How to keep ankles straight when rollerblading can be a hassle for many beginner inline skaters. However, you can do this using the proper inline skating stance, which requires you to bend your knees and lean forward to distribute weight evenly.
Implementing the right foot and ankle position and adjusting your rollerblades can also help. Lacing your inline skates snugly and wearing ankle braces or high-cuff skates can help significantly. Read this complete guide to learn more!
This is How to Keep Ankles Straight When Rollerblading
Many times, pronation in inline skating is because of poor foot technique. However, in rare cases, it’s caused by foot disability.
If it’s the latter, you may have to seek medical attention for a possible corrective surgery on your ankles. However, if it’s because of the former, I will show you how to fix it today!
How to Fix Pronation and Poor Rollerblading Foot Technique
Pronation is easy to correct with the right rollerblading techniques. Below are the exercises that will help you keep your ankles straight when rollerblading.
1. Master the Correct Rollerblading Position
Many beginner skaters miss it at the correct rollerblading position. Because of this, they miss the fundamentals of rollerblading the right way.
So, what’s the correct rollerblading position? You could be asking.
The correct inline skating position involves staying low with knees bent and over the toes.
Next, you want to make sure the shoulders are over the hips and that your hands are not all over the place. When your hands are not in check, it’s easy to lose stability.
More importantly, it would help if you kept watch of your ready position. The feet shouldn’t be wide apart but close.
This will help you with a streamlined push and regroup to the center edge.
Related post: How to Learn Rollerblading (Brocken Down to 3 Easy Steps)
2. Practice the Scooting Exercise
If you’ve used a scooter before, perhaps you have an idea of what I mean. However, if you’re yet to, you can always check a quick video on YouTube or live at a skate park.
This is what happens when using a scooter.
One foot is always on the scooter while the other is in constant contact with the ground.
Besides, it’s the one a scooter uses to push him/herself. Now, for this exercise, we want to transfer the same technique to rollerblading.
So, you’ll have a support leg (what would be on the scooter) and the other leg for doing the pushing.
In the ready position, push forward while ensuring the support leg isn’t bending in pronation.
If it’s pronating, you’ll want to make sure you push it back outward while doing the basic scooting exercise.
Do this as you regroup to the center edge until your support foot is no longer curving inside.
Repeat this exercise for the other leg for several rollerblading sessions. You should see tremendous improvements after several rounds of practice.
3. Practice the Push and Pose Exercise
This technique is more like the basic scooting exercise. The major difference is that you’re making longer pushes with one knee and staying in that position a little longer before regrouping back to the center edge, then posing for another 5 seconds.
Like the scooting exercise, make sure your support knee is properly bent. If possible, put your hands on it and apply some little pressure as you push with the other foot.
Most importantly, you want to be sure you’re moving in a straight line while pushing and posing.
Also, while in motion, try to push your ankles outward to correct the inward curving. Do this repeatedly while switching both feet.
If you do it long enough, you’ll build muscle memory in your feet with the potential to solve the pronation of ankles while rollerblading.
4. Off-Skate Exercises
Getting your ankles and feet in proper rollerblading shape doesn’t just happen when you’ve got your skates on.
Doing targeted exercises off skates is crucial for building the ankle strength, flexibility, and balance needed to keep your form solid once you’re wheeled up.
Trust me, taking the time to strengthen those ankles and improve flexibility will pay dividends the next time you’re cruising around the rink or park.
Calf Stretches
Make calf stretches part of your regular off-skate routine. Tight calf muscles contribute to ankle stiffness and poor balance on skates.
Some good stretches include standing calf stretches, bent knee calf stretches, and seated calf stretches. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds, relax and repeat 2-3 times.
Ankle Strengthening Exercises
Strong ankles are stable ankles. Do ankle circles, alphabet traces, resistance band exercises, and single-leg balance exercises like stork stand and tree pose. Just 10-15 minutes a day will bolster those ankle muscles.
Balance Training
Practicing balance off your skates will make balancing on them much easier. Exercises like standing on one leg, wobble board balancing, and tandem walking improve the proprioception and stability needed to resist those pesky wobbles. Start with 30-60 seconds on each leg and gradually increase time as you get stronger.
Keeping up with regular off-skate training will get those ankles and feet rollerblading ready. You’ll be able to maintain proper form and technique much more easily. Consistency is key, so try incorporating a few quick exercises into your daily routine. Your skating balance and confidence will thank you!
5. Adjusting Your Skates
Proper skate fit is crucial for keeping your ankles and feet in the ideal rollerblading position. If your skates are too loose or don’t provide enough ankle support, it can throw off your entire stance. Take some time to dial in the fit of your skates with these key adjustments.
Lace Skates Snugly But Not Too Tight
You want your skates to fit snugly around your feet and ankles, but not so tight that they restrict circulation or cause discomfort. Start by loosening the laces and gently tightening from the bottom up, working the laces into the eyelets as you go. The upper few eyelets should be looser to allow forward ankle flexion.
Wear Ankle Braces or High-Cuff Skates
If you have weak ankles or limited ankle support in your skates, consider wearing lace-up ankle braces underneath.
Some aggressive skates also have higher cuffs that offer more rigidity and stability. This added ankle reinforcement can help resist inward or outward rolling. Make sure any braces you wear fit comfortably under your skates.
Taking a few minutes to properly secure and support your feet and ankles in your skates will give you a solid foundation for maintaining proper form. Snug lacing paired with added ankle bracing is a winning combo for keeping those skates aligned and ankles straight.
How to Strengthen Your Ankles for Rollerblading
Weak ankles mean several things to inline skating. However, the one that stands out is when your ankles wobble in skates.
By all means, you want to avoid this by strengthening your ankles if you want to get the most from your rollerblading adventure. So, how should you do it?
1. The Alphabet Exercise
This exercise is meant to work the muscles and tendon ligaments around your feet and ankles, eventually strengthening your ankles. So, how does it go? You could be asking.
The alphabet exercise involves using your feet (toes) to ‘write’ letters of the alphabet in the air. So, you’ll have to sit on the floor with your legs stretching forward.
Then starting with the uppercase letters, try as much as possible to move your ankle (the fulcrum) to write the letters as perfect as possible.
When you’re done, shift to the lower case letters. Repeat this 3-5 times for every session, and you’ll finally strengthen your ankles for skating.
2. Regularly Work the ‘How to Keep Ankles Straight Exercises’
Remember, we identified the problem of curving ankles to be poor technique and pronation in the beginning.
So, to strengthen your ankle muscles, working out the recommended exercise will quickly help you out.
Therefore, you need to always skate in the recommended position, practices the scooting and the Push and pose exercises.
If you put enough time into this, your ankles should be stronger after a while.
Related Post: How to Get Better at Rollerblading | 10 Sure-fire tips
3. Do Pistol Squats
The pistol squat exercise is more or less the same as the normal squats but with slight variations (a one-legged squat).
So instead of stopping when your butt and thighs are parallel to the ground, you’d have to push them down to your heels when doing the pistol squats.
To get started, place one foot on a relatively raised surface while the other rests on the lower surface. Do your normal squats 10-20 times, depending on how comfortable you feel.
The second exercise is the seated pistol, where you sit on a bench with one leg raised in the air. Alternate both legs as you get up and back to the bench.
The other exercises are the cable machine pistol, bench-assisted pistol, and full-out pistol.
If you want to see how the pistol squat exercises are done, here’s a cool video that you’ll find quite helpful.
4. Buy the Best Rollerblades for Weak Ankles
When you’ve identified that you’ve got the pronation and weak ankles problem, it’s best to find the right inline skating shoes that match your situation.
Besides, there are tons of inline skating brands with some cool boots for weak ankles that you can check out.
The best rollerblades for weak ankles should offer the ultimate support. The good news is, synthetic leather and carbon boots are built for this and can be super helpful.
By all means, you’ll want to avoid hard boots since they provide the least support and comfort for ankles.
Ankle Support for Rollerblades
Ankle support is an important aspect of rollerblading, as it helps to protect your ankles from injury and keep them stable while you skate. There are several options available for ankle support in rollerblades, including:
- High-cut boot: Rollerblades with a high-cut boot offer more support and protection for your ankles. These boots are typically taller than low-cut boots and can help to prevent ankle sprains and other injuries.
- Ankle pads: Ankle pads are a good option for those who prefer a low-cut boot but still want some extra support for their ankles. These pads fit inside the boot and provide additional cushioning and stability to the ankle joint.
- Ankle braces: Ankle braces are a type of external support that can be worn over your rollerblades. These braces provide additional support and stability to the ankle joint, and can be helpful for those with existing ankle injuries or for those who want extra protection while skating.
It’s important to choose the right level of ankle support for your needs. If you’re a beginner or you have a history of ankle injuries, you may want to opt for a high-cut boot or ankle braces for added protection. However, if you’re an experienced rollerblader who just wants a little extra support, ankle pads may be a good option.
Here are some of the best ankle support for rollerblades to consider;
- Space Brace 2.0, Quick Lace Up Ankle Brace – Single
- Zenith Ankle Brace, Lace Up Adjustable Support
- SNEINO Ankle Brace for Women & Men
Roller Skates with Ankle Support
Please check out these cool Rollerblades for weak ankles on Amazon
Rollerblade Maxxum Edge 90 Men’s Adult Fitness Inline Skate
Epic Skates 125mm Engage 3-Wheel Inline Speed Skates
How to Protect your Ankles When Rollerblading
There are myriad ways to protect your ankles when rollerblading, such as picking the right inline skating boots, using the right socks, using ankle sleeves, and adding moleskin padding to reduce friction between your feet and the skating shoes.
The best skating boots are made of carbon or synthetic material and offer ultimate comfort and protection to your ankles and the entire foot.
In addition, the right socks for rollerblading are moderately thick and thin to provide comfort and adequate ankle protection.
How to Keep Ankles straight When Rollerblading: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Rollerblading Good for Ankles?
Rollerblading is good for ankles since it can help to strengthen weak ankles. However, you have to find the best rollerblades for weak ankles if you want to see results.
The right inline skates are made of carbon or synthetic material and offer the ultimate protection to the ankles.
2. Can you Rollerblade with Weak Ankles?
It’s possible to rollerblade with weak ankles because rollerblading can help you fix the pronation problem by strengthening your ankles.
However, you’ll have to practice several exercises, such as the scooting and push and pose exercises to fix the pronation.
3. How Tight Should Rollerblades Be Around the Ankle?
Your rollerblades should snuggly fit you. Therefore, they shouldn’t be too tight or too loose around the ankle.
This trickles down to how you do your laces and straps. In addition, doing this will give you ultimate comfort and protection around the ankles when skating.
4. How do I Stop My Ankles from Hurting when Rollerblading?
To stop your ankles from hurting when rollerblading, you have to buy the best rollerblades for weak ankles, use the right socks for rollerblading, ankle sleeves, and moleskin padding to reduce friction around the ankles and entire foot.
Wrapping Up | How to Keep Ankles straight When Rollerblading
How to keep ankles when rollerblading goes a long way if you want to enjoy your rollerblading adventure. However, it’s a real hassle for most beginners and some intermediate skaters.
If you want to correct this problem, there are several exercises you can undertake, like mastering the right rollerblading position, scooting, and push and pose exercises.
This isn’t rocket science! With adequate practice, you should be able to correct the pronation when rollerblading.
You want to come out as a professional when skating. Sadly, if you’re struggling with pronation, this may never come to reality.
So, it’s best to use this detailed guide to fix the problem today. Cheers and happy skating!
