A 2026 randomized controlled trial (Daneshmandi et al., BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 2026;18:113) studied 40 male team- and racket-sport athletes with limited ankle dorsiflexion (<10°). The flossing group performed banded active movement (figure-of-eight wrap, 50–70% overlap) three times a week for six weeks, compared against static stretching. Flossing produced larger gains in ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion range of motion and in dynamic balance (posteromedial and posterolateral Y-balance directions), with some strength improvements — and many gains were partially retained after six weeks of no training. Notably, vertical jump performance did not improve.
The honest limits: one trial, 40 participants, all male athletes, one joint (the ankle), compared against stretching — and the six-week protocol above is that study's design, not automatically Kyle's prescription for you. It supports flossing as a reasonable option for restricted ankle mobility in athletes; it does not establish effects for every joint, injury, age or performance outcome.