Although all athletic
activities carry some risk of injury, spring sports seem
to be particularly problematic with respect to injury
potential. This is partly due to the abrupt action
components of the most popular spring sports, and partly
due to insufficient levels of physical conditioning.
Abrupt Action Components
The three most popular spring sports
are golf, softball and tennis, all of which require abrupt action
components rather than more consistent playing effort. For example,
almost all of the time spent completing 18 holes of golf is relatively
low on the physical exertion scale. However, the periodic golf drives
involve an explosive swinging action that places considerable stress on
the musculoskeletal system.
Softball is similar in the swinging aspect,
but offers a complicating factor with an all-out sprint to first base
following a hit. This cold-to-hot running action has been responsible
for numerous hamstring pulls and other muscle-tendon injuries.
Other than the pitcher and catcher, playing
the field is about the same as batting from an activity perspective. You
may spend several minutes standing still, then suddenly you move as
quickly as possible to the ball and throw it as hard as possible to the
appropriate base player. The abruptness of these high-effort movements
increases the risk of injury.
Tennis is a more active sport, with a large
percentage of movement time. However, the game of tennis is
characterized by stop-and-go activity, with abrupt forward, backward,
and lateral movements requiring high acceleration and deceleration
forces. These often repeated actions can overstress the muscles, tendons
and ligaments of the lower body, and the frequent swinging and serving
movements can cause considerable trauma to upper body joint structures
such as the shoulders, elbows and wrists.
Understanding that these spring sports
require abrupt muscle actions should underscore the importance of
keeping warm, staying loose, and stretching before every golf drive or
batting experience. Be sure to dress warmly, preferably in layers that
can be easily removed at appropriate times. It is also advisable to keep
moving, such as walking instead of using golf carts, and shifting your
weight from foot to foot when playing the field in softball. Prior to
driving or batting, spend at least one minute stretching the trunk and
shoulders and taking progressively harder practice swings. Softball
players should also warm-up and stretch their leg muscles in
anticipation of running to first base or farther.
Physical Conditioning Components
One of the risk-factors associated with
spring sports is the fact that they follow the typically less active
winter season. Although some fitness enthusiasts do exercise throughout
the winter months, the conditioning activity may not be appropriate for
their spring sport selection. For example, treadmill walking/jogging and
stationary cycling are excellent exercises for conditioning the
cardiovascular system, but they have little application to swinging a
club or bat, sprinting bases, or accelerating and decelerating abruptly
on a tennis court. While cardiovascular conditioning is strongly
encouraged from a health perspective, an effective spring sport
preparation program should emphasize strengthening and stretching
exercises for an injury resistant musculoskeletal system.
Recommended Strength Training Program
Although it is tempting to target specific
muscles, an overall muscle strengthening approach is far more advisable.
Comprehensive muscle conditioning reduces the risk of overuse and
imbalance injuries, and enhances performance potential more than doing a
few selected exercises. For example, our golf conditioning program
includes strength exercises for the front thigh, rear thigh, inner
thigh, outer thigh, low back, abdominals, chest, upper back, shoulders,
front arm, rear arm, forearms and neck. Over the past three years, our
golfers significantly increased their driving power, and experienced no
injuries during the golf season following their strength training
program.
Because one set of each exercise stimulates
a positive and productive muscle response, single-set strength training
is an efficient and effective means for improving musculoskeletal
fitness.
You should use a weight load that can be
lifted between 8 and 12 repetitions in proper form. This corresponds to
approximately 75 percent of the maximum weight load you could use, and
represents a safe and sensible training resistance. To ensure
progressive strength improvement, you should increase the weight load by
about 5 percent whenever 12 good repetitions can be completed.
Although your swinging actions are fast,
your strength exercises should be performed at a slow and controlled
movement speed. Moving relatively heavy weights quickly involves a lot
of inertia and momentum that can easily overstress your muscles and
joint structures. For most practical purposes, each repetition should be
performed in about 6 seconds, taking 2 seconds for the lifting phase and
4 seconds for the lowering phase. It is also advisable to exhale during
the lifting phase and to inhale during the lowering phase of each
repetition.
Because full range strength is essential for
safe and successful sports performance, try to perform each exercise
through the full range of joint movement. That is, do your best to move
carefully through the positions of joint flexion and joint extension.
However, do not move into positions that cause discomfort in or around
your joints.
Training 2 or 3 days per week should produce
excellent results, so long as you follow the recommended training
principles and procedures. Generally speaking, about 8 weeks of regular
strength training is desirable prior to initiating your spring sports
participation.
Recommended Stretching Exercise
Program
Stretching is probably more art than
science, and basically involves a gentle movement that extends the
target muscle until it is taut, but not traumatized. That is, stretches
should be kept within the comfort zone and never pushed to the point of
pain. The recommended procedure for enhancing joint flexibility is to
move slowly into the stretched position and then pause for about 10-30
seconds. As the target muscles relax and lengthen, you may stretch a
little farther and again hold the final position for about 10-30
seconds.
Stretches for golf, softball, and tennis
should target the hip and shoulder muscles. Of course, to be most
practical, the recommended stretches should permit performance while
playing the activity. For example, the Leg-Up Hamstring Stretch can be
done almost anywhere. Simply place the heel of your left leg on a bench,
bleacher or golf cart and reach your left hand forward toward your left
ankle. Hold a comfortably stretched position for 10-30 seconds, and
repeat this procedure with your right leg.
Shoulder stretches may be varied according
to your creativity. However, a good starting point is the Overhead
Shoulder Stretch. Begin by placing both arms directly above your head
and clasping your hands loosely. Use your left arm to pull your right
arm overhead to your left and hold the stretched position for 10-30
seconds.
Trunk circles are always appropriate as long
as they are performed in a very slow and controlled manner. Place your
hands on your hips and bend gently to your left, rear, right and front,
pausing for several seconds in each position. After completing the
circle, repeat this procedure in the reverse direction.
By preparing your musculoskeletal system
prior to the spring sports season, and by staying loose during your
activity sessions, you should experience both a lower risk of injury and
a high level of athletic performance.
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Special Thanks to the
IFPA's Sponsors:
Doctors Fitness Centers
Fitness Institute of
Technology
VORTEX
SCIFIT
A4M
ACASP
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Wayne
L. Westcott, Ph.D.
is fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA and
author of the new book
Strength Training Past 50.
More
Books from Dr. Westcott
CEC:
Current Strength Training Research by Dr.
Westcott
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