How important is ankle support in basketball shoes?
Support is an important part of every basketball shoe. When a lockdown isn't so secure, sprints become wobbly, shots are unstable, and the whole game just crumbles.
Here's what he found: Three times as many athletes sprained their ankle while playing without ankle braces than playing with one. This was true for girls and boys, varsity and JV, freshman and seniors alike. 68% fewer first-time ankle injuries happened while the athletes were wearing ankle braces.
Performance of the Nike Kyrie 7:
The materials are much more minimal than the Kyrie 6 with no forefoot strap and perform really well overall. The support is very good for lateral containment and stability. The Kyrie 7 also provides decent ankle support.
Wearing ankle braces can help you avoid injuries and can potentially make you perform better which is always a plus. Using the right products is vital to every sport. Even replacing your shoes after constant wear can be beneficial! Not sure which ankle brace will work best for you?
Injury Prevention:
However, there are several ways to protect against injuring the ankle. Supporting the ankle while playing sports by wearing an ankle brace is a good way to help protect it. Exercise training focusing on balance and good muscle control is also helpful.
"Ankle injuries are the most common injury in basketball and usually in recreational players they occur because they don't precondition and they don't weight train." Also, professional basketball players brace their ankles with tape or other supportive devices which help prevent injuries.
Causes of Foot and Ankle Injuries from Basketball
Some of the most common causes of pain in the feet and ankles related to basketball include: Plantar Fasciitis. Jones Fractures. Ankle Sprains.
In the NBA specifically, ankles are the most commonly injured joint with over 1,800 game-related ankle injuries compromising 14.7% of all injuries in an average year. The most common activity at the time of ankle injury is rebounding (34.4% of all ankle injuries) followed by general play, defending, and shooting.
There is no harm in wearing ankle supports when you run. There are a variety of circumstances when it is appropriate and can help prevent or recover from injury. For example when returning from injury, or if you have weak or unstable ankles and need that bit of extra confidence.
Support. For a shoe that is so light in weight and not the widest, the Kyrie Low 4 does a fantastic job in terms of support. In fact it is one of our top picks in 2021 for best ankle support.
Do KD 14 have good ankle support?
The Nike KD 14 is recommended for players who are looking for a nice-looking indoor basketball shoe that offers great cushion and ankle support.
The Nike Kyrie Infinity securely lockdown the ankle and the heel area. There won't be any slippage there. It's not that serious, but lateral support could use a little improvement. Fortunately, you just have to get used to the shoe and things should be OK.

High Tops. High top sneakers are thought to give a lot more ankle support because they are laced up above the “ankle” bones.
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Other symptoms include:
- sore ankles and feet.
- frequent ankle sprains or injuries.
- ankle often twisting outward when walking.
- balance problems.
- trouble keeping your ankles straight in heels.
Wear The Right Shoes, Use Custom Orthotics
The correct footwear offers extra support to your feet and ankles, cushioning the shock they receive from daily walking and running. Custom orthotics can also help provide more stability to the ankles because they are created specifically for your feet.
“I've used a lot of different braces to help reinforce my right ankle, but since my surgery, I have only been wearing the ZAMST A2-DX, it has provided the support I need to keep me on the court,” said Curry.
In fact, high top shoes may actually lead to ankle injuries. A more supportive shoe does not allow the muscles of the foot to adequately build the strength to do its job. Therefore, the muscles become weak and rely on the shoe to do the stabilization work.
The biggest benefit pro athletes have is their doctors and health-care professionals, he says. “They have access to very good trainers, weight coaches, physical therapists—and when you have them work together as a team, you're going to get the best care.”
Taping the ankle is perfectly fine in this situation as many collegiate and professional athletes routinely have the athletic trainer tape their ankles before every practice and game.
While ankle taping won't actually "fix" underlying joint issues (like chronic instability, tendinopathies, etc.), it still can help lower the risk of foot injuries by offering support and stabilization.
Is it better to wrap or tape an ankle?
One of the most reliable treatments to help an ankle sprain or strain is to tape the ankle, which provides stability (allowing time for the soft tissues to heal) and compression (which can help manage inflammation).
Ankle sprains are most common in basketball – with 45 percent. Soccer accounts for another 31 percent of ankle sprains, and volleyball 25 percent (www.nata.org). An ankle sprain is a ligament injury. Ligaments attach bone to bone and provide stability to a joint.
A lace-up is basically a corset that restricts all ankle range of motion which is not ideal when you are trying to keep the ankle strong and maximize performance. Also, by restricting normal up and down ankle motion, the ankle works against the lace-up causing it to lose support rapidly.
As you move throughout your day, the joints in your ankles and surrounding muscles absorb a lot of force. And that can take a toll. The good news: You can work to strengthen your ankle muscles and adjoining ligaments. This will help ward off injuries and improve your stability and mobility.
Whether through marketing or supposed common sense, high top sneakers have been the answer for ankle protection since the mid-1900s. If you are playing basketball or volleyball and don't want an ankle sprain, you wear high top shoes.
The Nike KD 14 is recommended for players who are looking for a nice-looking indoor basketball shoe that offers great cushion and ankle support.