Lionville Soccer Club – Vipers
When you think of flexibility, you don’t usually think of ankles. Everyone’s go-to is the classic sit-and-reach!
Here’s how we measure our ankle flexibility standards:
- What causes it?
- Lack of ankle flexibility usually is due to stiffness in your calves and shin muscles.
- This is a caused by repetitive movements from movement in sport
- Another cause would be lack of movement due to sitting/restrained movement.
- It can also be caused by a previous ankle injury, which is a very common injury for soccer players.
- Lack of ankle flexibility usually is due to stiffness in your calves and shin muscles.
- Why is it important?
- Your ankle is the first joint that absorbs shock, so you need to have good flexibility in order to perform at your best!
- Having good ankle flexibility helps prevent injury, allowing athletes to play and work out confidently.
- What are we doing to combat it?
Here is what we are specifically doing with Lionville Soccer Vipers U17 Boys.
- For athletes that need to work on their ankle mobility, we provide both ankle strengthening and stretching exercises.
- Many athletes that struggle with ankle mobility specifically struggle keeping their heels on the ground while squatting. To help combat this issue, we have these athletes use what is called a slant board. This puts their heels on an incline so they are able to squat lower, without their heels coming off the floor.
- Slant boards allow these athletes to build their strength while maintaining their form.
- Stretches and strengthening exercises such as ankle rocks can help increase flexibility in the ankle joint.
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