The best way to use supports to avoid sparring and competition injuries

Supports in the form of wraps or something similar are crucial when training at a good number of sports. Remember that one of the most common injuries is an injury to the ankle – ...

The best way to use supports to avoid sparring and competition injuries Supports in the form of wraps or something similar are crucial when training at a good number of sports. Remember that one of the most common injuries is an injury to the ankle – and this is across all sports, from tennis, to MMA, to basketball.   In team sports, ankle injuries usually result from landing from a leap, or from sudden sideways movement. In contact sports from MMA, an ankle injury most often results from the ankle striking some hard bone in the opponent’s body. A part of the conditioning process In MMA, it takes a lot of conditioning before the wrists and ankles can really be said to be strong enough to avoid regular injury – this is period where support for the wrist and ankles, and guards for the elbows and shins are most important. The ankles can also be twisted in the course of some MMA and BJJ movements and training drills, so supports are important.   Ankle wraps are the most effective way to support the ankle – the wrappings start around the arch of the foot, carefully protect the achilles tendon, and then are wrapped about the leg to about the midpoint of the shin. While these are indeed very effective, they have to be wrapped by an experienced person, and such is not always available to everyone, which is why people usually go with the next best option – ankle braces. Ankle braces These are braces for the ankle that are laced up – they fit very snugly around the arch of the foot and the ankle, and best of all, can fit inside shoes as well, which makes them suitable for any number of sports and disciplines.   Best of all, they require no special expertise to put on, which makes them perfect for those who have no experience in using ankle wrappings. Another good thing ankle braces is that if they happen to come loose during training, they can be re-adjusted quite easily, while wraps need to be removed and put on all over again. Use wraps with guards Please bear in mind that ankle wraps are best used in conjunction with some sort of ankle guard if you’re engaged in a contact sport that uses the legs, like MMA, kickboxing or Muay Thai. Such guards protect the ankle from direct strike trauma while the wrapping protects the joint itself. Such multi-layered protection can successfully prevent regular injury, and so improve the amount of training and sparring that you do, week by week and month by month.