Cankles?

[Philpug]

@Tricia and I were just watching ESPN and one of the topics that was just discussed was "cankles" and how it related to speed of an athlete. The host was an ex-NFL player and mentioned that he never saw a fast or quick player that had fat ankles, or "cankles". As a boottfitter I have seen many skiers come in with large ankles and almost all were not high level skiers. What are your thoughts here? Do you feel cankles are a limitation in ones skiing progression?

 

[GregMerz]

 

[Living Proof]

I am living proof that skinny ankles do not make good athletes.

 

[SBrown]

The fastest player on DD's soccer team has 'em. (<<and by this, I mean, an all-conference player in a competitive, high-level soccer league, where most go on to play D1, not some joke from BFE Oklahoma. No offense meant.) I think this may be different for men and women, actually.

(Also, a little-known fact: my pre-nup states that if I ever develop them, I'm outta there.)

 

[GregMerz]

(Also, a little-known fact: my pre-nup states that if I ever develop them, I'm outta there.)

Not losing any sleep over that potentiality...


I guess I need to learn to use the quote functionality here...

 

[SkiNurse]

The fastest player on DD's soccer team has 'em. (<<and by this, I mean, an all-conference player in a competitive, high-level soccer league, where most go on to play D1, not some joke from BFE Oklahoma. No offense meant.) I think this may be different for men and women, actually.

So, there are people that have natural thick, big or fat ankles.There is nothing that can be done about natural cankles. The "unnatural" cankles are caused by swelling that can be all the way from the knee to below the ankles. I get cankles if a: I eat tater tots (or something else with high sodium content) or b: prolonged travel ie: overnight from Alaska when I'm not moving around. But then again, I do not have the pre-nup that @SBrown has.

Unnatural cankles are not healthy. Usually, they are caused when people have blood clots and heart and/or lung problems which then cause a decrease in circulation and an increase in lower extremity swelling. I would venture out to say that cankles do not limit a skiers progression (unless it is finding the right boot), but the actual physical cause can limit a skiers progression.

 

[Philpug]

I am wondering if the ski boot holding the ankle and the act of skiing needing (relatively) a limited range of motion compared to other sports like football or soccer that @SBrown references (but dispels the theory here). @Brian Finch, do you have any thoughts here?

 

[Lorenzzo]

T
(Also, a little-known fact: my pre-nup states that if I ever develop them, I'm outta there.)

Thanks, I would have missed that. Otherwise I'm ironclad.

If you have cankles you're a catcher. And I've yet to see an elephant that's good at skiing. Insert trumpeting sound.

 

[AmyPJ]

I am living proof that skinny ankles do not make good athletes.

Bahaha me too! We look great in high heels, though! Which I never, ever wear.

 

[SBrown]

So, there are people that have natural thick, big or fat ankles.There is nothing that can be done about natural cankles. The "unnatural" cankles are caused by swelling that can be all the way from the knee to below the ankles. I get cankles if a: I eat tater tots (or something else with high sodium content) or b: prolonged travel ie: overnight from Alaska when I'm not moving around. But then again, I do not have the pre-nup that @SBrown has.

Unnatural cankles are not healthy. Usually, they are caused when people have blood clots and heart and/or lung problems which then cause a decrease in circulation and an increase in lower extremity swelling. I would venture out to say that cankles do not limit a skiers progression (unless it is finding the right boot), but the actual physical cause can limit a skiers progression.

So, you get to see a lot of ankles ... do you think it's different for men and women? The natural version, I mean.

 

[Bill Talbot]

The fastest player on DD's soccer team has 'em. (<<and by this, I mean, an all-conference player in a competitive, high-level soccer league, where most go on to play D1, not some joke from BFE Oklahoma. No offense meant.) I think this may be different for men and women, actually.

(Also, a little-known fact: my pre-nup states that if I ever develop them, I'm outta there.)

I think this should be an unwritten rule for both parties involved!

Based on my experiences, that player you mention might well be one of very few exceptions to the rule. Athletically it seems to be almost 100% true. It's one of those body type tells.

Right after the eyes, ankles need to be viewed early on to avoid needless hope... it's a rule I have.
FTR... my study involves only women!

 

[SkiNurse]

So, you get to see a lot of ankles ... do you think it's different for men and women? The natural version, I mean.

I think that I have seen more natural on women. Kinda a genetic disposition. If your mom has natural cankles, then your potential for cankles increases. Disclaimer: this is NOT scientifically proven! I also think it can be a dependent on your nationality: Eastern Europeans seen to have natural cankles, just like Italian women have more potential for darker facial hair.

Again...just general observation.

 

[SBrown]

I think this should be an unwritten rule for both parties involved!

Based on my experiences, that player you mention might well be one of very few exceptions to the rule. Athletically it seems to be almost 100% true. It's one of those body type tells.

Right after the eyes, ankles need to be viewed early on to avoid needless hope... it's a rule I have.
FTR... my study involves only women!

Yeah, could be one of those "exceptions that prove the rule" things. Her brothers are also superior athletes and I don't believe they have them. I think her speed is from dad, and legs are from mom, however that works.

But ... this is why I was wondering about gender here. I mean, it was an ex-NFL player saying this, and I assume he doesn't see any women on the field... playing, anyway.

 

[Philpug]

Yeah, could be one of those "exceptions that prove the rule" things. Her brothers are also superior athletes and I don't believe they have them. I think her speed is from dad, and legs are from mom, however that works.

A human camel? An athlete designed by committee? I am really treading on thin ice here.

 

[Bill Talbot]

Yeah, could be one of those "exceptions that prove the rule" things. Her brothers are also superior athletes and I don't believe they have them. I think her speed is from dad, and legs are from mom, however that works.

But ... this is why I was wondering about gender here. I mean, it was an ex-NFL player saying this, and I assume he doesn't see any women on the field... playing, anyway.

His study of NFL cheerleaders could be extensive and far reaching...

 

[SBrown]

His study of NFL cheerleaders could be extensive and far reaching...

Definitely no cankles? Or is that why they often wear those go-go boots?

 

[bbinder]

I am not going to even try and come up with an appropriate comment in this thread...

 

[SBrown]

I am not going to even try and come up with an appropriate comment in this thread...

It started out iffy and degenerated from there.

 

[Brian Finch]

I am wondering if the ski boot holding the ankle and the act of skiing needing (relatively) a limited range of motion compared to other sports like football or soccer that @SBrown references (but dispels the theory here). @Brian Finch, do you have any thoughts here?

Couple thoughts here..... First "cankles" are likely an incidental finding & not a primary driver of poor skiing potential. As noted prior there are many longstanding issues related to their arrival on the scene- poor nutrition, circulation issues, etoh, diabetes, BMI... Yet skiing is primarily a glide sport & relative to other activities- little atheticism is actually required. It's more likely that individuals w said issue are just less healthy than others.

The one area I could see it impacting skiing is in reaction timing of the Tibialis Anterior...

If you have a ton of edema, decreased sensation/timing, adipose tissue.... Tibialis Ant is going to have a heck of a time pulling you out of the back seat & to the front of the boot.

Relative to the Ex-NFL players comments- he's spot on! Tibialis Ant is ~50% of the generation of muscular force in running by whipping ankle & toes up right before the foot starts to swing forward (via the other 50% of the muscular generation of speed from the hip flexors).

As a rule, reconcile as many lifestyle diacotomies (I wanna each chips & drink beer- yet I also want to look good naked) as possible & you'll never have to worry!

 

[Philpug]

@Brian Finch, this is why we keep you around.