lol i didn't backtrack at all. also, i do have experience.
you don't brace stable ankles. you strengthen them by doing stability exercises (basically, training them in instability to be stable for when you do roll an ankle, or whatnot).
if you brace a joint, you are restricting it's motion, which, over time, atrophies the joint (due to stimulation of the motor neurons to fire, which increases tendon tension across the joint to help create stability, depending on the muscles needed to maintain stability), thereby causing instability.
professional athletes are able to roll their ankles, limp for a second, then resume playing. it's because their tendons and ligaments have been trained to handle an ankle roll by being trained while in an unstable position (for example, rehabbing an ankle on a bosu or a wobble board).
this is why you never see pitchers wearing a shoulder brace during a game or anything. the only times you really see anyone wear a shoulder brace is if they've dislocated their shoulder, sprained/tore a rotator cuff muscle, or had an ac joint separation.
athletes are trained to bypass injuries by training easily damaged joints (typically unstable joints, like the shoulder, knee, or ankle) to become more stable joints. they don't do it by bracing it when it's not injured. bracing it when it's not injured will lead to injury.
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