Salty22

watching a muay thai dvd the other day i noticed everyone had ankle braces on, any idea where i can get a pair?
my ankles hurt alot.
the kind they had one are for bare footed martial arts etc, if you get me? any links?

BJJ Boy

If your ankles hurt ankle weights would be a terrible idea. I made a topuic on this a while ago and many people told me ankle weights only make things worst on your ankles.

AdRath

You can find them online at any place that sells kickboxing supplies. I have several pairs and without them my ankles are toast from sports injuries etc.

Onganju

You can get good ankle braces from any local sporting good store, and even some pharmacies. You want to get simple slip-on ankle braces. Cloth/elastic braces will work fine and will usually run you around $10 a piece on average (like this one here or this one here). Some brands are cloth/neoprene braces that are a bit stiffer and more expensive which would do fine too. My gripe with those is that they don't breathe as well and you wnd up with wet, stinky braces after wearing them in practice.

The stiffest type are the lace up kind, but you wouldn't want to use that for Martial Arts training (like this one here). The laces sit on the front of the brace with the eye holes facing forward. You can probably surmise it's a recipe for scrapping up and cutting your training partner up if you wear them during sparring. Also, avoid the wrap-around type that closes with velcro (like this one here). That velcro will scrape/cut just like laces and with too much activity the brace will undo itself and come off.

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WaCkO92

uhhh i didnt see him mention ankle weights

Salty22

haha i was wondering where you got that from, i thought best not say anything cos i might have made a spelling mistake by accident

whiplash

never ever ever rely on any form of bracing.. if you need to brace due to pain or tenderness, respect the tissues and allow it to heal...

strength train your ankle, gain full flexibility, do proprioception drills/balance drills and then finally work hard on agility drills or some plyo... relying on a brace provides a psychological feedback that may have a negative effect on your performance...

Salty22

basically what the problem is, when i was born my right foot was very slightly deformed in the way it pointed naturally.
instead of pointing forward and flat, it curves slightly in and turns towards my other foot if you get me.
i had an op on it when i was a year or so old and its normal now apart from being scared down the side.

its just sometimes when i do a roundhouse kick etc and have to pivot on it i used to lose balance slightly sometimes because of it, and for the first 8-10 weeks i did kickboxing it hurt abit (didnt stop me doing anything the next day, including training tho)
its getting better as im getting strong, ive been doing alot more skipping recently and that seems to have strengthened it abit

WaCkO92

so you had wats known as a clubbed foot? that sucks my little sister had to get surgery and have multiple casts and braces for this problem

whiplash

talipes equino varus?? seems like you are doing the right thing by training it in a closed pack position (where it is on the ground and is in contact with that stable surface while you train it).. this will help in making it more stable...

the ligaments and muscles from a congenital problem will take longer than 8-10 weeks to achieve sufficient tensile strength... but i do believe with adequate training towards strength, flexibility, proprioception and agility you will be able to train without the need for braces..

if it makes you feel more stable at this point in your training, then by all means go ahead...