5 traditional exercises to improve ankle strength
What's the story
Ankle stability and balance are essential to keep our whole body in sync and to avoid injuries.
Many traditional African exercises deal with improving these two, rooted in cultural practices that have been followed for generations.
These exercises can not just get you in shape but also root you to your culture.
Here, we look at five such exercises to strengthen your ankles and improve balance.
Jumping exercise
The Maasai jumping dance
The Maasai jumping dance is a traditional exercise that consists of rhythmic jumping in place.
This activity strengthens the ankle joints by engaging the muscles around them, promoting stability.
The participants jump vertically with minimal bending of knees, focusing on landing softly to reduce impact stress on the ankles.
Regular practice of this exercise can enhance both balance and endurance.
Stick fighting
Zulu stick fighting movements
Zulu stick fighting has a lot of dynamic movements that require quick footwork and agility.
As practitioners go through a series of steps, pivots, and lunges, they also have to maintain the balance of a stick as a prop.
This exercise improves one's ankle flexibility and coordination by challenging the body's ability to stabilize during rapid directional changes.
Dance steps
Ethiopian Eskista dance steps
Eskista is an Ethiopian dance where shoulders do the work, with complicated footwork patterns.
The dance involves moving weight from one foot to another while dancing in rhythm, which can improve your ankle strength and balance control.
Regular practice of Eskista could lead to a better sense of body position—proprioception—that could improve overall stability.
Acrobatics moves
Nigerian Atilogwu Acrobatics
Atilogwu is a Nigerian acrobatic dance characterized by high-energy jumps, flips, and spins, executed in rapid succession.
These maneuvers require robust ankle support since they involve landing from different levels safely.
Performing Atilogwu routines builds resistance to sprains or strains through repeated exposure to controlled impacts on various surfaces.
Drumming dance
Ghanaian Kpanlogo drumming dance
Kpanlogo is a popular Ghanaian dance, performed alongside drumming rhythms requiring synchronized footwork patterns across diverse tempos.
Fast or slow beats alike demand precise control over one's center of gravity.
This involves moving fluidly between steps without losing footing altogether.
Regular participation fosters enhanced kinesthetic awareness. This leads towards better postural alignment, ultimately resulting in stronger, more stable ankles over time.