The problem is, between the massive amount of information on the internet, the rapid progression of scientific literature, and the wide range of possible reasons behind why someone struggles with flexibility, it can be absolutely exhausting to learn about and use practically to actually see long term results in the gy. the increased range of motion could not be explained by the structural changes in the muscle-tendon unit and was likely due to increased stretch tolerance possibly due to adaptation in nociceptive nerve endings.. These gymnasts typically have natural flexibility but may struggle to build strength and power during training. Manske R., et al. Flexibility is frequently included in talent identification and screening measures for gymnasts, divers, and dancers (2, 10, 11, 16, 20, 21). Many also claim that it helps them move in a larger range of motion with less discomfort before starting their practice. Coaches understand that with more strength and technique training in a more structured environment they can progress quickly. Through very sophisticated mathematical models, they did show evidence of, a mechanistic multiscale model for stretch-induced sarcomereogenesis, in which chronic muscle lengthening is characterized through a scalar valued internal variable, the serious sarcomere number.. In this setting, we are looking to ramp down the body and assist in recovery (known as facilitating parasympathetic tone). Glutes, Deep Hip Rotators, Core, etc. Most healthcare providers that I have talked with feel the major benefits of self-soft tissue work are increasing blood flow and allowing muscle relaxation. These two things often happen together in very flexible gymnasts, theoretically as the contact of the femur on the pelvis creates a fulcrum type point for the head of the femur to lever against contributing instability. I can often see an appreciable change in the range of motion within only a few sessions, pending that gymnasts are dedicated to the follow-up a home program. Get in the low lunge position with the knee of the leg at the back touching the floor. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance. Skills like Shaposh releases for female gymnasts, Tipelts for male gymnasts, and other extreme overhead motion demands require this amount of mobility. Other things are beyond the realm of changing unless you have a medical background. Flexibility 5 Flexibility In addition to the strength/conditioning program, the coach must also provide training for the enhancement of flexibility. I would suggest that these very mobileof gymnasts need more work learning to control the motion they have both with basic movements and with complex movements that involve higher forces and fast reaction times. There are some times when we are aiming to just get the body going, and other times when we are looking to truley increase joint range of motion. I will dive into the physiological thoughts on this in the recovery chapter. strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and the core gymnastics session. 21, 788-792. Frequently the complex research available suggests some minor changes during training. People assume that progress is being made, rather than having some comparative baseline for observing changes. Missing ankle dorsiflexion is a huge problem because it creates local ankle issues for injury but also causes a huge ripple effect up the leg chain as other joints and structures have to compensate. It is common to see many gymnastics strength programs that train a high volume of pull-ups, leg lifts, rope climbs, and push-ups. The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. The main way people approach increasing the flexibility of the active structures is through regular stretching. There is more support in the literature for the use of static and dynamic compression, but I think lighter recovery sessions of self-myofascial release, light stretching, or even light aerobic exercise are valuable tools alongside other methods. Like in the shoulder, natural mobility of the hip allows them to move through a greater motion. If you are not into that and are just looking for a particular area of the body without the geeky stuff, please click the table of contents below to jump to a certain section. Part of this may be inevitable for high-level gymnastics, but we should be doing anything we can to reduce risk given the scientific information and coaching expertise available. They measured ankle range of motion and end range stiffness before and after these stretches. The shoulder joint itself can be thought about as a golf ball sitting on a tee. For that reason, I typically approach the warm-up is getting the body ready for the training session. (3), For the geeks like me reading, they more specifically are subdivided into the Superior Glenohumeral Ligament, the Middle Glenohumeral Ligament, the Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament, and the Posterior Glenohumeral Ligament. Gymnastics at Home Worksheets- Static Flexibility Before you start you'll need: - A wooden spoon - A sofa/ seat - Some cushions - A wall/ closed door If you need to improve your flexibility in a certain area then the exercises in this worksheet will help with ideas of how to practice safety at home. Healey KC, et al. In my mind, the warm-up should not really be the main time we are looking to make massive changes in flexibility. Although its not as common as the hip and shoulder post, I still have seen it quite a few times when in gyms. In its most basic form, stretching involves taking a muscle to its end range of motion, and holding the elongated state for a period of time. There has been a large spike in the rate of hip flexor strains, groin strains , and cranky shoulders that I feel is being very much swept under the rug in gymnastics. This guide will have a lot of research and science references in it, but in an effort to keep it not as hard to read, I will footnote those studies using parenthesis and include a large references section below. Seated Overhead Screen with Stick Sitting at the wall with the lower back flat and head against the wall, the gymnast raises the bar overhead with the arms shoulder-width apart and palms down. The goal is to make hand contact with the wall. Although there is a lot of research and textbook chapters written on these concepts (38-40), I have found that a multi step warm-up seems to be the best approach for this goal. Self-soft tissue work refers to using foam rollers, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, or other implements to help massage different muscular areas of the body. Please share with your community, and I hope you find it helpful! An alternative version based on anatomy would be to flatten the spine position as well as the pelvis, and then perform a similar stretch with core/glute engagement. Im glad you asked! The ability of the good quality gymnastics are based. While it is true that male gymnasts need extreme behind the back shoulder motion for pommel horse and pbars, I think there are much better ways to get it than being aggressive with behind the back stretch. CEO/Founder of SHIFT Movement Science. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. In this situation, if the gymnast can not access their full range of motion against gravity alone,I see no justification for adding additional ankle weight resistance and allowing swinging momentum to reach the desired end range of motion. This is closely related to the one above, but many of the wobbly ankles come about because the gymnast has lots oflaxityoverall. ISJPT 9(6) 2014. It may help reverse the hypoxic or acidic environments that occur during challenging workouts. You may remember the shoulder joint has a very shallow socket, which allows for lots of motion but then creates a situation where stability is needed. I will say take these research studies with a grain of salt due to their methods, smaller sizes, and sometimes using cadavers as subjects. Department of Exercise and Sport Science University of Utah Most gymnastics coaches would agree that flexibility is an essential aspect of gymnastics training and performance. Why Do Gymnasts Lose Flexibility In The First Place? One of the most effective methods that I have come up with to increase flexibility, make changes stick, and not risk injury with aggressive stretching techniques is to work in complexes rather than performing only static or dynamic stretching. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston. Register for the SHIFT Gymnastics Newsletter for Email Download Link. This is not always the case, but the vast majority of young gymnasts fall into this category once you move past the recreational level. Readers are encouraged to only operate within their scope of practice. It consists of two upper-body sessions, and two legs and core sessions, hitting each muscle group twice per week. I will offer basic concepts from them in the coming paragraphs as it relates to injuries but cant stress enough how valuable the articles or textbooks mentioned were to me over the past five years. Scapular Muscles, Rotator Cuff, Core, etc. Cross-body shoulder stretch. Place your right hand on the left arm's elbow and pull toward the chest. Sports Med. Background Anatomy and Understanding Hypermobility, Beightons Testing and Links to Capsular Laxity. This is especially as recent research has shown that shoulder and hip injuries are one of the most common problems all gymnasts face. Ensure you are warmed up correctly I strongly suggest people who may be unknowingly pushing knees down more in oversplits, or feet elevated pike stretches stop and think about why they chose to certain stretching interventions. Given all of this, instead of doing twenty to thirty minutes of only stretching exercises, I now feel working in a complex type format is the most beneficial approach. Many people say how easy their jumps and skills feel after taking them off, but I think this is a short-lived neurological trick that may not have the best long term carry over. If someone is continuing to struggle with hip mobility, rather than just pushing more take a step back and consider this concept. They also claim it helps following hard workouts or on light training days to recover. As with the shoulder, I also feel that extreme hip stretching methods from a very high surface, or when a coach is pushing aggressively on a gymnast, have no place in our sport. The majority of these articles theorize that the main reasons that stretching increases range of motion include. Conflicting Research on Foam Rolling and Other Soft Tissue Care, Why Movement Assessments Are Key For Finding The Root Problem, Components of Splits and Handstand Flexibility, Not Feeding The Fire with Strength and Physical Preparation, How to Help Working In Complexes vs Just Stretching, Points for Knee/Elbow Hyper Extension and Ankle Toe Point Safety. These common active structures limiting overhead shoulder flexibility we want to focus on making more mobile. Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /nfs/c05/h01/mnt/75057/domains/accelprotech.com/html/wp-content/themes/Divi/functions.php on line 5752 (46-48). I more hope to highlight that assuming ongoing pain reports are no big deal and can be trained through, rather than thinking critically about the situation, can be very problematic. You can see a video of our entire warm up here. From all the science I have read, and conversations I have had with medical professionals on stretching or self-myofascial work, when correctly applied the positives effects of foam rolling on performance largely outweigh the negatives. IJSPT. I want to emphasize that proper stretching and soft tissue work is not the only method to improve flexibility and performance for gymnasts. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by your sides. Please consult with medical providers for proper understanding and implementation of this information. J Appl Physiol, 2002, 92: 565 601. And Im not off the hook here. J Athl Training 35(3):278285, 2000. In particular, the knee and elbow joints can be areas that if overly stretched, can become problematic. As a result, gymnastic branch-specific stretching exercises increase the balance and flexibility parameters in a positive way; it is thought that the longer duration of training programs will have a positive effect on the athlete's performance. This is unlike the hip joint, which due to having a deeper hip socket (remember hips are built for weight-bearing while shoulders are not) has more inherent stability with less mobility. The traditional model of gymnastics typically involves twenty to thirty-minute time periods where static stretches are held, active flexibility drills are done, or specific exercises are repeatedly done in high volume to gain range of motion. Third, on an even geekier motor control point I think the use of external loading far away at the ankle joint greatly distorts the movement pattern the brain is trying to adopt neurologically. When used in the right context, it can augment the flexibility needed for advanced leaps or jumps, inbar skills, and tumbling mechanics. My best recommendation is that people become more familiar with the research, practice, and use of self-soft tissue work. Take them to a qualified medical professional for an assessment. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach 2(2) 2010. Sands and Mcneal have a few fantastic chapters on flexibility in recent Strength and Conditioning text books (39-40). I feel this approach not only makes more sense from a gymnastics technique point of view, but also incorporates a lot of current scientific research on flexibility, soft tissue work, and human movement. Many of them tell me that they try searching online, going to clinics or camps, and asking around at gyms about how to help, only to become significantly overwhelmed. Stretching Skeletal Muscle: Chronic Muscle Lengthening through Sacrocmeregenesis. Other more naturally stiff individuals who excel in other sports may have a tighter shirt sleeve. An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release in the Form of Foam Rolling Improves Performance Testing. It is worth noting that both authors have extensive experience in elite level gymnastics, spending the majority of their career researching gymnastics biomechanics, injuries, and sports performance.
