in Improve, Knee injuries, Power development
Successfully returning an athlete to sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) poses an ongoing challenge for rehabilitation professionals. Jessica Montgomery discusses the role the rate of force development plays in return to sport and injury prevention and the modifications needed for younger athletes. 2012 South West England’s Holly Molesworth in action during the rugby... MORE
in Power development, Proprioception and balance, Speed development, Strength
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most athletes find themselves trapped within their home surroundings with limited resources for exercise. With events canceled globally and training programs halted, Trevor Langford begins a series on how sports professionals can ensure athletes remain focused, conditioned, and ready to return to training once give the ‘all clear.’ This article... MORE
in Improve, Power development, Prevent, Speed development
Sidelined due to the coronavirus, now is the ideal time for athletes to develop foundational components to enhance performance and prevent injury. In the first of a two-part series, Tracy Ward explains the benefits of adding strength training to a running schedule and deciphers the prescription variances. Now that concerns over the spread of the coronavirus... MORE
in Improve, Power development, Prevent
Is blood flow restriction training just one more fad? Alejandro Piris Nino takes an updated look at the history, uses, risks, and guidelines of this novel intervention. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training, originally called Kaatsu (meaning training with added pressure), is the partial restriction of arterial and venous blood flow to exercising muscles... MORE
in Improve, Power development, Strength
The debate continues surrounding appropriate timing and volume for implementing plyometric training in return-to-play rehabilitation. Pat Gillham looks at the latest thinking ‘Plyometric exercise’ was a term coined in 1964(1). Plyometrics exercises exploit the benefits of the plyometric regime and involve the Stretch-Shortening Cycle (SSC)(2). Thanks to the muscles’ pre-stimulation during the eccentric phase, plyometrics... MORE
in Agility, Email Newsletters, Improve, Power development, Speed development
Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere while the mild days of fall are starting in the Southern. With the change in the weather, young athletes everywhere are getting out and playing footie. Meanwhile, coaches scrambling for best practices to give their team the edge often resort to technical training. Chilean researchers have just released... MORE
in Power development, Strength
In part one of this two-part series, Pat Gillham looked at injury incidence and prevention in golfers. In this article, Pat explores the role of strength and conditioning for enhancing golf performance. Simple physics tells us that by generating more force against the ground (vertical ground reaction force), we can increase velocity. This applies directly to... MORE
in Email Newsletters, Power development, Strength
Running injuries to the knees and ankles often occur as a result of gluteal weakness. Without stability at the pelvis, the lower body bears the brunt of the forces of running in ways they weren’t designed to do. Therefore, strengthening the gluts is usually a priority for injured runners. Which exercises are the best to... MORE
in Diagnose & Treat, Hand injuries, Improve, Power development
Chris Mallac, Tarek Taz Chouja and Nathan Quinn discuss the fundamental concepts of grip strength training and the benefits of improving grip strength – both for improving athletic performance and also developing proximal shoulder strength. In the context of athletic performance, grip strength is a fundamental prerequisite in many sports that require aggressive ‘crushing grip’ type... MORE
in Anatomy, Diagnose & Treat, Improve, Musculoskeletal injuries, Power development
Chris Mallac explains why a ‘long’ biceps femoris fascicle length and good strength in the Nordic hamstring exercise correlate quite well to reduced injury risk in the biceps femoris, a commonly injured muscle in athletes. Injuries to the hamstrings are a common injury in athletes who are exposed to high-speed running such as sprint athletes, footballers,... MORE
