How to Tape an Ankle for Soccer

When athletes tape their ankles they are either trying to avoid an injury or are taking preventive measures not to worsen an injury. There are just as many methods for taping an ankle for a sport such as soccer as there are different tapes and materials available for this purpose. Without getting too technical, here is a method that almost anyone can do that will yield the support and protection any ankle would be happy to have.

• 1

  Shave the ankle at least 12 hours before taping. Shaving will ensure better tape contact and will prevent any pain when removing it from the skin. Clean and dry the ankle right before you begin to tape so the tape will adhere to the skin better.

• 2

  Seat the athlete comfortably. Have him fully extend his leg with only the distal half of the lower leg hanging off the table. The ankle should be in a neutral 90-degree position before you begin taping.

• 3

  Apply tape adherent by rubbing it onto the ankle and taping area. Place the heel pad underneath the heel and the lace pad on top of the foot opposite from the heel. Apply pre-wrap in a general figure eight from the mid-foot to the lower leg to hold the heel and lace pad in position; avoid any kinking or bunching.

• 4

  Apply two to three tape anchors by wrapping a few pieces of tape directly above the pre-wrap around the leg. Anchors function as support for the stirrups. Don't wrap the anchors too tight, but not so loose that they'll slip off either.

• 5

  Attach three stirrups. Apply the first stirrup in a straight line from one side of the anchor, down and around the heel and back up to the other side of the anchor. Stirrups are applied to directly support the heel--make sure they are tight. Apply the other stirrups in U-shapes, using the first (straight stirrup) as a guideline.

• 6

  Apply a horseshoe tape support by taping from the inside of the anchor, across the Achilles tendon, and back up the outside of the anchor. Repeat two to three more times, adjusting the horseshoe position of the support each time to increase the strength and cover a larger area of the ankle.

• 7

  Place closure strips around the entire ankle covering the entire tape job so far. Do not cover the posterior of the heel; this part of the ankle must be left uncovered.

• 8

  Tape the ankle in a figure eight. Apply the tape starting at the dorsum of the ankle, wrap around the middle of the bottom of the foot, back up to the dorsum, around the back of the leg, and finish back at the starting point. Repeat this several times, adjusting the position of each figure eight slightly to get maximum coverage.

• 9

  Apply a heel lock. Begin around 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the ankle bone on the inside of the foot. Wrap the tape at a diagonal, toward the outside ankle bone, staying above it. Continue the wrap by taking the tape underneath the ankle and finishing on the inside of the heel. Repeat this step one more time but in reverse, staggering the second heel lock for additional support. For more support, add another two heel locks; consider this especially if the tapping the ankle to prevent further damage.

• 10

  Support the heel lock with additional anchors. Wrap a few pieces of tape around the loose ends of the heel lock to make sure they will stay in position.

• 11

  Wrap the entire ankle tightly with overwrap using a general figure eight to hold all the tape in place and to avoid any fraying edges when the leg is in motion. Avoid any kinking or bunching when using the overwrap and make sure not to cover the posterior of the heel.