Alright so we’ve all heard of the benefits of improving ankle mobility:
- Deeper, improved position in squats and pistols
- Improved tracking of the patella and knee position during movement
- Better position of the torso and shoulders in movement like overhead squats
- An improvement in knee pain (or foot, hip and low back pain) when a mobility issue at the ankle is causing problems.
We’ve all seen the classic mobility drills. I believe I’ve seen Mike Boyle, Bill Hartman and Perry Nickelston all demonstrate the same great drill.
Fast-forward to 2:40.
I really find it difficult to get a nice mobilization with this drill:
- My heel slides out when I try to mobilize
- I can’t get strong enough leverage for a good mobilization
Here’s how I’ve modified this drill to make it work for me:
Remember:
- Make sure your are keeping the arch of your foot in tact when mobilizing (Short foot, subtalar neutral, arch etc. whatever you want to call it)
- Press your knee out toward your toe by squeezing your glute (This also puts your foot in a better position).
- Test your deep squat, pistol, or FMS inline lunge before and after to see if you get an improvement in the movement.
Go get some mobility!
Dan Pope
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