strengthen your ankles people

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by bigredlemon, Mar 25, 2004.

  1. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2002
    Messages:
    2,096
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    T.O.
    What's the number one injury in badminton? Ankle injuries... Time and time again someone inevitably gets their ankles sprained or worse.

    I haven't come across much in the way of ankle-strengthening anywhere. Here's an easy way to do it, and it'll help with your performance too.

    Stand on one leg. Raise your body so that you are tip-toeing. Try to get as high as you can. Then, lower yourself back down and then repeat. This is one complete rep.

    It's very very hard to keep stable when you're at the highest tip-toeing point. For added thrills, try placing a small block under the front of your feet under the ball of the foot. Also try holding some weights.

    This will not only strengthen your ankles but also your calves, giving you a faster and higher jump. It's win-win!

    8-10 reps per set for 3 sets sounds good. :cool:
     
  2. Traum

    Traum Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2003
    Messages:
    550
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Paradise, Canada
    If you're closer to the chubby side, however, be careful not to overdo this exercise as it may do more harm than good. It may also be a good idea to start off with both feet on the ground instead of just one.

    Personally, I find that tip-toeing places too much pressure on the toes. I prefer to keep all my toes on the ground, lifting only the sole and ankle off the ground (by basically rolling on the ball of my feet).

    BTW, I thought the most common badminton injury is with the shoulder and rotator cuff area?

    -Rick
     
    #2 Traum, Mar 26, 2004
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2004
  3. woop.

    woop. Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2003
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Bedford, UK
    Oddly I took up badminton after nasty ankle damage sustained in football. My ankles were sore for the first year but now tend to be alright, and I think badders has actually helped improve them a lot.

    I thoroughly recommend the previous exerise as I had to do it during physio to sort my ankles out. Cycling is a great way of just rotating/loosening the ankle with no impact. Just walking round the house on tiptoes is good as well.

    I also have a "wobble board" (again from physio days). This is a circle of wood essentially resting on a ball. You stand on it, feet shoulder width apart. The board obviously tries to "wobble" and you are trying to keep it level. It's very good for strengthening the ankles. Also it helps train the prioreceptors, specific nerves that are meant to kick in when you are about to go over on an ankle, supposedly allowing your body to quickly take action and avoid injury.
     
  4. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2002
    Messages:
    2,096
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    T.O.
    should injuries may be common but never as drastic as ankle injuries... i've seen many people unable to walk for weeks, and it seems to happen every year. :(
     
  5. coops241180

    coops241180 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2002
    Messages:
    1,293
    Likes Received:
    5
    Occupation:
    Product Owner
    Location:
    Latchford, United Kingdom
    good advice brl - i've sprained my ankles on numerous occasions and can offer the following advice on how to get back to fitness and stay that way

    the calf raises are ideal if your ankles are fit - 3 sets of 15 reps, start off on both feet - move to 1 foot if these are too easy - then add weights in ur hands to make it even more difficult - remeber to do a calf stretch between reps tho - the muscles and ligaments need to stay loose.

    Proprioconception exercise..
    wobble board is good if you have one..
    but without there is plenty you can do - stand on one foot - if this is easy - try doing it with ur eyes closed - for as long as possible. if you can stand on each leg at a time with your eyes closed indefinitely your lucky - there aren't many who can do this.. i'd guess you've never had an ankle injury in ur life, and it's unlikely that you will...

    another good exercise is to move a block from side to side with just ur ankle - pushing it as far left and right as you can..this strengthens the main ligaments that usually go when you roll ur ankle..

    on-court - fast feet and soft feet - if you work on both of these it will reduce the chance of you going over, giving the prioreceptors enough time to do their job - should you fall over...

    further measure that can be taken is to strengthen all the leg muscles and ur knees - your legs are only as strong as the weakest link - if your ankles are strong there is a fair chance that your knees or groin/hips / back wil go if they are not just as strong...

    hope this helps

    see you on court

    Neil
     
  6. Dill

    Dill Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2003
    Messages:
    1,922
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Lazy git (my coach can verify this)
    Location:
    Glasgow, Scotland
    BRL we used to have a machine in the school gym that had weights attached as you done this exercise but I thought it was for your calf muscles since thats where you feel it

    I agree with Woop, since getting back into playing after my car crash my ankles were very weak and now after only really playing badminton they feel stronger than before the crash
     
  7. Tammy

    Tammy Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2002
    Messages:
    130
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Use a wobble board

    Good advice, bigredlemon! I use a wobble board to strengthen my ankles. Fitness Depot sells one (in rubber or plastic) for about $15, $20. That's definitely a good investment :)
     
  8. Average

    Average Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2003
    Messages:
    44
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    New Zealand
    hey guys

    does dis excercise u have mentioned help wit the shin muscle(i dunno wut its called). if not can any1 give me an excercise dat could strenghten it cuz sumtimes my muscle on the shins jus start tensing up and causes me to move very slowly and it causes alot of pain aswell. wut annoys me is dat sumdays i can play very intense and long games and stil feel no pain but sumdays i play for a few mins it starts to harden and tenses up

    any help would be appreciated
     
  9. ruth1

    ruth1 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2003
    Messages:
    189
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student Athlete
    Location:
    USA
    you really don't need a wobble board when you do it with your eyes closed. but now i can do it with my eyes closed for a very long time. now i try it on the wobble board with my eyes closed. or i have someone give me a slight push (with my eyes closed) to knock off my center of gravity, and then try to find it again. that one is hard, especially on the ankle i twisted recently. :mad:
     
  10. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2002
    Messages:
    2,096
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    T.O.
    there is no muscle on the shins. It's just bone. You're thinking of calves right? This exercies when done with both feet on the ground predominently targets the calves.

    The problem you mentioned sounds like a nutrtional problem. Most likely, you need more food. Rare twitching (every year or so) is normal.
     
  11. Pecheur

    Pecheur Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2002
    Messages:
    704
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Australia
    No he means shin, Tibialis anterior probably. My shin muscles are ridiculous, but that comes from years of moving around on the balls of you feet, maybe you should try that?

    Or the bolded ones: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/CalfWt.html#anchor1929502
     
    #11 Pecheur, Mar 29, 2004
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2004
  12. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,793
    Likes Received:
    4,776
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    After a break form badminton, I found I couldnt get my leg speed back. Since I'm not training regularly doesn't help - only playing games.

    Recently I got bored and decided to do the calf exercises described by BRL. Did them for a few days. Next time back on court was amazing. I was almost flying! The difference in my game is a real difference. Other in the club have noticed as well. I feel much better moving around the court and my opponents are having more difficulty because I reach more shots, reach the shuttle earlier and have more variety of options when I reach the shuttle.

    Because I can reach the shuttle earlier, these last couple of weeks have seen a big improvement in my confidence around court.

    :cool:
     
  13. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
    Brand Representative

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    Messages:
    12,682
    Likes Received:
    290
    Occupation:
    Social Distancing Specialist
    Location:
    Southern California
    The most effective method for me is definitely a wobble board. I have had sustained ankle injuries for over 20 years. I picked up a wobble board and immediately realized where I was strong and where I was weak. The areas of balance where I was strong, no problem, no pain, no pressure. The areas where I was weak, there would be pressure and sometimes even pain.

    I worked on the weak areas and within a few weeks, no more pain nor pressure. It translated into easier movement on the court, better footwork and better balance.

    I highly recommend a wobble board.
     
  14. Iwan

    Iwan Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2002
    Messages:
    1,874
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Singapore
    And if you don't have a wobble board, just get a pillow and stand on it with one leg with your eyes closed and shake yourself around randomly a bit. The more cushy the pillow the better.
     
  15. Double_Player

    Double_Player Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2005
    Messages:
    415
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Kingston, ON
    I stop playing football because of bad ankles. I've rolled my ankle once during badminton due to not warming up. if u got BOSU (half excercise ball on hard backing) it works the same as wobble board. and go to your local gym and asked for agility ladder training.
     
  16. Tianjin

    Tianjin Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2006
    Messages:
    126
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Canada
    I think gliding is a good way to strengthen ankles. Gliding is like michael jackson doing moonwalk, but it gets more complicated. It has alot to do with weight transfer on your tiptoes. I realized im not so coordinated with my feet afterall :)

    Here is a video of how it looks like:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q4A10uKjMA&mode=related&search=
     
  17. the_oro

    the_oro Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2006
    Messages:
    146
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    pretty boring profile -_-
    Location:
    in the bathtub
    ya, or you could ride a bike
     
  18. Monster

    Monster Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2005
    Messages:
    440
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    Calgary, Canada
    anyone suffered achilles tendon snap?
     
  19. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
    Brand Representative

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    Messages:
    12,682
    Likes Received:
    290
    Occupation:
    Social Distancing Specialist
    Location:
    Southern California
    Snap?! :eek: No, but moderate to severe pull. Not fun. Rest and exercises. :(
     

Share This Page