Ankle Stiffness… Is it Bad? Good? & How it affects performance.
In 2026, we still talk about physical qualities in absolutes:
- Flexibility → Good → Need More
- Mobility → Good → Need More
- Stiffness → Bad → Avoid at All Costs
But the reality is far more nuanced. The conversation should focus on the moving target, not rigid extremes.
Every athlete—especially developing ones—comes with genetic predispositions. By the time we see them at Velocity, those natural qualities are often the very reason they excel in their sport. Yet parents frequently arrive with a checklist of “deficiencies” they believe must be fixed to keep progress going. Westchester parents are masters of the ‘asset vs. liability’ presentation.
- The powerful, dense, durable lacrosse attacker “needs” more flexibility.
- The long, limber, hypermobile gymnast “needs” strength—ASAP.
- The long-striding cross-country star “needs” explosive starts: “If they could just burst off the line, they’d have Olympic times!”
(In our head: If they could burst off the line, they’d run the 100m, not the 5000m.)
This isn’t criticism. Performance training is all about identifying desired qualities and applying stimulus to move an athlete toward them. Our point is: don’t ignore natural defaults and chase polar opposites as if they’re destinations. Development should be about balance, not extremes.
Today, we want to specifically discuss the moving target of “Ankle Stiffness.”
It’s a hot topic among a generation of parents who never played in college because they were too slow, learned to squat from their gym teacher, CrossFit’d ass-to-grass in their 30s, and now watch their springy, shifty, elastic child squat with heels coming off the ground—and want to “fix” it by flattening them out.
What is “Ankle Stiffness” & How Does It Relate To Performance?
Ankle stiffness refers to a limited ROM of ankle dorsiflexion, inversion, or eversion. (Image Below) To most people, this lack of movement normally comes with various aches & pains. For sport PT’s that immobility is often looked at as an issue & sometimes it can be. But as sports performance coaches, we also need to look at ankle stiffness in a biomechanical context & the potential benefits it brings to athletic performance.
In sports, athletes utilize the stretch shortening cycle in almost every movement on the field/court. Running, jumping, cutting, swinging, throwing, etc.
Running for example, leads to a rapid lengthening & shortening of the muscles-tendon units of the lower limb. In this movement, if an athlete’s muscles- tendon units are stiffer, it should maximize the energy released during the shortening phase. So in a movement where ground contact time needs to be minimal, being stiffer is likely more beneficial.
Now, having stiff ankles isn’t always a positive…
Ankle stiffness shows up daily in training environments but can be disguised as incorrect squat form, balance deficiencies, or the inability to achieve depth in certain athletic movements. Oftentimes these movements limitations are deemed to be caused by weakness or poor movement technique. However, the underlying cause is often a stiffness or mobility deficiency of the ankle.
Understanding the cause for ankle stiffness, how it impacts athletic performance, & how tools in the weight room can help these patterns, are crucial to long term athletic development & success.
Let’s dive into it!
Why Is Ankle Stiffness So Common In Youth Athletes?
First, let’s give into why ankle stiffness is so common in youth athletes.
Rapid growth, training habits, & various sport demands are the three main reasons for youth athletes being prone to ankle stiffness.
During growth spurts, bones lengthen rapidly while muscles and connective tissues struggle to keep up, this leads to excess tightness in the gastrocnemius–soleus complex and posterior ankle structures. This stiffness directly limits dorsiflexion.
Additionally, most youth training environments only emphasize sport specific skills like running & jumping without giving enough attention to mobility & functional movement patterns.
So, where exactly do we see these deficiencies pop up the most in the weight room?
The Squat: Where Ankle Limitations Become Obvious
The squat is a fundamental staple in youth athletic development. A proper squat requires a certain amount of ankle dorsiflexion to allow for the feet to maintain contact with the ground as the athlete squats their hips towards the ground.
When the athletes ankle mobility is restricted we often see one or more of the following:
- Heels disconnecting from the ground
- Excessive forward trunk lean
- Increased lumbar flexion (shoulders rolled forward)
- Knees diving inward (Valgus)
For youth athletes, we especially want to reinforce good movement patterns with the squat because it’s not used exclusively as a strength exercise. Rather, it’s a movement pattern that transfers to jumping, landing, deceleration, & COD.
How Does Ankle Mobility Affect Performance?
Ankle stiffness has both PROS & CONS in relation to affecting athletic performance. Let’s get into both:
Pros:
- Increased ankle stiffness maximizes the amount of elastic energy released in the stretch shortening cycle
- This is beneficial in movements where ground contact time needs to be minimal in order to produce higher levels of force/output
- Think dynamic movements such as: max velocity sprinting, cutting/COD, & jumping
- This is beneficial in movements where ground contact time needs to be minimal in order to produce higher levels of force/output
Cons:
- Increased ankle stiffness negatively affects situations in which an athlete wants to exert an impulse & change momentum such as the initial steps in acceleration or an approach jump.
- In these movements, we need to allow the athlete enough time on the ground to apply force.
- Aside from affecting squat depth and movement patterns, limited ankle dorsiflexion could lead to poor sprint performance, reduced jump height, & incorrect landing mechanics.
- When the ankle can’t absorb force in the right way, higher joints up the chain (such as the knee) are forced to take on greater loads.
- In terms of injury prevention, as we have stated, limited ankle dorsiflexion leads to more knee valgus & higher stress during landing, jumping, & cutting. Over time, these compensations can contribute to overuse injuries and movement inefficiencies that can outlive the young athletes athletic careers if left unaddressed.
Why Are Slants & Wedges Effective Tools In The Weightroom?
Slant boards and wedges offer a simple, easy to use, way to address youth athlete ankle mobility limitations without restricting the athlete from specific movement patterns such as the squat & without “correcting” the stiffness that could be contributing to their elite speed & plyometric abilities.
The slant or wedge allows the ankle to be in a pre-set dorsiflexed position before initiating the squat movement.
This reduces the mobility demand required to reach ideal squat depth, allows athletes to maintain heel contact and balance, & exposes the ankle to end-range dorsiflexion in a controlled way.
By using the slant, the athlete is improving active and passive ankle dorsiflexion by stretching the calf complex while squatting. In addition, it allows athletes to train the squat pattern while the ankle mobility is developing as opposed to completing the movement with poor compensations.
Eventually, the angle of the slant should progressively decrease & then the use of the slants should slowly decrease as the ankle mobility improves.
Consistency and patience matter more than intensity. Small, repeated exposures to dorsiflexion tend to yield better long-term results than aggressive stretching.
Ankle Mobility Needs To Be Seen As A Foundation, Not An Accessory
As we have seen, ankle stiffness can be either beneficial or detrimental to a youth athlete’s athletic success.
That’s the point! It’s a case by case situation that needs to be handled as such.
Not all ankle restrictions need to be fixed. However, in situations where it affects overall quality of movement, correcting it needs to be prioritized in an athletes development plan. And on the flip side, in situations where it’s beneficial, harness it… don’t eliminate it.
Now that you know what ankle stiffness is, why it’s so common, & tools that can help in the gym… what are you waiting for – get to work!
See ya in the gym…
Written By:
Jake Lebovitch – Assistant Director Of Performance & Content Manager
Jordan Bledsoe – Owner & Director Of Performance
References:
- Rabin, A. et al. Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and lower extremity biomechanics during the squat. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
- Malloy, P. et al. The association of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion with sprint and jump performance in youth athletes.Journal of Sports Sciences.
- Hoch, M. C., & McKeon, P. O. Restricted ankle dorsiflexion and movement compensations during functional tasks. Sports Medicine.
- Bennell, K. et al. Effect of calf muscle stretching and incline board training on ankle dorsiflexion. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
- The role of ankle dorsiflexion in sports performance and injury risk: A narrative review. European Journal of General Medicine.
- Ankle stiffness: Benefits for running performance and injury prevention. Runner’s World. https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a64980076/ankle-stiffness-running-benefits/
- Stiffness and its links to performance and injury risk. Sportsmith. https://www.sportsmith.co/articles/stiffness-and-its-links-to-performance-and-injury-risk/