Everyday, our inbox gets some variation of the question “what’s the best ankle brace?” It’s a common question because 1) basketball players are often serial ankle sprainers and 2) there’s a ton of ankle braces on the market. Our testing team has tried just about every ankle brace on the market and one stands above them all, the Zamst A2-DX.
We’ll talk in depth about why we believe the Zamst A2-DX is the best ankle brace on the market throughout this review but first let’s see who Zamst is.
Zamst A2-DX
Price: $75
Fit: Left/Right specific
Sizing: True-to-size
What We Like
- Designed to prevent high ankle sprains and manage chronic ankle instability
- Guards are rigid laterally and medially without compromising natural movement
- Linear or lateral mobility aren’t compromised by wearing the A2-DX
- Easy to put on and very comfortable
- Fairly adjustable for an ankle and available in four size options
- Two color options to match any shoe
- Fits in the majority of basketball shoes
- Trusted by high level NBA players
Size Chart
Who is Zamst?
Zamst is a sports brace brand born in Japan, developed to help prevent sports-related injuries by leveraging over 50 years of medical expertise from its manufacturer, Nippon Sigmax. The company’s DNA combines the essential elements for sports braces: precision support, optimized fit, and dynamic comfort, with a core mission to “protect athletes from injuries through technology and enable them to perform at their best.” You can learn more about Zamst here.
And while that heritage would seem to lend itself to creating great ankle braces, we should take a look at the athletes who trust the Zamst A2-DX.
Who trusts the Zamst A2-DX?
A huge amount of professional athletes wear them. Some all the time and others on occasion. One that wears the A2-DX all the time is the NBA’s Trae Young. Young is Zamst’s only paid endorser (an athlete who suffered consistent ankle injuries prior to switching to Zamst) but you can always find the Zamst A2-DX on the feet of other pros in multiple sports.
We’ve seen the Zamst A2-DX on the feet of elite volleyball players and on the feet of athletes like Steph Curry, and DeAaron Fox. These high level athletes have access to any ankle brace they want and choose the Zamst A2-DX despite not having an endorsement contract.
That means these pros trust Zamst to keep them healthy and on the court where millions of dollars and championships are at stake. In our experience, when pro athletes use something without getting paid, it means it works. They tend to test everything and continue using anything that gives them an edge.
But is the A2-DX good for the non-pros as well? Let’s dig into our experience with the Zamst A2-DX.
Zamst A2-DX Design
Zamst offers a variety of different ankle braces depending on the level of support that you actually need (you can find their entire product line here). The A2-DX is Zamst’s strongest and most supportive brace.
The A2-DX was designed specifically for high ankle sprains, not just supporting your ankles if you’ve had a high ankle sprain before, but also helping you prevent them as well. In addition to that, if you happen to suffer from chronic ankle instability, the A2-DX will provide the support you need to feel stable and explosive on court.
The protective guards on the sides prevent excessive inversion and eversion of the high ankle, while the dual X strap stabilizers provide three-way support: anterior, lateral, and medial, all of which are for the lower ankle.
Zamst A2-DX Performance
We think that the Zamst A2-DX is great for anyone that needs extra ankle support. The A2-DX provides a ton of support without limiting your linear or lateral mobility, which is great for multiple sports. So, this is not just a basketball thing. If you play volleyball, football, tennis, or more the A2-DX is a good tool to help mitigate any ankle issues that you might be having.
The design of A2-DX allows wearers to be just as fast both forward, backward, and laterally as when not wearing a brace. While we could feel the brace surrounding and protecting our ankles, we felt just as quick as we were without a brace. While the brace is curtailing excess ankle movement, it didn’t affect any of our testers’ play styles. The protection plus fluidity we found in the A2-DX is the gold standard for ankle braces.
Zamst A2-DX Fit
The Zamst A2-DX is super easy to put on and fairly adjustable. It comes in four sizes ranging from Small to Extra Large. The size chart found on each product page is accurate and ordering based on its guidance will yield the proper size.
Keep in mind that the A2-DX is specifically designed for either your Left or Right foot in order to provide a proper fit for each ankle. Take care to order the appropriate foot or get one of each.
How does the Zamst A2-DX fit inside basketball shoes?
In our experience, the A2-DX fit inside the vast majority of the hoops shoes in our closets. But our pro tip when shopping for new shoes is to make sure you bring your A2-DX with you to the store. Put it on before you try your next basketball shoe. That way, you’ll ensure that the shoe is compatible with not just your foot, but with the A2-DX ankle brace as well.
Zamst A2-DX vs Competitors
Why do we find the A2-DX better than the many ankle braces from Zamst’s competitors?
- Fit. The sizing guide is accurate and worked well to pick a size for all our testers
- Comfort. Despite being extremely protective, the A2-DX doesn’t rub or pinch and we hardly noticed it once we got used to wearing it.
- Breathability. The A2-DX is more breathable than almost every other high quality ankle brace.
- Rigidity of the lateral and medial protective guards. Some braces don’t protect against eversion and inversion while the A2-DX provides equal protection to both sides.
- Trust factor. A large quantity of professional athletes are wearing the A2-DX at the highest levels of competition.
Zamst A2-DX Summary
If you’ve been looking for the perfect brace to support you in all of your athletic adventures, we’d recommend grabbing the Zamst A2-DX for its impressive technology, design, and ability to protect against high ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability. There’s no better option on the market.
