By Andrew Heffernan

You might be limited by your foot, calf, and ankle mobility and not even know it.

They're all under-appreciated supporting players in every movement you make. Before you can walk, run, play sports, lift weights, or even stand, you have to align and stabilize from your knees down. Failing that, it doesn't matter how strong, skilled, or powerful you are: You'll be slower and weaker for it — and, worst case, you'll fall or get injured.

What's the solution? Give some attention to those feet and ankle joints — the same kind you give to your hips, shoulders, and core. Move them often, strengthen the muscles that support them through a full range of motion, and try to improve your control and range over time.

Here are eight moves to get you started.

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Ankle Mobilization Exercises

Among the most common movement limitations in average folks is ankle dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexing your foot is the opposite of pointing it: You move the top of your foot up and back, as if trying to touch the tops of your toes to your shins.

Limitations in this simple movement affect walking, running, squatting, and all manner of athletic movements, leaving you less mobile and more susceptible to injury. Improving it requires two actions: stretching your calf muscles (which limit dorsiflexion when they're tight) and strengthening the oft-neglected muscles on the fronts of your shins (which actively pull your feet into dorsiflexion).

In the moves below, you'll see the instruction to "contract the muscles in the fronts of your shins" on several of the moves. That allows those moves to do double duty — stretch the calves and strengthen your dorsiflexors.

1. Stair calf stretch

• Stand upright with the balls of your feet on a stair or an exercise step, holding onto a stationary object for balance.
• Keeping your feet parallel, slowly sink your heels toward the floor until you feel a deep stretch in your calves.
• Contract the muscles in the front of your shins.
• Breathe deeply, and hold for 30-60 seconds, attempting to sink your heels lower to the floor on each exhale.

2. Kneeling ankle mobilizer

• Facing a wall, assume a half-kneeling position with your right knee and lower leg on the floor and your left foot standing, toes about six inches from the wall.
• With your hands on the wall and your left foot flat on the floor, slowly lunge forward until you feel a deep stretch in your left lower calf.
• Contract the muscles in the front of your left lower leg, hold for a count of 2, then return to the starting position.
• Repeat for 8-10 reps and switch sides.

3. Lying open-chain foot circles

• Lie on your back with your legs extended, both feet flexed and pointed directly upward.
• Bend your right knee, lift your foot from the floor, and interlace your hands behind your right thigh.
• Slowly circle your right foot 15-20 times clockwise, then 15-20 times counter-clockwise.
• Repeat on your left side.

4. Heel-elevated foot flexes

• Stand with your heels elevated on a 2" x 4" board or a thick pair of weight plates.
• Holding onto a stationary object for balance, slowly raise the balls of your feet from the floor as high as possible.
• Hold for a count of 2, then slowly return to the starting position.
• Repeat for 15-20 reps.

5. Standing straight-leg calf stretch

• Stand facing a wall.
• Place your hands on the wall, arms straight and parallel to the floor.
• Keeping your body straight, step your feet back until your heels lift 1-2 inches off the floor.
• Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply, contracting the muscles on the fronts of your shins, and attempting to lower your heels to the floor.

6. Standing bent-leg calf stretch

• Stand facing a wall.
• Place your hands on the wall, arms straight and parallel to the floor.
• Keeping your body straight, step your feet back until your heels start to rise off the floor.
• Bend your knees slightly until you feel a stretch in your lower calf.
• Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply, contracting the muscles on the fronts of your shins, and attempting to lower your heels to the floor

7. Standing ankle circles

• Stand tall with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.
• Raise the heel of your right foot from the floor and press down through the ball of your right foot.
• Keeping the ball of your foot pressed into the floor, slowly circle your heel 6 times clockwise.
• Repeat the same movement, this time, moving your heel counterclockwise 6 times.
• Perform the same move on the other foot.

8. Standing inversion-eversion

• Stand tall with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.
• Without allowing your knees to collapse inward, roll your feet inward, lifting the pinky-toe side of your foot off the floor as far as comfortably possible.
• Hold for a count of 2.
• Return to the starting position and repeat, this time rolling your feet as far as possible to the outsides of your feet and lifting the big-toe side of your foot off the floor as far as you can.