How do triathletes and tennis players work on the ankle flexibility?
Former Member
While I keep working on increasing my ankle flexibility, I recently read in an article that ankle flexibility comes at the cost of ankle instability (= higher propensity for ankle sprain), which spells trouble for runners and tennis players.
Tennis being my other favorite sport, this puts me in a dilemma.
Are there master swimmers out there who also maintain competitiveness in tennis or running, or is this a "you can't have a cake and eat it too" situation?
I am hoping that I can become competitive in swimming with ankles that are stable (read rigid in swimming) enough for tennis as well.
Parents
Former Member
I come from a running background and heard that the stiff ankles of runners would cause problems.
I did achilles stretches to get the loose ankles I needed but my stiff ankles kept cramping my calves.
I finally got long fins and suddenly realized that the tight area was not achilles but the top o the foot. Since then my calves don't cramp and my running has been unaffected.
I know that if runners send too much time on treadmill they start to have the "loose ankle" problems you describe.
Given all that, if you want run for fun/cross training/weight loss than stick to treadmills. If you want to run and compete, you must start training the small stabilizing muscles of the feet. Start with good shoes and flat surfaces and progress to golf courses for long runs and strides on your local HS football field barefoot.
Good luck!
I come from a running background and heard that the stiff ankles of runners would cause problems.
I did achilles stretches to get the loose ankles I needed but my stiff ankles kept cramping my calves.
I finally got long fins and suddenly realized that the tight area was not achilles but the top o the foot. Since then my calves don't cramp and my running has been unaffected.
I know that if runners send too much time on treadmill they start to have the "loose ankle" problems you describe.
Given all that, if you want run for fun/cross training/weight loss than stick to treadmills. If you want to run and compete, you must start training the small stabilizing muscles of the feet. Start with good shoes and flat surfaces and progress to golf courses for long runs and strides on your local HS football field barefoot.
Good luck!
