"The Importance of Ankle Conditioning at the University LevelPosted on August 11, 2022, by Tad (Tadashi Aoshima)Ankle Conditioning
In athlete conditioning, the aspect I prioritize the most is the 'ankle.'
This is because, as a reference point for aligning the entire body, the ankle is the most convenient within the body for being
- Easily touched
- Easily visible
- Sensitive to changes
However, in reality, when I tell top athletes competing worldwide, 'Let's condition from the ankles!' they often respond with expressions like 'Seriously?' or 'Isn't it too late?' This indicates a lack of awareness regarding the importance of basic ankle care.
While there's a current trend to adopt the latest and more specific training methods, these advanced techniques come after mastering the 'fundamental aspects.' Incorporating them without assessing the current state won't yield results, leading the athlete astray and increasing the risk of injury.
In my experience with figure skaters, including world champions, over the past 30 years, not a single athlete had well-conditioned ankles. Hence, 'Let's condition from the ankles!' becomes my first emphasis.
Understanding Conditioning
Equally important is creating a two-way understanding in conditioning, where athletes willingly participate. Instead of imposing my methods, I need athletes to acknowledge and understand them. The simplest way is to demonstrate the effectiveness by improving stiff joints in minutes using my method. Ankle conditions are advantageous for this as they are easily visible and sensibly felt by the person.
For instance, experimenting with ankle flexibility by lying on the back and tilting the ankle towards the floor, achieving a graceful position similar to a ballet dancer by touching the floor with the toes. Often, fatigued ankles from daily practice lead to reduced flexibility. After confirming the limited movement, I spend around five minutes easing the muscles hindering ankle movement, transforming them into flexible ankles resembling a ballet dancer's, and having the athlete confirm the change.
By showing the reliability of my method in such instances, the distance between the athlete and me shrinks, establishing a relationship where conditioning becomes smoother.
In essence, defining the starting line for conditioning is crucial for success. It doesn't necessarily have to be the ankles; any concept covering the entire body would suffice.
Therapists Face Similar Risks
As mentioned, the foundation of my method involves identifying improvement areas and explaining the cause-and-effect relationship to the athletes. This method poses risks for therapists if predictions go wrong. However, when dealing with athletes dedicating their lives to their sport, therapists need a significant level of commitment. While mistakes can occur, admitting and apologizing for them promptly and leading to the next solution is my consistent approach.
Conditioning for Skaters' Ankles
Let's delve into the specifics for skaters as an example.
It's crucial for athletes to experience and understand the conditioning during its implementation. Equally important is having them feel the skating condition the day after conditioning. When long-standing discomfort in movements improves, skaters perceive the change most effectively.
Improving ankle flexibility leads to easier strides, enhancing skating performance, smoother stride-in motions, and higher jumps. This progression reinforces my emphasis on ankle conditioning.
At this stage, identifying skating issues from the skater's perspective is vital. I am a therapist, not a skating coach. Therefore, focusing on movements hindering performance, such as the inability to execute specific actions, rather than the overall quality of skating, is my approach.
Top skaters often struggle not due to technical shortcomings but because their bodies won't execute coach-instructed movements. Without understanding this, coaches might endlessly repeat instructions, creating a situation where the athlete follows but neither reaches the goal nor understands the underlying problem. This can lead to a worst-case scenario, subjecting the athlete's body to prolonged strain without reaching the desired outcome.
Understanding the Essence of Conditioning
A common aspect for achieving positive outcomes in various situations is relying on self-care rather than depending on others.
Understanding and experiencing the therapist's predicted work, as explained in this column, makes daily conditioning for athletes easy and highly effective. Therefore, the goal of my method is to have athletes comprehend and execute the necessary information on their own.
For instance, for skaters who have had ankle issues since childhood, rather than merely alleviating pain, we delve into
- Why ankle issues occurred
- Why the same issues persisted for yearsExplaining the importance of implementing the method before and after practice and having them execute it is crucial for addressing the root cause.
Lastly, ankle conditioning doesn't conclude with the ankles alone. To maintain optimal ankle conditions, it's necessary to broaden conditioning to areas related to ankle movement, reducing stress on the ankles. Understanding the chain reaction from stiff ankles affecting shock absorption to the knees and then the hips is essential.
This is the foundation of my ankle conditioning approach, making the starting line clear. While seemingly obvious, these points are often overlooked."