Blog Section > ADARQ & LanceSTS - Q&A

importance of ankle flexibility

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LanceSTS:

--- Quote from: hennas87 on April 26, 2013, 05:29:51 pm ---thanks, lance.

kinda confused by what I found online though. I may not have gone in depth enough but I had trouble finding anyone talk about plantar flexion. on wikipedia it says:

 "The range of motion for plantar flexion is usually indicated in the literature as 30° to 40°, but sometimes also 50°"

I'm finding it hard to test myself on what mine is but from the best i can see I'd say I maybe get around 45 degrees.

The reason I ask this really is because I saw this video posted by joel smith which shows gerald green jumping and he gets really good downward flexion and comparing it with a video of my own jumping he definitely gets a fair bit more than me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaI8DsdGcgA

I've always had no trouble what so ever squatting atg so I'm pretty sure my dorsi flexion is cool.

--- End quote ---

Much of that is going to be highly influenced by achilles tendon length,  jumping mechanics, and foot length.   ITs also important to note when looking at elite jumpers, the way the achilles tendon is measured is actually checking dorsi flexion in the athlete, so a longer achilles= better results there without any type of mobility work whatsoever.

 It is always important to work on going from dorsi to plantar flexion when jumping/sprinting , especially during submax hops/drills, but it would be impossible to compare two different athletes with different achilles tendon lengths, foot legths, and plant styles on a relative scale.

creativelyric:
Speaking of mobility, how much of an emphasis should we put on stretching? Every day? Every other day? Only when we feel tight?

Also, is stretching the achilles tendon itself advised? I do it now and then, just wondering if it's alright.

Raptor:
Kelly was recommending every day stretching for the calves... he said they tend to respond very well to this.

IMO, if you have posture issues (anterior/posterior pelvic tilt, thoracic mobility issues etc) it's a good idea to do it daily. I'm too lazy to do it though.

LanceSTS:

--- Quote from: creativelyric on May 02, 2013, 04:38:06 am ---Speaking of mobility, how much of an emphasis should we put on stretching? Every day? Every other day? Only when we feel tight?

Also, is stretching the achilles tendon itself advised? I do it now and then, just wondering if it's alright.

--- End quote ---


 The more mobile you are, the less of an issue stretching is, and vice versa.  Flexibility is more of a "teaching your body it is capable of moving through a certain range of motion, so high frequency works best.  Multiple times per day to start out with if you have issues, then you can maintain at a few times per week.

  You never want to "stretch" anything thats not strong enough to operate in the range of motion you are trying to achieve.  This is one reason things like holding the bottom range of a calf raise works so well for lower leg mobility.  You are strengthening the entire range of motion, the central nervous system will now "allow" this newly acquired range much more willingly.

Raptor:
Would you hold that stretched position under weight (actively) or just maintain that stretched position without necessarily having weight on?

I guess since you said "calf raise" you also meant "under weight".

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