles strengthening
Standing behind a chair (needed for support), feet shoulder-width apart. Rise up on your toes and hold this position for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower yourself down. The exercise will be more effective if you do not hold on to the back of the chair during execution. As soon as the exercise is no longer difficult for you, try to perform it exclusively with the leg being developed. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Ankle Inversion
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. Cross the ankle of your healthy leg over the one being developed. Wrap the expander with one end around the developed and healthy leg (as shown in the photo). Hold the other end of the expander in your hand. Turn the developed leg inward and upward. This movement will stretch the expander. Return to starting position. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Standing on your heels
Stand on the floor with your feet straight. Leaning on your heels, lift the toes of both legs up. Hold for 5 seconds, then slowly lower your fingers to the floor. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Balance exercises
Standing next to the chair (needed for support), the developed leg is further from the chair. Stand on your injured leg and bend your knee slightly. Lift your heel off the floor and hold in that position.
Balance 1
Reach forward with your far arm away from the chair and lean forward slightly. Then return to the starting position. Do not bend your knee during the exercise. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Balance 2
With the arm farthest from the chair, reach towards the chair and down. Do not bend your knee during the exercise. 2 sets of 15 reps.
Leg Abduction with Resistance Band
Stand at the door with the affected side away from it. Attach one end of the band to your ankle and the other end to a door or other fixed object at ankle height. Step your leg out to the side while keeping your leg straight. Return to starting position. 2 sets of 15 reps. To increase the effectiveness of the exercises, gradually move further away from the door.
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Rehabilitation after injury of the ankle joint (ankle)
Hello, dear visitors of the site " Basketball Lessons ". In this section of the site, we will talk about a topic that is rather unpleasant for every athlete - the topic of injuries. I believe that all questions related to injuries and methods of their treatment should be answered by professional doctors, but faced in practice with the global “indifference” of doctors, I consider it necessary to post about the main recommendations of professional sports doctors .
Today's article will be devoted to the recovery process after one of the most common injuries of basketball players - an ankle injury (ankle injury). Let's see what doctors recommend doing in such cases.
Rehabilitation after an ankle injury (ankle injury)
Anyone who wants to get rid of the sick leave as soon as possible should, as soon as the doctor allows, do physiotherapy exercises. Ankle exercises will help restore the support and motor function of the injured joint. At first, you will have to limit yourself to general developmental and breathing exercises: swings and rotations of the arms, torso tilts forward and to the sides with a fixed deep long exhalation; diaphragmatic breathing (abdominal wall retracts on inhalation, protrudes on exhalation). Classes will raise vitality. In addition, it is an excellent preventive measure against the development of pneumonia.
In 2-3 days it will be the turn of special exercises . The most important task - to restore the mobility of the ankle joint , get rid of swelling, protect yourself from complications. To do this, lying on your back at a slow pace, bend and unbend your toes, spread your fingers apart. After pausing and resting for 1-2 minutes, perform circular movements with your feet clockwise and counterclockwise; raise the toes of the legs bent at the knees (feet shoulder-width apart) above the support, first alternately, then simultaneously. As a rule, it is possible to restore active movements in the ankle joint in 3-4 weeks.
But that's not all. It is necessary to restore strength and elasticity to the muscles , especially the calf. This will take approximately a month. From session to session, increase the pace of exercise - from slow to medium. Alternately, then at the same time rhythmically rise on your toes , on your heels, roll from socks to heels and back. First, perform these movements while sitting on a chair, then relying on the back of a chair or table, transferring body weight to your hands. Breathing is arbitrary, increase the range of motion very carefully. Don't force the load. Avoid pain. Do each exercise at first no more than 10 times, gradually bringing the number of repetitions to 20. Not bad ankle training : pick up balls of different sizes (large, medium, small) and roll them in different directions with your feet on the floor. Another useful exercise: try to pick up small objects (pencils, erasers, napkins) from the floor with your toes.
These are all general exercises. The attending physician will select a specific complex for you, taking into account your age, nature and severity of the injury. For strengthening of the ankle joint it is useful to walk alternately on the heels, toes, on the outer, inner sides of the foot, "goose" and cross step, making 3-5 steps. In summer, which is just around the corner, use every opportunity to walk barefoot on pebbles, sand... Swim, alternating breaststroke with front crawl, actively working with your feet. In addition, experts recommend every morning and evening before going to bed, sitting on the edge of a bed or chair, do massage of the ankle joint , ankle, heel area of the injured leg. The simplest, lightest movements will do: kneading, squeezing, shaking. Repeat each technique up to 10 times, avoiding pain, discomfort.
If you have a orthosis, you can start early dosed rehabilitation without waiting for the end of the course of treatment. For this purpose, original hinges are provided in its design. They exactly repeat the kinematics - the movement pattern - of the ankle joint. Without experiencing inconvenience and discomfort, you can develop a joint in a special bandage. It replaces the orthosis, has a good compression, thermal effect, is hygienic, elastic, which means that as the post-traumatic edema decreases, it is easy to change the fixation conditions in it - the bandage is very easy to “remake” along the leg.
Dorsiflexion refers to the feet flexing upward toward the body, while plantar flexion refers to the foot flexing down or away from the body.
Do it as a cool-down after practice, or as a warm-up with light resistance. It consists of three seated exercises to develop strength in four different movements of the ankle.
Finish by shooting the ball back to your partner. The goal is to maintain your balance throughout the movement.
Perform the workout barefoot whenever possible
As you improve in the drill, have your partner increase the frequency of passes.
Not to mention, weak ankles put undue stress on your knees, according to Danny McLarty, CSCS, of USAB.com.
You can further improve mobility with backward, diagonal and lateral lunges.
They will be effective for any ankle injury - from sprains to bruises. 
Bend the leg to be developed at the knee, and grasp its toe with your free hand. Pull the toe towards the heel until a stretch is felt in the front of the shin. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Repeat 3 times. 
Rise up on your toes and hold this position for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower yourself down. The exercise will be more effective if you do not hold on to the back of the chair during execution. As soon as the exercise is no longer difficult for you, try to perform it exclusively with the leg being developed. 2 sets of 15 reps. 
Stand on your injured leg and bend your knee slightly. Lift your heel off the floor and hold in that position. 
In this section of the site, we will talk about a topic that is rather unpleasant for every athlete - the topic of injuries. I believe that all questions related to injuries and methods of their treatment should be answered by professional doctors, but faced in practice with the global “indifference” of doctors, I consider it necessary to post about the main recommendations of professional sports doctors . 
Classes will raise vitality. In addition, it is an excellent preventive measure against the development of pneumonia. 
Alternately, then at the same time rhythmically rise on your toes , on your heels, roll from socks to heels and back. First, perform these movements while sitting on a chair, then relying on the back of a chair or table, transferring body weight to your hands. Breathing is arbitrary, increase the range of motion very carefully. Don't force the load. Avoid pain. Do each exercise at first no more than 10 times, gradually bringing the number of repetitions to 20. Not bad ankle training : pick up balls of different sizes (large, medium, small) and roll them in different directions with your feet on the floor. Another useful exercise: try to pick up small objects (pencils, erasers, napkins) from the floor with your toes. 
In summer, which is just around the corner, use every opportunity to walk barefoot on pebbles, sand... Swim, alternating breaststroke with front crawl, actively working with your feet. In addition, experts recommend every morning and evening before going to bed, sitting on the edge of a bed or chair, do massage of the ankle joint , ankle, heel area of the injured leg. The simplest, lightest movements will do: kneading, squeezing, shaking. Repeat each technique up to 10 times, avoiding pain, discomfort. 
