I often refer to having tight ankles as having a bad foundation under your house. It doesn’t matter how nice your house is, if you’ve got foundation issues then you have major problems from the ground up. Similarly, if your ankles are tight your hips won’t sit right and your torso/shoulders won’t be in a position to support a barbell correctly in an overhead squat. Basically if your ankles are tight, your knees won’t sit far enough over your toes and you will have to overcompensate either by collapsing inward at the knee or putting your shoulders in an unstable/weak position. This video explains a few ways in which to target the muscle and connective tissue associated with ankle. These stretches can be done before or after class and should be done on a regular basis if you are tighter than normal.
