Better Balance, Stronger Ankles: My Take on the YAOZUP Trainer

If you’ve ever done that ankle mobility test where you stand a few centimeters from a wall and try to touch your knee to it without lifting your heel—and failed spectacularly—welcome to the club. Building stronger ankles starts with recognizing when yours need work. I recently discovered that my ankle mobility is, in the words of my physiotherapist, “comparable to someone who’s had their foot in a cast for six months.”

Ouch.

I managed a grand total of 2cm in the knee-to-wall test. Just for reference: 10cm is considered “normal.” So yeah, there was room for improvement. Literally. I started stretching, of course, but it didn’t take long to realize that stretching alone wasn’t going to cut it.

How I Found the Veekay Ankle Trainer

After that ankle ego-check, I started doing physiotherapy sessions to work on mobility and stumbled across this curious tool called the Blackboard. It’s a wooden balance device that lets you isolate specific foot and ankle movements—like inversion, eversion, plantarflexion, and dorsiflexion. It’s used a lot in rehab clinics across Europe, and for good reason: it’s surprisingly effective at retraining your brain-body connection down to the tiniest stabilizing muscles in your foot.

The catch?

The original Blackboard (you can check it out here) is about 90 euros, which felt a bit steep for a few slabs of wood—even if they’re fancy slabs of wood.

Luckily, I found a budget-friendly version from a brand called Veekay for around 18 euros, and to be honest? I’m very satisfied with it.

It’s not as premium in terms of build, but it still lets me do all the important drills and movement patterns. If you’re looking for an affordable way to build stronger ankles and improve your balance, this is a great starting point.

Why the Blackboard Helps You Build Stronger Ankles (and Overall Fitness)

You don’t have to be recovering from an injury to benefit from this thing. Ankle mobility exercises and foot control are foundational for:

• Squats, lunges, and deadlifts
• Running or hiking without pain
• Preventing rolled ankles and future injuries
• Basic balance and coordination

In short: stronger ankles mean better overall performance — in the gym, on the trail, and in everyday life.

Why Surfers Need Stronger Ankles and Better Mobility

As someone who surfs (or tries to), ankle mobility and ankle stability are non-negotiable. Think about it:

You’re constantly adjusting to the wave’s movement, shifting your weight, and absorbing impact through your feet. If your ankles are stiff, you’re slower, clumsier, and more likely to fall or tweak something.

The Blackboard mimics the kind of micro-adjustments your feet have to make on a surfboard, which makes it a great dryland tool for:

• Improving board feel
• Training stability on uneven terrain
• Strengthening the arch and smaller foot muscles
• Balancing power and control on both your front and back foot

If you’re curious where I practice between trips, here’s my O₂ SURFTOWN MUC Guide.

My Go To Exercises

A few simple drills I rotate through with the YAOZUP board (or on its own):

• Controlled ankle circles — slow, steady, and full range of motion
• Heel raises on the board — great for calf strength and balance
• Knee-to-wall stretches — classic mobility move to track progress
• Single-leg balance with micro-adjustments — teaches control through the arch

These ankle mobility exercises are small but mighty — they help strengthen ankles and improve proprioception over time.

Would I Recommend It?

If you’ve got tight ankles, weak balance, or just want to surf better — yes.

Even the cheaper version has added real value to my routine, and I feel more stable, mobile, and confident — whether I’m in the gym, in the water, or just hiking without rolling my ankle every 200 meters.

If you’re ready to start working on stronger ankles and better balance, the VEEKAY trainer is a solid entry-level choice. It won’t magically fix your body overnight, but it’s one of those tools that sneaks up on you — in a good way.

For more ideas on how to strengthen ankles, you can explore simple ankle mobility exercises from Youtube channels like Sure Cure or Sports Rehab Experts.