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
Flexible ankles can certainly cause injuries if your ankles are also weak, but if you keep your ankles strong, you should be fine. Ankle raises on a stair are good for strength - stand facing up the stairs with your toes on the step and your heels off, and raise and lower yourself using your ankles. Try to use your hands as little as possible to balance yourself. You can also try doing one-legged ankle raises. The alphabet thing is also pretty good for both strength and flexible.
Flexible ankles can certainly cause injuries if your ankles are also weak, but if you keep your ankles strong, you should be fine. Ankle raises on a stair are good for strength - stand facing up the stairs with your toes on the step and your heels off, and raise and lower yourself using your ankles. Try to use your hands as little as possible to balance yourself. You can also try doing one-legged ankle raises. The alphabet thing is also pretty good for both strength and flexible.
