Footy Season Is Back
Footy season is back and in full swing! For some of us, it’s been a long time between games with Covid thrown in the mix, so here are our tips on maintaining your fitness and (hopefully) avoiding injury.
Stretching and warmups are one of the most important techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won’t be effective as a way of minimising your risk of injury this footy season.
Be Progressive
Start slow, finish fast. You shouldn’t begin your warm-up with crazy, frenetic movements. Let the body ease into the work ahead with slow movements that progress in difficulty and intensity. This will allow for the gradual warming of your core body temperature and ensures that you’re not heightening your chances of getting hurt.
Move Don’t Stretch
Contrary to what you may think, static stretching isn’t enough. In fact, too much static stretching can be detrimental. Although a thorough, static stretch has its place – ideally, post-game – the goal is to prepare the body to move, not rest. A good way to do that – wait for it – is to move. Arm circles and light leg swings, for example, are preferable to toe touches and static shoulder stretches.
Work the Soft Tissue
Self-myofascial release (SMR) is a bit of a buzz word nowadays but for good reason. We need the soft tissue to move through a full range of motion in order to decrease the chance of injury and create the most force possible. Foam rollers and massage balls are simple tools that, when used correctly, will change your training forever by loosening tight muscles and increasing blood flow. Don’t have these at home? We have a range available to purchase from our clinics.
Work on Dynamic Mobility
If you want to take your training to another level, properly warming up and mobilizing the joints is key. You’ll see bigger gains with mobile joints. Interestingly, a stiff joint anywhere in the body affects the entire body. Time permitting, it’s best to prepare the entire body even if you only plan to work a specific part.
Excite the Nervous System
Your nervous system is literally in control. The more you can excite it and prepare it for activity, the more efficient it can be during your training session. Want to recruit a few more muscle fibres? Want to increase your speed or quickness? Make it a point to excite the nervous system during your warm-up. This can be achieved with moves that require greater coordination such as jumps and bounds. Of course, these should be done only as part of a progression, when your body is ready for more challenging moves.
Go Total-Body + Dynamic
Finish your workout with dynamic, total body movements like a squat. Remember, the body works as a whole. We need to excite and prepare it as a whole.
You don’t want to spend any more time away from the sport you love this Winter so give us a call if you have any niggling pain and we will sort you out so you have an injury free Footy season.