Optimum Performance
Avari Garcia, Physical Therapist & Asst Coach 15 Red National
With the advent of Title IX, schools, players, coaches and fans are placing a greater emphasis on the performance of girls in sports. Competitive sports provide girls with significant benefits in terms of physical strength, bone density and body awareness.
Improved strength, conditioning, and coordination require proper focus and instruction. For example, there is a right way and a wrong way to jump, not just from the perspective of achieving maximum height and effectiveness, but from the perspective of preventing injuries.
The ability to perform jumps with knees aligned and the bottoms to the rear is something that we now have to teach to prevent injury. One legged skipping is required in practice to prevent turnedankles. Core strength has to be added to our workout regimen so that we do not have back injuries. An acquaintance of mine, who was a professional football player, stated that if he had known at the age of 20 what he eventually leaned about muscle recruitment, core training, plyometric and balance training by the
time he was 30, he would have been stronger, faster, more flexible, and would certainly have been less susceptible to injuries that plagued him throughout his exceptional athletic career.
In volleyball, there are many repetitive injuries which can sideline a player for a whole season and compromise ones effectiveness if not properly treated and corrected. Back pain often results from
repetitive extension of the spine without the proper support of the anterior muscles of the abdomen as a counter force. Shoulder strains are often caused by improper hitting technique rather than overuse. Knee injuries can often be linked to weak hips, poor control of the core, and over bracing of ankles.
In order to offer comprehensive musculoskeletal care with an emphasis on sports medicine, Excel Volleyball has added Dr. Steve Morgan to their team of professionals. Dr. Morgan is an orthopaedic surgeon and subspecialist in sports medicine from Orthopaedic Associates of North Texas. When asked his opinion regarding the use of “hard” ankle braces to prevent ankle injuries, he offered the following advice, “In those that brace the ankle for play, we see an increased amount of knee injuries. The best prevention strategy in my mind is good propriocetive (natural balance) training, baseline strengthening including plyometrics and bracing only for recurrent injury or the unstable ankle that has failed therapy.”
I, as a licensed physical therapist along with the coaches, will help our players by teaching them to identify their own weaknesses and work with them on body mechanics, footwork patterns, landing patterns, and timing of hitting. They also need to listen to their own bodies and talk to their coaches. Done correctly, volleyball can be a wonderful sport to play for your entire life if you keep the engine well trained and fit.
