Fascia - Part 3 of 3 - Landing and linking all parts of the body together
Everyday we get to work and look at the list of clients that we’re going to train that day. Of that list, a good 50% + are returning from an injury, rehabbing a current injury or have successfully returned to play.
These clients vary from amatuer/semi-pro rugby players, to Mothers who want to be strong as can as they get older, to everyday folk who love to do 5km runs 3-4 times per week.
Some have been unfortunate and struck out with an ACL injury, whereas others simply have ambition that far outweighs their ability.
Or as we like to think of it: ambition that far outweighs their ability to tolerate load.
I’ll break it down a little bit further:
Most people can run, skip, hop and jump. Think of this as the accelerator in a car.
Not a lot of people can land, jump up in the air and land well on one leg. Think of this as the brakes in a car.
Most of what is taught is about ‘accelerating’, yet we don’t place a high enough premium on ‘our braking system’. It’s crazy to even consider that within the context of a car, yet we do this with our body time and time again.
Imagine going to the shop and picking out the fastest car. A red one too because we know how fast red cars are. Now imagine going down the highway as fast as possible without a braking system. Yeh. No thanks.
Where does fascia sit in amongst all this?
Well, connective tissue (soft tissue) injury occurs most during deceleration. AFL players usually do there hammy when landing after a mark/side stepping. By including landing mechanics in your program you teach the connective tissue and muscle tissue systems to tolerate the stress that is breaking.
Consider this - we’re often caught up in trying to do the ‘accelerate’ (ie. box jumps) that we neglect the ‘braking system’ that make actually make a big difference (being able to balance on one leg).
If we apply this analogy and give context to actual exercises, try this next time you’re at the gym:
Exercise 1)
Stand on one leg barefoot with your eyes closed for 15sec. Did you pass or fail?
Exercise 2)
Stand on a 30cm box and fall off onto one leg. Aim to land in a mini squat. Hold for 3sec.Did you pass or fail?
If you failed both, you’ve got some work to do.
#teamSOF
