Ankle injuries are not normal and do not “come with the territory” of dancing.
I was recently teaching a strength and injury prevention class and when I asked how many dancers had been injured before, I was SHOCKED that almost every dancer had been injured and I was even more shocked to find out that MOST had suffered an ankle or knee injury.
You better believe we spent a lot of time talking that day about ankle strengthening exercises.
These athletes should not feel like injuries are the norm, and with these ankle strengthening exercises your dancers can get stronger at home and you don’t have to wonder what exercises are best for dancers.
How important are ankle exercises for dancers?
Ankle strengthening exercises as well as exercises to improve balance for dancers and exercises to strengthen feet for dancers are essential for injury prevention as well as consistent skills.
These are often forgotten as we focus on pointed toes and lifted knees. They don’t get the attention they deserve for how much support they can offer.
Much like a game of Jenga, keeping the bottom stacked and secure is the best way to keep the tower from crumbling.
This applies to your dancers.
Taking the time to work on ankle strength is going to give them more consistency in their turns and skills, and keep their ankles safe from the impact of their dancing.
Ankle strengthening exercises are easy to incorporate, even when brushing your teeth.
Workouts to strengthen ankles:
