I have really tight ankles; even Jason Lezak admits his ankles are tight and he has to stretch them often. I was told that my non-flexible ankles is something I would have to live with and that I should just wear fins often as I can to attempt to loosen them up.Well, after seeing the ballet I am not buying it, I suspect anybody can make their ankles more flexible just by getting educated on how to safely stretch and imitating what dancers do.
Here is a tool I found that some ballet dancers use that piqued my interest: The Ballet Foot Stretch from Spain.
From the Ballet Foot Stretch website:
BALLET FOOT STRETCH really works! As it lengthens, it strengthens, working on the superior part of the foot, at the same time giving you an extra "heel forward" support (cou de pied) as you stretch.I went to a couple ballet message boards to get a review and most the content is either neutral, positive, or simply question that foot work is cheaper. I looked for some You Tube videos of ballet ankle stretches but most I saw were more advanced than a swimmer with no dance training could accomplish.
[Cost €97.00 or $134.00 USA]
[Link]
11 comments:
Finis makes a swimmer ankle torture rack: http://www.finisinc.com/P-205004/The-Rack
I haven't tried it personally but I saw Lezak use it in his Go Swim video
The board that Jason Lezak was using looked effective, but this one looks nicer on the heel; do you disagree?
the ballet version is definitely fancier. looks like you could get a way deeper, borderline superhuman, stretch out of it
I am going to take a look at the FINIS on and post a side by side. Perhaps the FINIS board is padded?
I just looked up the FINIS "Rack for Ankle Stretching" I think the design could add undue pressure on the heal.
I was putting my feel under my couch in the den and my heals were hurting.
I purchased "The Rack" awhile ago and have used it off and on (years of running have made my ankles about as flexible as aged oak - something highly desirable when running cross county races but producing the opposite results when in a pool). Like Tony I discovered ballet products and/or stretches for increasing ankle flexibility were either too expensive or difficult to practice so I turned to Finis' product to do the job. For those curious few "The Rack" isn't padded and, yes, the heel does come away a little sore. The idea, however, isn't to create maximum ankle flexibility in one day - you can simple break your ankles if you want that - it's to gently stretch the joint on a regular basis and gradually achieve the desired flexibility. Having "The Rack" allows you to do just that pretty well anywhere you want; and thus allowing you to dispense with that heavy couch or its equivalent. On the other hand if I was a complainer I'd talk about how the restraining strap cut into my arches creating considerably more discomfort than felt by my heels; but to any serious competitor that will be a trifling matter in his or her search for speed. For us old masters swimmers, however, who are trying to merely swim at a better than normal laggardly pace the benefits may not be enough to overcome the cost in time and nuisance.
Thank you for taking the time to write a thorough review. When I looked at the photo I had no idea if it was padded, cushy, plastic or what have you. You sort of confirmed what I thought.
I think I may spring for the ballet foot stretcher. I like that you can wear it.
But look at the extension it places on the foot! The device is clearly not for 'amateurs'.
But I am an idiot so it doesn't matter.
I have horrible stiff ankles as well. Never been much of a flutter kicker. However, after suffering through bad tendinitis in my right foot and ankle through college I really started stretching my ankles all the time. Whenever I am standing in line waiting for something I am tucking my toes under my feet and pushing, standing on the sides of my feet, etc. My ankles aren't ballet flexible but they are a lot better. My right ankle still lags behind my left, but the pain is gone.
On another note I have heard a lot about this device:
http://www.footstretch.com/
Looks like torture.
D'oh I feel silly. By the time I got through reading the comments and responded to the post I had forgotten that you based it around the Ballet Foot Stretch to begin with. Anyway in the gymnastics world I've heard a bit about it as an effective stretch tool. Other than that tool I've seen girls use a theraband wrapped around their foot to push the foot down when they pull on the band. A partner to hold things down also helps.
The way to substantially increase your flexibility is to just sit in the stretch for a long time. When you can't take it anymore, go a minute longer. Ballet dancers and gymnasts reach their flexibility by doing absolutely everything you have been told not to do while stretching. No pain no gain!
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