Active Ankle T2 Ankle Brace, Black Ankle Support for Men & Women, Ankle Braces for Sprains, Stability, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Large

I was first introduced to Active Ankle T2 when a lot of my volleyball teammates in high school used them. At the time, I wasn't looking for anything in particular and was accustomed to those lace-up ankle braces that a lot of people wear for basketball. Over the years, I finally gave up on those lace-up braces simply because my feet were not getting any blood circulation. If you've used those things, you know what I'm talking about. After a few times up and down the court, my feet would go numb and I wouldnt be able to walk around the court. Eventually, I would just not wear those things and risk it.However, I had a bad ankle sprain during a league game in basketball and felt the need to get some protection (not going to compare low top vs high top basketball shoes here). After thinking about the braces, I remembered my volleyball teammates and gave them a try. Wow. I've been missing out. The brace has 2 sides with padding that go up to your high-ankle area. the 2 sides have large velcro which the 4+/- inch strap wraps around your ankle. you can tighten it pretty securely. i'll admit that I've rolled my ankle during games with these braces on but have not experienced anything severe that stopped me from playing the following week. KEY feature that i love is that these didn't restrict blood flow so there were no issues wearing these and tightening the strap to my comfort. The built in padding on the sides of your ankle is sufficient after getting used to it.Awesome brace and highly recommended. I definitely would buy again (in fact, I lost one of my braces a few weeks ago and replaced it immediately).**********************UPDATE: 2014i still have my braces and they still work wonderfully. one thing i want to mention is that some of the newer basketball shoes have a midsole cushion built as an insert to the shoe (for example, the Kobe 8, Kobe 9, and Lebron 11). i've used this brace recently with the Kobe 8 and tried to insert the brace UNDER the midsole (which is about 1 to 1.5 inch thick). the brace still worked fine and the brace was inserted below the midsole for added comfort.still recommend!

Bought this about a month after an ankle surgery, when I was about to switch from airboot back to wear a normal shoe on the injured side. I wanted additional support on the ankle to be sure that I wouldn't break it again. But as I was browsing through the amazon reviews, I couldn't make up my mind for this one or the laced-with-strap one#1 Laced Ankle Brace With Stabilizing Strap For Flexible Support. Breathable Neoprene Braces Made By Product Stop. (Small), so I bought both, I'd rather waste a little money than running the risk of getting injured again and going through another surgery. In the end, I don't think it's a waste at all, because both served me well, in different phases of recovery. As other reviewers mentioned that this one requires some "break-in", well, the break-in was way too painful for an ankle with nails and metal plates inside and right out of an airboot. The laced-with-strap one was NOT as flexible as their title sounds, but it offered painless sturdy support right after the airboot. The benefit of this one is for my healthy ankle or when the injured ankle completely healed and pain-free, then it has obvious advantages over the other: 1) easy to put on; I put it inside the shoe I am about to wear the next day the night before, so takes almost no additional time in the morning as I am leaving for work. The other one needs to be put on after the socks, so it will take a bit more time every morning. 2) This is good for long-hour activities. The other one, I felt the pain as the front edge rubbed to the bottom of my foot when I was walking for about 2~3 miles. This one had no problem like this at all, as its bottom is inserted under the sole of the athlete shoes. I didn't feel "break-in phase wearing this on my healthy ankle or months after the injure one completely healed. In summary, T2 is unbearably painful for an injured/recovering ankle to break-in; but once healed, T2 offers good support during long-hour exercise. I am glad I bought both during my recovery.

I purchased the Active Ankle T2 braces for my daughter. She plays school and club volleyball and soccer. She only wears these when she's playing volleyball (front middle and right). My daughter runs, jumps, dives, and digs like she's made of rubber. I still worry but I know she has the best protection available. I've seen many of her teammates get injured but so far we have been blessed. She's only been taped once and it left her with a huge blister so I'm going to also purchase a less rigid pair of Active guards rather than have her suffer from latex or poor taping methods (in fact she'll wear these when she's playing soccer). Unfortunately my daughter took her T2 guards off while she was line judging at a tournament and they disappeared. I'm guessing that someone else is currently singing the praises of that pair. She has another tournament this weekend coming and I'm not at all interested in her playing 3 - 4 matches each day without the support of Active guards so you have no idea how happy I am that the price has dipped a little. If your child is an athlete give her/him the best protection you can. That way when she or he leaps, jumps, dives, sprints, or lands you can spend more time cheering and less time worrying and trying to stop your stomach from flipping. The only con is that my daughter complained that the guards hurt after hours of wear. That was an easy fix... take them off between matches (unless she's playing back to back matches).... now I just need to ensure that from now on when she takes them off that she puts them in her sports bag!