Are Ankle Braces Bad For Basketball?

As we all know basketball is a fanatics game and people get very emotional during this game. And because of those emotional moments during the game, they forget the most important part of athleticism which is their health.

Most basketball players have injured their ankles while hooping or landing on the ground. This can be eradicated by some protection they should use. Talking about protection, you must be wondering are ankle braces bad for basketball.

No, they’re very good for most basketball players.

Let’s talk about it in detail further in the article.

Are Ankle Braces Bad For Basketball?

No, ankle braces are not at all bad for basketball. They are very useful for basketball players because basketball players injure their ankles the most in their matches. According to a study, almost 42.9 % of high school basketball players injure their ankles during the game.

It depends on several factors whether there will be a reoccurring injury or not but overall, it’s just important to take care of your joints.

It is said that once a basketball player’s ankle gets injured, they are most likely to get injured again with the chances five times more than the others. It’s because sometimes they don’t take care of their ankles and sometimes it happens because of other players.

Methods To Prevent Ankle Injuries Including Ankle Braces

There are certainly many tools and methods to remedy an injured ankle of a player but some of them are as follows:

• Taping/ bracing the player’s ankles
• Ankle strengthening program (ankle stretching and other exercises)

Both of these prominent methods are used only after the injury has occurred. Although some athletic fitness trainers use ankle braces even before the ankle has been injured just to protect them as a precaution.

But overall, this is one of the best methods to prevent injuries that will eventually prevent reoccurring ankle injuries among players.

Keeping your joints secure while playing is as important as going for a basket in the game. But some players don’t take care of it and mostly during the rebounds, either they land on the ground the wrong way or they land on another player’s foot. 

Different Ankle Braces Designs

There are different ankle brace designs and each brace design has different characteristics like the motion range, ankle strength, performance, and comfort level. Hence, you need to know which ankle brace types are and which one is the best for you.

Lace-up Style Basketball Ankle Support

Lace-up style ankle support is very simple and can be worn like a corset on your ankle.  It restricts your ankle movement even the up and down motion. Eventually, your heel works against the corset and you lose all your ankle support after some time.

Also, the restricted up-and-down movement of your ankle is never a good idea for your ankles and the gameplay. 

These lace-up ankle protection methods were introduced to the players after the ankle taping didn’t work. The ankle tapes used to lose 70% of their power and effectiveness just after 20 minutes of the activity. So, the players shifted towards the ankle lace-up support system to add a little bit of extra time and support.

Plastic Ankle Braces

The main feature of these ankle braces is that they give extra support to the ankles and don’t even loosen up after some time. This happens because of their rigid construction that makes the up-and-down movement easy.

Also, there is a hinge in the ankle brace that moves with the player’s ankle. So, if the player jumps the hinge goes up as well and when the player lands down the hinge goes down. This way the player’s performance maximizes as well as the rigidity of the ankle brace makes it long-lasting. 

But there is a problem with this ankle support among the players that they find it very uncomfortable and bulky. This is because of its rigid construction as well as some of the restrictions on the player’s right and left ankle movement which they could do with a normal stance. 

Ultra-Zoom

This ultra-zoom is the third and the most widely used ankle brace technology that is considered the best so far. It has the plastic ankle brace kind of shape but the performance of the lace-up ankle support brace. So, it’s a good mix of both quality and performance.

But overall, this is a good quality product because of its advanced unique material called “performathane.” This material is rigid and soft at the same time and doesn’t restrict your ankles just to one angle. Its flexibility lets it be custom fit to your body by your body heat. 

The ankle can move freely with full motion support but excessive and unwanted twisted and turning will not be possible. This is because of the ankle support that lets you land straight in an upright position but not at the wrong angle. 

Some Ankle-strengthening Exercises Every Basketball Player Should Perform

To strengthen your ankles, you need to make sure that you are properly exercising and have enough diet for the joints. This is all recommended by professional trainers so don’t worry and just perform these steps after you have got the resistance band. 

1. Sit on the floor
2. Wrap one side of the resistance band around your foot and hold the other side of it.
3. Rotate your foot in an inward position and do this for 20 repetitions.
4. Rotate your foot in an outward position and do this for 20 repetitions.
5. Point your toes to the other side or downwards and do this for 20 repetitions.
6. Wrap one side of the band around a pole or a chair leg and the other side of the band on your foot and pull your toe towards you. And do this for 20 repetitions.

These are the steps that you have to perform to strengthen your ankles and other joints. The rest of the exercises depend on several factors so it is best advised by your trainers if you have one. 

Read More:

• How to Measure Psi in a Basketball?

Is It OK to Wear An Ankle Brace While Playing Basketball?

Yes, it is normal if you wear an ankle brace while playing basketball. Professional trainers recommend wearing a basic version of the ankle brace even when you are not injured. This is just a kind of precautionary measure that they take.

Do Any NBA Players Wear Ankle Braces?

Yes, almost all the NBA players wear ankle braces and you can find out about them if you do thorough research. But if you are looking for some famous and the most common types of ankle braces, you can check the list right away.

Does Wearing An Ankle Brace Weaken The Ankle?

No, wearing ankle braces does not weaken the player’s ankles. It strengthens them so that you don’t get hurt in any way. But you need to put some pressure on your ankle so you don’t just leave your ankle resting there.

How Do NBA Players Strengthen Their Ankles?

The NBA players know their worth and their importance to the NBA. Therefore, they do regular exercises and competition drills just so they don’t lose any single match and still beat everyone else as anyone else does.

How Do NBA Players Treat Sprained Ankles?

They do a lot of professional training exercises and take proper medication. If it wasn’t for the medicine, there would have been chaos because every other player faces an ankle injury just because of very small negligence.

Conclusion

Are ankle braces bad for basketball? No, they’re not at all bad for basketball they’re very useful for players to keep themselves safe. There are different kinds of ankle support braces and you can know about them in detail above in this article.

We do not recommend having any ankle brace for now before you have enough knowledge of your needs and their characteristics. Also, make sure to consult a professional trainer for this purpose and then start any exercise or care routine.