Purpose:
To express ankle and subtalar inversion, eversion and anterior/posterior glides in a weight bearing stance. Description: Stand on one foot. You may hold on with hands for balance. Swing a leg across the body in large movements, as well as forward/backwards. Implications: Stability is reflex driven and context specific. The reflex-driven stability is enhanced by first having a sensory rich environment so that the mechanoreceptors in the skin, ligaments, muscles and tendons can detect movement and respond quickly (and subconsciously). After mobilising the lower body, the leg swings provides a static stability (control of movement whilst another body part moves) drill for preparing to train.
0 Comments
Purpose:
The purpose is to improve thoracic rotation via self-directed accessory rib cage mobilization, in a non weight-bearing position. Description: Start with hips flexed to at least 90 degrees, preferably as high as possible to create lumbar tension to limit lumbar rotation. Grab the underside of the rib cage. As you lay back, thus rotating and extending the thorax, pull upwards on the ribs. After 3 breaths, perform a double reach - one hand reaches back along the floor whilst the other reaches to the sky. Implications: Thoracic rotation/extension is not a pure intervertebral motion. It involves costo-transverse and costo-vertebral mobilization also. The accessory rib cage mobilization provides distraction to the costo-transverse and costo-vertebral joints. The pulling action, coupled with scapulothoracic retraction, inhibits anterior torso activity, thus freeing up rotation mobility.The double reach creates an extension force on one side of the spine with a flexion force on the other side - creating rotation. Common errors and corrections: A loss of scapulothoracic stability on the “pulling arm”. If this occurs, cue shoulder packing. Another error is a loss of hip flexion, leading the lumbar spine to mobilise, reducing the targeted thorax mobilization. If this occurs, cue more hip flexion. Purpose:
To express thoracic extension and rotation with diaphragmatic breathing. Best suited after mobility reset of the thorax. Description: Start in prone. Assuming the thorax has been mobilised and diaphragmatic breathing is competent, on an inhale, actively extend and rotate the head, neck and thorax, lowering on exhalation. Implications: Holding your breath during movement may be a sign of motor control dysfunction. Even after pain is gone, or mobility limitations are removed, an individual may hold their breath in anticipation of pain or movement. This is a conditioned response that is best overridden in a safe position such as prone. Someone with a neck, thorax, lumbar or hip extension mobility limitation may also have an inhalation restriction. Someone with a flexion restriction may also have an exhalation restriction Breathing restrictions/dysfunctions may also cause restrictions in shoulder mobility, dysfunctional rolling patterns, and balance impairments. In “dirty and difficult” movement patterns, that is, those movement patterns with dysfunctional motor control, we often see a segment move out of sequence. This is controlled best by locking the segment in a position that prevents it from moving out of sequence.
In motor control training, where there is movement instead of stability, change the task or environment to lock out unwanted movement. An example is an overhead press performed with excessive lumbar flexion and/or anterior pelvic tilt. The lumbar spine can be locked in a position that prevents this compensatory out-of-sequence movement by placing one or both hips into full flexion, causing posterior pelvic tilt. This looks like a seated overhead press, or a single leg stance overhead press. Preference should be given to those tasks that are higher in the neurodevelopmental hierarchy, ie single leg stance with full hip flexion. The foot of the flexed hip can be placed on a seat/bench, or held for balance purposes. Purpose:
To challenge postural integrity under load Description: Carry a weight on one hand, in one of three positions: Overhead; in the racked position just in front of the shoulder; or in the "suitcase" position by the side. Walk a set distance. Variations: Add a weight in the other hand, in another position, to create asymmetry in load and randomness in context. Walk a narrow beam for more challenge to postural integrity and processing of environmental inputs. Add obstacles to increase the processing of the nervous system. Hold the kettlebells "bottoms up". Implications: The weight perturbs the postural alignment of segments, forcing motor control of said alignment, whilst moving. Small adjustments to posture are required constantly, with alignment errors magnified at the hand, creating instant feedback to balance. Constant movement via walking ensures global stabilisers, ie prime movers, can not play a part in joint alignment integrity, leaving segmental stabilisers to reflexively control posture from the foot through the lower leg, pelvis, spine and to the upper limb. Note: The ability to traverse the course, whilst nasal breathing, indicates the nervous systems competency in motor control. The individual can be measured for motor control using the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test, Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test or the Fundamental Capacity Screen's Carry test. (see www.functionalmovement.com for more details) Purpose:
The purpose here is to stimulate the "hip lock" position of single leg stance, ie to train away the hip drop of stance phase of running. Description: The drill is done by stepping laterally over a stick held at the height of the tibial tuberosity whilst holding a weight rigidly overhead. The cue is to push the weight towards the ceiling with each step. Implications: The weight held overhead provides a vertical compression down the upper limb, through the shoulder girdle into the spine to facilitate reflex stabilisation. The reach towards the ceiling can only be done by using the weightbearing hip to "get taller". This creates lateral hip stability, locking the hip into an abducted position, facilitating contralateral hip flexion. The extension at the weightbearing hip and spine leads to reflex stabilisation, permitting expression of hip flexion mobility. Common errors: Dropping the wrist, elbow, shoulder or neck into flexion. Flexion is associated with increased mobility of the segments we want to be stable. Cue eyes up, head up, stiff wrist, stiff elbow, punch the sky. Progression: the hip lock walking drill. A movement complex to challenge an individual on the edge of ability.
The description is in the video. Regaining minimum levels of hip flexion can be difficult without manual therapy, except if you apply this strategy, which makes it much easier.
Correcting split squat drills is best done at a subconscious level, since stability is reflex driven, no conscious driven.
The use of a FMT (Functional Movement Tubing) or kettlebell, introduces destabilising force in planes of movement (coronal and transverse) that is perturbing the main plane of movement - sagittal. In the presence of minimum, or improved, mobility, to get into the start and finish position, the FMT creates reactive neuromuscular training to the pattern, improving the pattern for other training events that require power in a split squat, like the Bulgarian Split Squat. |