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SportsAnkle taping: closeouts and final check

Closeouts finish the closed basketweave: strips around the lower leg from just above the ankle bones and one or two around the midfoot. Then you check the whole tape job before the athlete goes out.

Free to start

Scenarios

  • Closeouts with 1.5-inch white athletic tape.
  • Closeouts with 2-inch tape, which can take fewer strips.

The steps

  1. Start on the front of the leg just above the ankle bones, circle the shin and cross over the beginning of the strip.
  2. Repeat 3 to 5 times, moving up half a width each time.
  3. Gradually increase the angle of the tape as the closeouts move up the leg.
  4. Place 1 or 2 closeouts around the midfoot, careful to avoid too much tension on the fifth metatarsal.
  5. Check the tape for windows and gaps.
  6. Check neatness, support, comfort and function.

Safety rules that stop the station

  • Never put too much tension over the fifth metatarsal.

To pass

  • Closeouts up the leg with half-width overlap and around the midfoot.
  • No windows or gaps, and the ankle supported, comfortable and able to work.

Official source

Athletic training programs · University of West Alabama

Ankle taping for prevention of the inversion ankle sprain

The University of West Alabama athletic training program publishes the closed basketweave free, strip by strip.

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