The Lounge"...Where the parking lot of the Igloo meets the concourse of the Nassau County Coliseum and the bathroom line of the Skyreach..." - Wickedbsfan
When I was a kid playing peewee hockey, my biggest flaw was having weak ankles, resulting in my skates angling outwards, and the unfortunate nickname of "Ankleburner".
After tiring of ice hockey, I didn't spend much time wearing skates of any kind until a few weeks ago. I've come to the realization that I still have the same problem, getting the same stance while wearing rollerblades. No matter how tightly I lace them up, how much I try to keep my ankles in line with the rest of my legs, the result's always the same; an awkward looking stride, with the blades again angling outwards.
Anyone know of certain exercises that may fix this problem?
I would focus on calf exercises at the gym (here's a few good ones) whenever possible, but probably the best thing (unfortunately) is just to practice your correct stance when taking strides. I'm a goaltender so I don't know everything about it, but the practicing the seat-down stride making sure your ankles aren't bent will probably help alot.
odd that you would have the same problem in rollerblades, since their boots are usually more sturdy than traditional ice skate boots.
Have you tried using really long laces (132's and above) and tying the extra length around your ankle area? (some say this is not good but I've done it for half my life (16yrs) and never had one single problem
or in lieu of that I think they have ankle bands in most skate shops for that problem.... also make sure you're wearing a decent pair of skates. If you're wearing rink-rentals then they're worn out from the (yuck) possible hundreds of feet that have been in them
good luck
Last edited by the_speedster: 08-25-2008 at 04:04 AM.
I have extremely loose ankles. I never noticed how I skate though, but I do go through a ton of pain. I am hopefully going to start physio to strengthen them this Wednesday...I'll share any excercises I learn.
I have the worst ankles in the world. I've broken and sprained my ankles so many times, it's not even funny. I've been to rehab for them at least three or four times already, and it's pretty much the same routine. They give me a list of exercises to do with those thick rubber bands, and then they'll tell me to do stuff on the stairs like stand backwards with your heel over the edge and just go up and down. It's supposed to strengthen the muscles and ligaments, but with my ankles it always hurts like a ***** so I'll normally quit after a week before even getting past the rubber band exercises hahah.
My right ankle was broken before I was even born and that leg didn't develop any muscle at all. The ankle is really weak, so weak if I try to turn sharply, I fall. Though, my ankle angles inwards. It's pretty annoying and even worse is there's almost no way to fix it since neither my leg, or ankle will build muscle.
Try the good ol' boot bang (each time you tighten a certain part of the boot pull the laces and bang the heel part of the wheel/blade area to the ground). This always helps the fit a little better. Also, as some other's have recommended, try wrapping the laces around the ankle area (I'm not sure if this actually works but I do it sometimes). Or, finally, try wearing a skate one half to one and a half sizes smaller than you are used to
To improve each ankle stability, focus on doing single leg plyos and stretches. Standing on balance boards and balance balls will help your minor muscles in your ankles. Also when doing leg lifts try doing it with shoes off.
When I was a kid playing peewee hockey, my biggest flaw was having weak ankles, resulting in my skates angling outwards, and the unfortunate nickname of "Ankleburner".
As someone who's been teaching both figure skating and hockey for nine years, I think the feet-angling-out is probably anatomical... I've had a handful of students do this, all of them very open-hipped. When you're doing things like pivoting from backward to forward, or vice-versa, it's an advantage to have hips that open more easily. But when you're trying to do things like go straight, what happens is what you described: you roll to your inside edges and your ankles bend in toward the ice.
When I have skaters in my classes- adults and kids- who pronate (roll in) the first thing I do when we get off the ice is check the fit of their skates. More often than not, I find that the skates are too big, occasionally they're too wide, and sometimes I'll find that they fit but are broken down, have no more support in the ankle, and should have gone in the trash rather than to Play-It-Again. With slightly too-big or too-wide skates, putting an innersole from the drugstore in them can help; for adults I sometimes suggest trying an over-the-counter orthotic or arch support (I find a lot of adults who pronate also complain of arch pain in their skates).
If you didn't already, you might post this in The Rink too; they're a knowledgable bunch over there.
coming from someone with 2 weak ankles myself. as mentioned above, wrap your ankles well. i use an ace bandage and it works pretty well. i try and tighten my laces tighter than normal as well to provide a little extra support.
I have the worst ankles in the world. I've broken and sprained my ankles so many times, it's not even funny. I've been to rehab for them at least three or four times already, and it's pretty much the same routine. They give me a list of exercises to do with those thick rubber bands, and then they'll tell me to do stuff on the stairs like stand backwards with your heel over the edge and just go up and down. It's supposed to strengthen the muscles and ligaments, but with my ankles it always hurts like a ***** so I'll normally quit after a week before even getting past the rubber band exercises hahah.
I have pretty bad ankels after years of football and hockey. And even had to have surgery on them to reconnect the ligaments in my left ankle. I'm pretty much better than I was before now.
I have pretty bad ankels after years of football and hockey. And even had to have surgery on them to reconnect the ligaments in my left ankle. I'm pretty much better than I was before now.
thats what im scared of. im starting to feel a light pain everytime i play floor hockey..
I'm a little late on this thread, I know, but I wanted to bring it up again in case anyone had any more ideas.
I also suffer from weak ankles when playing hockey, although my ankles are not painful; rather, I can just tell that it affects my ability to skate. Because of my weak ankles, my skating form is poor, and I lack the kind of power and balance that good skaters have. I'd like to know if anyone knows of any exercises, on or off the ice, that I can do to improve my skating form, as I'm finding it pretty hard to keep up even when I play pick-up hockey.
