# Stance angles for poor ankle mobility?



## supern00b (Jan 27, 2020)

Anyone with bad ankles care to share how your bindings are set up? I have a history of ankle sprains, and I think there's scar tissue that's preventing a normal range of dorsiflexion.


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

Yoga


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## BoardieK (Dec 21, 2015)

I don't really do dorsiflexion, I have really stiff boots for carving and don't do much else, works fine.


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## supern00b (Jan 27, 2020)

BoardieK said:


> I don't really do dorsiflexion, I have really stiff boots for carving and don't do much else, works fine.


So it's not so much the active act of dorsiflexion, but it's just that my ankles inhibit my squatting motion. I'm trying to figure out a way to get lower without my ankles killing me...


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## Flavor_James86 (Jun 6, 2018)

Which ankle? I have a similar history on my right, rear, ankle. I cannot go ++ comfortably. I've tried but I feel too much pressure on it. So on my directional boards I ride +18 / -6 and on twin boards I ride +18 / -15. It's all about what feels good to you!


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## ZeMax (Feb 21, 2014)

supern00b said:


> So it's not so much the active act of dorsiflexion, but it's just that my ankles inhibit my squatting motion. I'm trying to figure out a way to get lower without my ankles killing me...


Yoga.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

PT is a big deal. Yoga is quite helpful as well. I've got bad ankles from skateboarding. I used to ride really stiff boots and bindings, but now my setup is pretty soft and flexible. I feel like PT and yoga got me there.


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## supern00b (Jan 27, 2020)

Flavor_James86 said:


> Which ankle? I have a similar history on my right, rear, ankle. I cannot go ++ comfortably. I've tried but I feel too much pressure on it. So on my directional boards I ride +18 / -6 and on twin boards I ride +18 / -15. It's all about what feels good to you!


Ah ditto. My rear foot isn't as bad as my front foot, fortunately. I've been messing around with a ++ stance, but I'm wondering if my ankles are getting in the way...


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## Kevington (Feb 8, 2018)

I would like to ride ++ but can't for the same reason as you: rear foot has poor dorsiflection due to destroying it repeatedly on a skateboard. I run the back foot at -3 or -6 instead and can get way deeper and still drive the back knee into a turn. As many have said, try yoga. Its a game-changer for sure. I also try to build up the muscles on the front of my lower legs, not sure what they're called but they sit just to the side of your shin bone. You can feel these muscles if you try to squat forwards rather than straight down. They are holding you up from falling forwards or just crushing your knees. They are often weak and limit the depth and it seems like a dorsiflection problem when in fact its just weakness. Theres a lot of muscle memory that is in place to stop you blowing out your joints. Kind of like a failsafe system. As you get stronger and more flexible you also need to re-teach the body that its safe to go deeper.


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## StCBoarder (Sep 24, 2019)

I have the same problem. This year I put tognar heel wedges in my boots and that seemed to help quite a bit.


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