| 9 – Range of Motion |
Flexibility as sport-specific range of motion…developing a functionally flexible athlete…the power of want and desire…the bending steel analogy…the three major effects of enhanced flexibility…extrafusal and intrafusal muscle fibers.
Extrafusal – Extrafusal muscle fibers are the skeletal standard muscle fibers that are innervated by alpha motor neurons and generate tension by contracting, thereby allowing for skeletal movement. They make up large mass of skeletal (striated) muscle and are attached to bone by fibrous tissue extensions (tendons).
Intrafusal – Intrafusal muscle fibers are skeletal muscle fibers that serve as specialized sensory organs (proprioceptors) that detect the amount and rate of change in length of a muscle. They constitute the muscle spindle and are innervated by two axons, one sensory and one motor.
Static versus Dynamic Range of Motion
There are two types of range of motion or flexibility: static and dynamic. Static flexibility enhances the muscular range of motion and thus reduces the incidence of injury. It’s achieved through the deep, tranquil relaxation of controlled muscular tension in a stretch position with complete control of breathing patterns. To reach this state, all tension must be eliminated from both the mental and physical aspects. Doing so is important in athletics because as an athlete begins to relax in competition, his or her actions involve less thought and more reflex. This so-called zone state is common to many great athletes.
Dynamic flexibility is related more so to sport-specific movements. Extensive re search has proven that enhancing dynamic range of motion directly improves performance. In fact, the greatest impact of flexibility training is manifested in performance characteristics. Each of these training programs offers an extensive array of both static and dynamic movements, such as hip / hurdle mobility training.
The pre-workout stretching routine in this program is designed to work on the functional aspects of the sport and is more dynamic than static in nature. The exercises in this routine not only improve range of motion but also are great for football players, making them a perfect preamble to sport – specific work. A variety of 10 hip mobility exercises are performed with 5 hurdles of 2 to 5 sets. They are then followed with a series of tumbling movements and then a series of post-workout stretches .
This session will focus on:
– Dynamic Range of Motion
– Hip Mobility Exercises
– Tumbling Drills
– Proper Pre and Post workout stretching