One of the 3 Chukka Wellness key elements is flexibility because staying mobile reduces the risk of injury and improves your range of movement and control, during defence and attack in play.
The ankle is an area that is pretty much forgotten about in a training programme however, there is a lot of pressure going through the ankle joint when you are in the saddle. Not only is the ankle joint loaded every time you stand up in the saddle but it also endures a slight twisting action every time you rotate in the saddle. Therefore, at Chukka Wellness we wanted to provide you with some simple but effective mobilising exercises to warm up the ankle joints before playing.
1. Resistance Band Ankle Opener Attach a resistance band to a stable platform and wrap it around your ankle joint. Move the foot forward so that you have a good amount of tension on the band, then bend your knee forward. When you have enough tension on the band contract the front ankle muscles and hold for 4 seconds. Relax and allow the ankle to be pulled back by the band. The idea of this exercise is that the band pulls the ankle back slightly more to open up the joint and allow for more movement and flexiblity.
24
