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GUEST EXPERT ARTICLE
Kicking the football accurately on a consistent basis is an extremely challenging task. Most kickers have what I refer to as "one-dimensional" flexibility. This is due to the amount of work that the kicking leg is doing each time that contact is made with the football. Many kickers develop hip and back pain on the opposite side of their bodies. Here at Athletes' Performance, we have all of our athletes perform a series of what we call "Movement Prep" exercises on a daily basis. The purpose of these exercises is to basically prepare the body for movement. They also help to boost the heart rate, increase blood flow to the muscles, and elevate the core temperature of the body. The central nervous system also gets "turned on", thus enabling the body to function more efficiently. By doing these movement prep exercises over time, long-term mobility and flexibility of the muscles is improved. This is especially important for kickers because as the muscles are strengthened through a new range of motion, you are stabilizing all of the tiny muscles around your joints that help hold them together. This helps to improve posture and performance as well as decrease the potential for injury. As flexibility increases, the joints become more stable.
Another added benefit that occurs from performing movement preparation is increased proprioception. Proprioception is the system of pressure sensors in the joints, muscles, and tendons that your body uses to maintain balance. Improved proprioception is extremely important for a kicker because of the emphasis placed on striking the ball quickly with a significant amount of force and the often overlooked safe landing after the leg has driven through the ball.
Prehab exercises help to strengthen areas that are extremely vulnerable to a kicker. These include the hips and core. This is your pillar and strengthening it will help to improve posture and alignment which will allow your joints to move more efficiently. Prehab exercises will help to optimize mobility, balance, stability, and joint function and to decrease the potential for injury while improving performance. The hips support the pelvis and have more musculature attached to them than any other joints in the body. It is vitally important for a kicker to have exceptional mobility and stability in the hips so that the pelvis is kept in alignment. About 65 percent of injuries come from overuse. This is often due to repetition of the same movement pattern which tends to cause muscular imbalances. Prehab exercises address the muscular imbalances that lead to these injuries, thus being extremely important for kickers. Think of Prehab as being the proactive approach to protecting yourself from injury.
For a complete description of both movement prep and prehab exercises, you can visit the Athletes' Performance (API) website at athletesperformance.com. Thanks to Ken Croner of API for writing this article. Learn more about Billy Cundiff >>> |
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