Ankle Flexibility
High performance surfing requires great ankle flexibility. From landing airs, to massive rail-to-rail cutbacks, a healthy ankle joint is crucial for moving freely in all planes of motion. Severe stiffness in the ankle complex will limit any surfing performance unless the muscles of the ankle are properly lengthened.
The ankle complex consists of many different muscles. These muscles work together to allow the foot to produce the four movements of the ankle that are used during surfing:
1. flexing of the foot [Dorsiflexion]
2. movement in the ankles that allow the toes to point [Plantar Flexion]
3. rolling the ankles outward [Eversion]
4. rolling of the ankles inward [Inversion]
Active Isolated Stretching [AIS] is a unique approach to stretching the ankle muscles, or any muscles for that matter, that works effectively and efficiently.
AIS uses active movement and reciprocal inhibition to gain increased flexibility of an isolated muscle.
That is a mouthful but here's a simple exercise to see how it works:
* Lie on your back and prepare yourself for the hamstring stretch.
* Grab a leash and loop it around one foot. We will be using the leash simply to guide
the leg with our hands.
* Lift the leg straight up and towards the chest. Your quads ( front thighs ) along with
your other hip flexors are the muscles contracting to bring up the leg. By contracting these hip flexors, you send neural messages to your brain which then sends them back to your hamstrings asking them to relax (reciprocal inhibition).
* When the leg gets to the point where it cannot travel up anymore, just slightly pull the leash to move the leg a little closer to the chest for assistance.
Reciprocal inhibition relaxes the muscle being stretched [the antagonist muscle] by contracting the opposing muscle [the agonist muscle]. Muscles are more apt to lengthen while relaxed.
AIS uses shorter holds - about 2 seconds - unlike static stretching which involves holding a stretch for about 20 - 30. Researchers have found that holding a stretch for longer than 10 secs triggers the "stretch reflex", an automatic body response that
causes the muscle being stretch to contract. This phenomenon is the body’s defense mechanism for preventing muscles from being over stretched or being ripped apart.
AIS requires the stretch to be held for only 2 seconds. The muscle then is returned to it's neutral position, and then back to the stretch again. This process is repeated for about ten repetitions. Holding a mild stretch for no longer than 2 secs makes it less likely that the stretch reflex will be activated.
Before surfing, the general rule of thumb would be one set of 10 repetitions on a specific muscle for a warmup before surfing. On days when you do not surf, multiple stretching sets are great for increasing range of motion.
The video provided here shows Giorgio Gomez stretching his ankle complex with use of a rope. The rope provides great assistance throughout the stretch exercises. Any boat store or hardware store sells these ropes. Remember to hold each stretch for 2 secs, no longer. Use the rope to give about a half a pound of pressure to assist in the stretch. You should "feel" a mild stretch; NOT a painful and intense stretch.
Remember you are trying to avoid stimulating the stretch reflex. Also, it is essential to contract the opposing muscle that is being stretched. Reciprocal inhibition is the name of the game here.
AIS in time will increase the range of motion in the areas you desire, BUT it must be done on a daily basis. Notable gains in ankle flexibility will come in time to further enhance your surfing.
