How To Protect and Strengthen Your Ankles
You don’t want to only rely on your feet for your dance moves and techniques. Building muscle and having more control over your movements is necessary for preventing injury and taking off the load on your ankles and feet.
Well-developed ankles are essential for all dancers. Improving the strength helps provide stability for all movements and protects your ankles. A simple adjustment by adding strength exercises to your dance routines can make a tremendous change.
Here are a few ways to strengthen your ankles and prevent future injury:
1. Practice Balance
Balancing on one leg activates your muscles and forces your body to stand more stable. The more you do it, the stronger your muscles will become, and the length of how long you can stay balanced will improve.
Not only will it improve your ankle muscles, it will also improve your lower leg muscles. Simply standing on each leg, trying to balance for a minute every day, can make a huge difference.
Everyone loves Resistance Bands. They are a great way to warm up and are an excellent rehabilitation tool for your feet. It’s something you can always have in your bag and around your home.
Put the band on the top part of your foot and flex 10-15 reps per leg a day. Doing this will help improve your ankle and lower leg muscles. Once that becomes easier for you, you can do two sets of those a day or increase the resistance depending on what band you’re on.
3. Releve
If we do it in classes, why not continue doing it at home? Not only is a releve an ideal position to start or go from one to the next, but it is also a great exercise to build muscle. You can do it anywhere too! While washing your dishes, brushing your teeth, and even waiting in line for your food. Doing a few sets of 15 releve will add up - and keep you entertained if you're bored.
If you have strong ankle strength and want to challenge yourself, a balance board might be something you want to consider. Before starting, inquire from your teacher to see how they might feel about you using a balance board. They might want you to use it in front of them to ensure you don't hurt yourself. It’ll strengthen your ankles, knees, and hips. And also improve your postures.
Learn more about What Is A Balance Board