Circles are important

One more look at the ankle this week — this time, instead of focusing on a linear motion with an ankle tilt, we’re going to look at a circular motion.

Circles and non-linear movements are more complex in general, requiring more coordination of musculature to make the movement happen. This also means that they tend to involve more cerebellum activity to help with that coordination. So one of the ways to increase cerebellum activation is to focus on doing complex, non-linear movement, which is the opposite of most basic exercise patterns (squats, push-ups, weight-lifting, etc).

Ankle circles are a movement I’ve been doing as a dancer for more years than I can remember! And yet, when you watch the video, you’ll notice how there are still parts of that circle that are jerky. In slowing down circular movement, we can often identify sticky or jerky sections, where our brain has a harder time controlling and coordinating the movement. Working on clarifying and smoothing out those sections can be extremely beneficial in improving control of the joint as a whole.

Try these for yourself and see if you have any jerky moments. And then explore circular movement in other parts of your body and give your cerebellum more stimulus and activation!