09/04/2026
Ankle Stability: The Missing Piece in Consistent Landings
When you struggle to land your jumps consistently, we often look at rotation, jump height, air position, and technique. But sometimes the problem starts where a lot of people don’t ever look — at the ankle.
Before a skater can absorb and control a landing, the ankle needs to recognize where the body is in space and respond quickly enough to stabilize it. It also needs the proper range of motion to lift up with good form on the take offs.
Try this simple assessment: Have the skater stand on one leg in bare feet in their landing position for 20–30 seconds. Watch the ankle. Does it wobble? Does the foot collapse inward? Do they grip with their toes, move their arms, or shift their upper body to stay balanced?
These compensations can tell us that the skater needs more ankle control before adding greater speed, height, and rotation. From here we would also do an ankle test to measure range of motion.
Once we know the starting point, I work through three progressions:
1. Hold — Establish a strong single-leg landing position and maintain alignment without excessive ankle movement.
2. Control — Add small movements, reaches, or changes in body position while keeping the ankle and landing side stable.
3. React — Progress to hops and landing variations where the ankle has to quickly stabilize the body on contact.
The goal isn’t simply stronger ankles. We want the skater’s ankle, foot, knee, and hip working together automatically so that when they come down from a jump, their body knows how to find and control the landing.
If you need help to diagnose your jump from a deeper perspective, book an assessment with me: [email protected].
OR start our ankle strength program using the FLEXAFIT Edge- online.flexafit.com. Subscribe Today!
