What's Up with Ankles?

[Ricker]

Anecdotely, I've watched significant portions pf 30 or more games over the last week and I think there has been an equal number of kids that have gone down with turned ankles. Its obviously a part of the game but seems amazing the past week. Iowa had a kid go down, Michigan, obviously Justin Moore at Nova, Nika Muhl, Evina Westbrook, Josh Carlton, for us, Johns for Marquette continued play limping, a Marquette guard, 2 Butler players down during their game, is Posh an ankle?, It just seems the last week was brutal on ankles. Anybody else notice this?

 

[Kemba'sYogurt]

I sprained my ankle coming down with a rebound last week

 

[gtcam]

My daughter broke her ankle in 2 places two weeks ago shoveling snow

 

[kcc1442]

I sprained my ankle coming down with a rebound last week

Rebound chicks are usually pretty heavy. Should've been more patient.

 

[Vancat]

they don't make sneakers like they used to?

 

[Griffman]

Julius and his Converse High Tops! Way above the ankle.

 

[RichZ]

they don't make sneakers like they used to?

I thought the same thing, then wondered what the difference is. Contrary to what one might think, it's very likely because modern sneaks are better than the shoes of a decade ago. Advancements in materials technology have given us sneakers with a higher coefficient of friction (IE, more traction), which puts more strain on the ankle when turning, executing a sudden stop or any other abrupt change in direction or speed. In seasons past, players were more likely to slip and fall, bruising their ego more than anything else. Today, they still fall, but that foot is liable to stay firmly planted on the court, letting the ankle take the brunt of the force.

Disclaimer: I know surprisingly little about what changes if any have been made to the soles of basketball shoes in the last decade, or any time frame, and pretty much made the above discourse from whole cloth.

 

[Kitaman]

Julius and his Converse High Tops! Way above the ankle.

I always wore high tops playing basketball. Add ankle tape and you had much more support.

But when I played high tops we're fashionable, and of canvas material. Chuck Taylor (whoever he was) was the MJ back in the day.

 

[mauconnfan]

Adidas Superstar with the clam shell toe high tops. '77 Maloney first time I was able to sell Coach to change from Chucks. Thought the were the damn bomb! LOL. We couldn't get dark green Chucks so we wanted to change.

 

[RichZ]

Chuck Taylor (whoever he was)

He was a semi-pro basketball player who went to work for Converse and ended up being the sales manager. He claimed to have played for the Celtics, but there is no evidence that that was anything more than a resume enhancement to give his design of the shoe that bear his name a little more credibility.

Either that, or he played the Rifleman on TV. One or the other.

 

[mauconnfan]

He was a semi-pro basketball player who went to work for Converse and ended up being the sales manager. He claimed to have played for the Celtics, but there is no evidence that that was anything more than a resume enhancement to give his design of the shoe that bear his name a little more credibility.

Either that, or he played the Rifleman on TV. One or the other.

Chuck Connors NBA and MLB, quite the Rifleman as well!

 

[TheChamps990411]

they don't make sneakers like they used to?

Nah, its the ankles that arent made like they used to.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

they don't make sneakers like they used to?

They’re much lighter than they used to be, and certain brands (cough Nike * cough* - sorry Nike schools) are not supportive in the right places and in the right ways. Low top vs high top didn’t matter before, but with the current designs high top might be a bit better. Most NBA guys have gone low top because it didn’t seem in the past to be related to ankle injuries, and that’ll influence everyone who wants to be in the NBA.

That said, ankle injuries happen in sports like basketball. This may just be an unusual cluster.

 

[Jaker]

I broke my ankle skiing the deep, also broke the other one free climbing.

 

[Horatio]

they don't make sneakers like they used to?

The sneakers are the issue. The companies and NBA players have made it cool to wear ultra low top sneakers. Like well below the ankle. I have three kids that play ball and I refuse to buy low top sneakers. We started off with Nike Hyperdunks and transitioned into the Kyrie high top. Never one ankle sprain with me buying the shoes.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

"For example, a 1993 study surveying 622 college players found no difference in rates of ankle injury between high- and low-tops. In a larger study from 2001, researchers looked at more than 10,000 Australian basketball players, and didn't find high- or low-tops to be major risk factors for ankle injuries. Instead, increased risk was linked to prior injuries, whether a player stretched before the game, and the presence of air cells in the shoe -- like those in that era's Air Jordans. But even the importance of cushioning is muddled. A 2008 study, which surveyed 230 collegiate players, focused on springlike cushioning, and found that rates of ankle sprains didn't depend on shoe design."

The Science of Sneakers: High-Tops vs. Low-Tops

(Inside Science) -- March Madness is upon us, full of buzzer-beaters and bracket-busters, Cinderellas and powerhouses. In the men's and women's NCAA tournaments, anything can happen. The difference between victory and defeat can come down to a wayward bounce of the ball -- or a turn of the ankle.

www.insidescience.org

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Chuck Connors NBA and MLB, quite the Rifleman as well!

i think chuck berry was the rifleman, or was it chuck norris? whatever, everyone knows that chucky sheen invented sneakers.

 

[Kolumbo]

Hello. This is Chuck to remind Bill to shut up. Chuck E Cheese. Yes indeed.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Hello. This is Chuck to remind Bill to shut up. Chuck E Cheese. Yes indeed.

hey! seen the news? u and i were the only ones (on the planet? lol.) to correctly call it on our 'lawsuits coming' guy in ny. i remember, and now everyone there now sounds like we did last year. some things just take time. that guy is burnt to a crisp.
ps. i have no idea what u mean with that post. funny, but still no clue. lol.

 

[Kolumbo]

hey! seen the news? u and i were the only ones (on the planet? lol.) to correctly call it on our 'lawsuits coming' guy in ny. i remember, and now everyone there now sounds like we did last year. some things just take time. that guy is burnt to a crisp.
ps. i have no idea what u mean with that post. funny, but still no clue. lol.

It's really quite simple. See, I'm an idea guy Chuck.

 

[jibsey]

The sneakers are the issue. The companies and NBA players have made it cool to wear ultra low top sneakers. Like well below the ankle. I have three kids that play ball and I refuse to buy low top sneakers. We started off with Nike Hyperdunks and transitioned into the Kyrie high top. Never one ankle sprain with me buying the shoes.

This makes sense, shouldn’t all teams go to ankle coverage?

 

[CL82]

Adidas Superstar with the clam shell toe high tops. '77 Maloney first time I was able to sell Coach to change from Chucks. Thought the were the damn bomb! LOL. We couldn't get dark green Chucks so we wanted to change.

 

[UCLJ0211]

 

[mauconnfan]

View attachment 65494

MHS dark green was different so coach said no way to the green Chucks. As captain I had to begin my sales career right there and get the Adidas as a win for the team because our staff was very old fashioned, Chucks forever. A good win, of course after our first game he almost made us go back to the Chucks lol as Todd Hassler (Marist) and Bruce Kuczienski (UConn) led Bristol Central gave us a welcoming with a 20 pt boot at home. Got better after that, he was ok with the new rides.

 

[Kolumbo]

I never did own a pair of converse. But I had these.