Why Basketball Players Keep Rolling Their Ankles (And What You Can Do About It
Let’s be honest — if you play basketball long enough, you’ll probably roll an ankle.
But here’s the real truth:
➡️ Not all ankle rolls are preventable (especially when you land on someone’s foot).
➡️ But many ankle rolls are preventable — especially the non-contact ones.
➡️ And even the “unavoidable” sprains can be made less severe with better mobility, strength, and control.
In other words:
You can’t remove ankle sprains from basketball completely, but you can build ankles that bounce back instead of breaking down.
This entire blog explains why ankle rolls happen so often in basketball and exactly what you can do to stop the cycle.
A high school basketball player on crutches talks with teammates on the court after suffering an ankle sprain. Common scene after a rolled ankle in basketball, highlighting the importance of ankle strength, mobility, and proper rehab.
1. The Two Types of Ankle Rolls in Basketball
We can put all ankle sprains into two categories: contact vs. non-contact.
Understanding the difference will help you understand how they occur, how preventable they are, and how to fix them.
A. Contact Sprains (You can’t always prevent these)
These happen when you:
Land on another player’s foot
Get bumped during a rebound
Get your foot stepped on during a cut
Have your landing space invaded
These are the classic “rolled my ankle coming down” injuries that every hooper has lived through.
Can you prevent these completely? Nope.
Can you make them less severe? Absolutely.
Players with stronger, more mobile ankles and feet often end up with:
Mild sprains instead of Grade 2–3 sprains
Less swelling
More stability within 24–72 hours
Faster return-to-play timelines
So even though contact sprains can’t be eliminated, you can stack the deck in your favor.
B. Non-Contact Sprains (These are More preventable)
These sprains happen during normal movement — no foot landing, no collision.
Most hoopers experience these during:
Cutting
Landing mechanics
Fatigue
Poor foot control
Sudden changes of direction
Balance loss
A moment of instability
And these ARE preventable because they’re driven by:
Weak foot/ankle muscles
Limited dorsiflexion
Poor hip/knee control
Slow stabilizer reflexes
Weak soleus and plantarflexors
Poor landing angles
Old sprains that were never rehabbed (a major factor)
Though we can help people recover faster from contact ankle sprains, these non-contact sprains are the ones Basketball Movement Lab specializes in helping players fix.
Female basketball player landing on another player’s leg and rolling her left ankle during a game—one of the most common causes of contact ankle sprains in basketball.
2. Why Ankle Sprains Happen (The Real Root Causes)
1. Limited Ankle Mobility (especially dorsiflexion)
If the ankle can’t move where it should… it WILL move where it shouldn’t.
Proper ankle dorsiflexion allows your shins to travel forward directly over your foot. When you get limited in this movement, you then have to turn out or in. Ankle sprains only happen when the foot rolls outward or inward in relation to your shins.
Mobility restrictions force the body to compensate when landing or cutting.
2. Weak Stabilizer Muscles
Basketball players under-train the muscles that actually protect the ankle:
Peroneals (fibularis)
Tibialis posterior
Intrinsic foot muscles (arch supporters and toe movers)
Tibialis anterior
Soleus
These muscles fire during every landing, cut, and change of direction.
If they lag behind → stability is lost → the ankle collapses → sprain occurs.
3. Poor Landing Mechanics
Most hoopers never train landing or deceleration, yet they land and slow their bodies down hundreds of times per game.
“I hurt my ankle playing basketball” searches spike when:
Landing on one leg (when you’ve never trained for it)
Landing tired
Landing crooked
Landing in traffic
Landing without sharing the load between your hip, knee, and ankle
Never training your landing
Better landing = fewer sprains.
4. Hip & Knee Control Failures
The ankle doesn’t operate in isolation.
Example:
If the hip can’t rotate well → the knee collapses → the foot collapses → the ankle rolls.
If the knee can’t control valgus → the ankle has to compensate.
Players think it’s “an ankle problem.”
But ankle sprains often start at the hips and pelvis. We could talk forever on this subject, but we’ll leave it there for now.
5. Old Sprains That Were Never Fully Rehabbed
Huge cause of repeat ankle rolls.
After your first twisted ankle:
Balance drops
Reflex timing slows
Deep stabilizers shut down
Dorsiflexion decreases
Landing mechanics get stiff
Compensations start everywhere
This is why rolled ankles become a cycle instead of a one-off injury.
Illustration of the kinetic chain from foot to hip showing how ankle mobility, knee alignment, and hip control work together during movement. This visual highlights why limited dorsiflexion or poor hip mechanics can increase ankle sprain risk in basketball players.
3. The 4 Things Every Hooper Needs to Do to Stop Ankle Sprains
1. Improve Ankle Mobility
Especially dorsiflexion.
Simple, helpful exercises for any basketball player:
Knee-to-wall dorsiflexion
Calf & soleus stretching
Heel-elevated split squat through a full range of motion
Soft tissue + mobility work
When mobility improves, movement becomes smoother and safer.
2. Build Foot & Ankle Strength
This is your ankle “armor.”
Key muscles to train:
Peroneals (fibularis)
Tibialis posterior
Foot intrinsics
Tibialis anterior
Soleus
Key exercises:
Band eversion/inversion
Toe splay + toe squeeze
Soleus raises (seated calf raises)
Single-leg balance progressions
Short-foot drills (bring the ball of your foot to the heel)
3. Train Landing & Deceleration
The majority of ankle sprains happen during or immediately after landing.
Foundational drills:
Single-leg drop & stick
Box landings
Pogo hops
Lateral hop & stick
Forward/back hop series
Train the movement. Better landing → fewer rolled ankles.
4. Train Cutting Mechanics & Hip Control
Remember: if the hip fails, other joints (including the ankle) pay for it.
Essential work:
Lateral shuffle mechanics
Crossover plant mechanics
Hip rotation mobility
Single-leg stability
Rhythm-based decelerations
2→1 and 1→2 landing/hopping progressions
This is a huge factor in “ankle basketball” injury search trends.
🏀 Want to Build Stronger Ankles That Resist Sprains?
Download my FREE guide: 5 Simple Habits Every Basketball Player Should Build to Stay Injury-Free.
These habits are foundational for preventing ankle sprains, improving mobility, and building long-term durability.
4. What to Do If You Just Rolled Your Ankle
1. Reduce swelling (but don’t completely rest)
Gentle movement > total rest.
2. Start mobility early
Pumps, circles, gentle dorsiflexion.
3. Add strength as pain allows
Peroneals, soleus, tibialis posterior. Isometrics are great to start with.
4. Progress to balance and stability
Single-leg stance → dynamic balance (single-leg stance with opposite leg reach) → single-leg hops.
5. Test before you return to play
You should be able to:
Hop forward/back 20x
Hop laterally 20x
Stick a single-leg landing
Cut at ~75%+ without pain
Jog → sprint progression pain-free
Skipping steps = repeating sprains.
Athlete practicing a single-leg standing drill to improve ankle stability, balance, and lower-body control. This is a beginner drill to train basketball players to reduce ankle sprain risk and strengthen the foot–ankle–knee chain.
5. When You Should Ask for Help
If you have:
Frequent ankle rolls
Chronic instability
“My ankle keeps giving out”
Swelling that keeps returning
Fear of landing or other on-court movements
Knee, hip, or back pain after an ankle sprain or from previous ankle injuries
Limited dorsiflexion that won’t improve
…you likely have deeper movement limitations that need an individualized plan.
That’s exactly what I do in a 1-on-1 Consult.
I assess your mechanics head-to-toe and build you a plan to fix the actual root cause — not just the symptoms.
⬇️ Want Long-Term Ankle Stability?
Your ankles do not magically heal on their own even with rest and time after from the game. Many hoopers struggle with ankle pain, instability, and even arthritis long after their playing days are over. Let’s get you moving well today and for the long haul.
Click here to book a 1-on-1 consult so we can build a plan specific to your movement, your ankles, and your basketball goals.