gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf

This means the hip bone was slightly migrating out of the hip socket to reach such large ranges of motion. Glutes, Deep Hip Rotators, Core, etc. The problem is, between the massive amount of information on the internet, the rapid progression of scientific literature, and the wide range of possible reasons behind why someone struggles with flexibility, it can be absolutely exhausting to learn about and use practically to actually see long term results in the gy. doi:10.1007/s00167-016-4342-4, Kalisvaart MM, Safran MR. Microinstability of the hip-it does exist: etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. 2) change tissue properties of the calf muscle. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by your sides. However, we need to understand that forcefully pushing oversplits, not being open to learning basic anatomy, or ignoring serious pain complaints from gymnasts is not tolerable. Scand J Med SCi Sports, 2010: 136 144. Keeping your back straight, walk your hands out in front of you. Int J Sports Med. Knowing what I do now from all of the above research, I have mostly moved away from this approach of only using stretching to improve flexibility. While some of it was helpful, I found that the majority of it was based on anecdotal evidence, and did not have a really solid grounding in the science of anatomy, physiology, medicine, or strength and conditioning. A Review of the Literature Part 1: Neuromuscular and Anatomic Risk, Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament InjuryA Review of the LiteraturePart 2: Hormonal, Genetic, Cognitive Function, Previous Injury, and Extrinsic Risk Factors, Anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention training in female athletes: a systematic review of injury reduction and results of athletic performance, The Best Gymnastics Leg Conditioning For Explosive Power on Vault and Floor, Exactly How to Build Explosive Power in Gymnasts Using a Hybrid Lifting Program with Scott Willgress, 5 Ways Gymnastics Coaches Build Healthy & High Performing Gym Cultures, Luke Carson on Gymnastics Culture Change, Handling Disappointment, and The Olympics/Worlds, 5 In Season Pitfalls for Gymnastics Coaches to Avoid, SHIFTs 200th Episode! Sands WA, Flexibility. nih.gov/pubmed/24856792, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/19497032, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29506306, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045661, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25559637, The The Hyperflexibile Hip: Managing Hip Pain In Gymnasts and Dancers, Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury. The Hyperflexible Hip Managing Hip Pain in the Dancer and Gymnast. Tissues most commonly targeted are the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and pec muscles. In general, these structures can be lumped into the categories of passive or active, with research outlining this more specifically for the shoulder (1-5) and the hip (5-12). When you combine these three areas, along with the already discussed points about not having the best science behind flexibility methods to stress muscular tissue and spare joint capsules, it certainly makes sense why gymnasts may struggle with their flexibility. There is a lot of medical and science nerdiness in there. My thoughts on hip mobility and why we choose certain exercises closely echo my thoughts on shoulder mobility, and I again will not go into much depth as this was covered in an earlier chapter. However, I have seen these types of problems snowball into huge injuries quickly in gymnasts I treat. If these joints are subject to ongoing stretching past their normal end ranges of motion, it can significantly increase the risk of injury. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Part of the reason it is so common in gymnastics is because the gymnast has to move from an extreme toe pointpositionto a toes up landing position within an extremely small time window. When this is the case, there may be a more optimal approach based on the anatomy of the shoulder joint. The same argument can be made for the hips of gymnasts. This is because a large body of manual therapy and self-soft tissue work does not recommend very intense/painful pressure, or extremely long bouts of foam rolling are needed to gain the positive benefits. Splits on line, back to wall overhead shoulder motion, crab position for a male gymnast to assess parallel bars and pommel flexibility Self-Soft Tissue Work, Soft Tissue Prep strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and the core gymnastics session. These stretches below are seen daily in gymnastics. Why Do Gymnasts Lose Flexibility In The First Place? A systematic review. Many people have heard about the muscles of the rotator cuff, biceps, triceps, lats, and so on. 2015 Jun;25(3):346-55. doi: 10.1111/sms.12228. A huge areathat this problem impacts is proper squatting, landing, and force distribution abilities during gymnastics One of the biggest things I find in gymnasts is that most of their overhead deep squat performance was pretty rough all around. A commonly seen stretch in gymnastics is when the lower back of an athlete is excessively arched, or the pelvis is excessively tipped forward as depicted below. Although its not as common as the hip and shoulder post, I still have seen it quite a few times when in gyms. These studies mainly look at chronic immobilization, like when people unfortunately need limb lengthening or tendon elongation procedures. Typically not a time to increase joint motion, as the body is usually in a very high-stress state and has just taken a lot of training volume, A naturally hypermobile type genetic structure, and shallower hip joints (acetabular dysplasia), Proper spinal control, alignment and awareness that does not stress the lower back or hip joints excessively, Adequate muscle length in the hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, and groin, Adequate muscle strength in the core, glutes, deep hip stabilizers, and rotator muscles to safely support the hip joint, Adequate full range control and strength for the central nervous system to allow leg motion to occur safely, Consistent training and regular use of newly acquired motion to transfer motion to skills in the long-term, Proper mental and psychological developmental/maturity of the athlete to actively be engaged in the training, know normal versus abnormal levels of discomfort and consistently work to seeing progress, Skendzel, et al. Its not always because they are not trying hard enough. There is a much better way that is safer and has valid science behind it for support. I know there is a large spectrum of positive or negative views on soft tissue work. Acute Effects of Stretching on Passive Properties of Human Gastrocnemius Muscle-Tendon Unit: Analysis of Differences Between Hold-Relax and Static Stretching. There are screening tools that coaches can use to assess these issues, in addition to many great assessments that medical providers can use to break down problems. This is closely related to the one above, but many of the wobbly ankles come about because the gymnast has lots oflaxityoverall. Please consult with medical providers for proper understanding and implementation of this information. 2016. For 12 Weeks, 2 days a week and 90 min. Tumbl Trak Athlete Wellness and Recovery Kit, Front splits, straddle splits, handstands and pommel horse/parallel bar flexibility, Downloadable checklists to use at practice, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295707/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6322373/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945046/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26944667, https://shiftmovementscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Book-Cover.jpg, The Ultimate Gymnastics Flexibility Guide, Tom Meadows on Developing Elite Male Gymnasts and His Best Coaching Advice, Helping Gymnastics Coaches Stay Happy In The Gym and Change Their Cultures. Now please dont take this as me not being a fan of external loading for gymnasts, as I am a fan of that when properly used (see article here). This is usually why they were noticed as a good candidate for competitive gymnastics, as they naturally had full splits and bridges. In the most basic sense, I dont think oversplits are inherently bad for gymnasts. I think the more accurate way to describe them is that over splits may be bad for a particular gymnast at that moment in time. As I did with the shoulder section, here are three graphics that walkthrough. The thought process is that by following the anatomy of the shoulder joint and latissimus dorsi, teres major, and pec musculature 62-64, this version of an overhead flexibility drill biases stretching the soft tissue that needs attention and takes the pressure of the often already hypermobile shoulder ligaments. Beam, Parallel Bar, High Bar Technique Drills for Handstands of Behind the back motions (male gymnasts), When this circuit approach is done with an idea of consistency over intensity, followed by proper gymnastics technique or strength programming, I think it has a substantial effect on long-lasting. I have worked with many athletes that tend to be stiffer, but because of their incredible natural power, they succeed early on in gymnastics. ISJPT 9(6) 2014. This can happen statically for a period of time (static stretching), with the use of momentum and holding of end range (dynamic or active stretching), or sometimes with muscle contractions and stretching together (PNF or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation). Effect of self-myofascial release on myofascial pain, muscle flexibility, and strength: A narrative review. I think there are not yet studied boney adaptations to the hip joints of gymnasts when correctly performed and consistent stretching occurs in younger years. Again, without an in-depth knowledge of anatomy, injury mechanisms, and medical imaging, it is tough for someone to tell the difference between a hip flexor strain and a more severe ligament or labral tear. I recommend athletes start with light soft tissue prep or individual areas of focus before practice, then do a joint based preparation, followed by some light cardio to increase metabolic temperature and heart rate, and then do a full dynamic warm-up. Tones and strengthen muscles Improves posture J Athl Train 2004;39:254-8. As a younger coach and medical provider, I absolutely did not study enough and use proper flexibility methods. Naturally tall kids may do well in sports like basketball or volleyball. Riboh JC, et al. Examples of gymnastics skills that require dynamic flexibility are a walkover and a handspring. From there I will take a deep dive into some cultural issues that exist in gymnastics, and then conclude with step by step flexibility examples for each main region of the body that gymnasts struggle with including the shoulders, hips, ankles, and wrists. This capsular and ligamentous hypermobility is not inherently a bad thing, as it is part of what makes a gymnast good at the sport. Department of Exercise and Sport Science University of Utah Most gymnastics coaches would agree that flexibility is an essential aspect of gymnastics training and performance. Flash forward 7 years from that point, with much more education to use and well over 1000 gymnasts treated for medical issues. Ehmke, R. S. (2006). J Athl Training 35(3):278285, 2000. These cases are much less frequent in gymnastics but do exist. Many different thoughts and practices exist in daily gymnastics training. Neurological vs Mechanical Effects of Stretching, Why We Must Change Certain Stretches for Safety. This simple change in the stretch, along with follow up work, tends to make large progress in gymnasts who cannot progress in their overhead flexibility. Although research is conflicting, self soft tissue care as is seen with foam rolling and other tools may have a role in reducing perceived soreness and increasing blood flow to muscles. Due to these reasons and the research I have read about the human body, there will likely be a very limited long-term change in flexibility that change gymnastics skills. Its very important that both coaches, gymnasts, and medical providers understand this research to not see negative results from these tools, or worse cause unintended damage. Good or Bad? Sports Med. Forcing a split down into extreme ranges of an oversplit without a proper assessment behind it, asking a gymnast to perform over splits when they are not even close to a split on flat ground, or blindly pushing someone down just to be tough, is most definitely dangerous. As far as specific flexibility circuits, those I feel are the best times to truly make positive increases in joint flexibility. This concept simply means the passive structures like the ligaments or joint capsules tend to be already very lax and they naturally may have much less stiffness throughout their body. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD004577. At face value, they can all appear as someone who is tight or unflexible. Which leads me to my most important point of this section: Splits and over splits should not be viewed as an inherent thing a gymnast has or doesnt have. The majority of these articles theorize that the main reasons that stretching increases range of motion include. Arabesque - a body shape on one leg with the other leg extended behind the body Before kicking this off, please keep in mind that I wrote an entire book chapter on gymnastics flexibility, which you can download and find for free here. Keeping this in mind, we need to seriously consider that gymnasts have open growth plates and can suffer from ischial apophysitis or growth plate stress fractures if we blindly force split motion. The Approach to the Evaluation and Surgical Treatment of Mechanical Hip Pain in the Young Patient. Importantly enough, following a review of the literature, it was outlined that the combination of appropriate self-myofascial release and targeted static stretching may yield the most beneficial gains to acute changes in flexibility. They review an abundance of research studies like the two noted above, dissecting the results and validity to offer thoughts on what stretching does to muscular tissue. Through their chapters, the researchers outline that flexibility training must be viewed in a broader context outside of only aiming to increase joint range of motion. The systematic review by Chris Beardsley and Jakob Skarabot in 2015 outlines (41) that when analyzing various studies, foam roller use appears to lead to acute increases in flexibility in the majority of investigations despite a few studies not reporting acute changes in the range of motion following forms of foam roller use. But, the timiing protocols for these studies were insanely more than and human does, so its likely not the main case for increases in muscle length. Pausing for Practical Applications in Gymnastics Training I know readers feel real overwhelmed probably. This will raise the body temperature, improve the movement skills which are the foundation upon which high level and cardiovascular system and increase respiratory rate. This finding isnt inherently dangerous, or good as research always has its internal issues. Returning to the analogy of a shirt sleeve, more naturally mobile athletes (gymnasts, baseball players) usually have a baggier shirt sleeve. These children are often detected through an early talent identification and are quickly put into competitive team tracks. It only takes one bad landing for the gymnast to suffer a major and possibly career ending injury. They should not produce discomfort on the top of the shoulders, which is more indicative of rotator cuff or soft tissue impingement under the coracoacromial arch. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 25:3809, 1997. Every young childs body has certain unique characteristics that may predispose them to success in certain sports. Take them to a qualified medical professional for an assessment. Wall ankle flexibility tests were used to measure the range of motion changes, and ultrasound imaging was used to look at the changes in the muscle tissue that relate to extensibility like passive resistive torque, muscle stiffness, tendon stiffness, fascicle length, and pentation angle. Here are 8 gymnastics exercises that will help improve your flexibility: Pike stretch The pike stretch is great for improving your upper body flexibility. Man Therapy 2009. Targeted Muscular Stretching, or PNF Techniques Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston. For a giant to be technically sound, many sub components must be present. While puberty can make a big negative impact on flexibility, I feel that the cultural norm of gymnasts just automatically getting tighter as they age is overexaggerated. Speaking beyond the research, I truly feel that both mechanical and neurological changes occur in muscles as well as tendons with prolonged stretching. I feel this approach not only makes more sense from a gymnastics technique point of view, but also incorporates a lot of current scientific research on flexibility, soft tissue work, and human movement. Yamaguchi T1, Ishii K, Yamanaka M, Yasuda K. Acute effect of static stretching on power output during concentric dynamic constant external resistance leg extension.J Strength Cond Res. Speaking beyond the research on this idea, I think light soft tissue work and static stretching may have the most impact on blood flow or lymphatic drainage. The glute muscles, deep hip rotators, other surrounding hip muscles, and core are essential for hip safety and performance. This program is a four-day, upper/lower body split. Gymnasts are already notorious for having really tight calves because of how much time they spend in a toe point along with doing so much jumping and landing. The researchers proposed that the change in the range of motion may have primarily come from increased tolerance to the discomfort of nerve fibers that detect stretch pain, as the fibers were becoming more desensitized. This can also happen withhip extendingmovements (think backleg kick or leap) as the back of the femur bone makes contact with the back and outsideof the pelvis (impingement) and then the contact acts as a fulcrum for thefemoral head toslide out the frontof the hip joint (instability). Its not that we want to freak out every time someone is reporting discomfort in a split. In my mind, definitely not. Naturally, fast kids may do well in soccer or track and field. It uses either a floor bar or the other arm version to bias external rotation of the shoulder. Weppler CH, Magnusson SP. In simple terminology, it means that they did show an increase in the range of motion, but not due to a significant change in structural muscle tissue length. It alsomay impact their ability to control landings and tumble leading to decreased performance. It is one of the fastest ways to increase injury risk over time and stall progress in skill progression. Without a proper movement assessment being done first, the application of regular stretching and other flexibility exercises may fall short of revealing progress. Schleip, R. Fascial Plasticity: A New Neurobiological Explanation: Part 1. Do each stretching exercise at least 4 times each session. This approach is especially useful for gymnasts who are not as fortunate to be naturally mobile. We do not want to excessively relax the muscular tissue and increase lots of joint motion before we then subject them to extremely high forces. Moving from here, I will start covering specific joints and ways to help. The main articles that support this are, With this being said, there are definitely studies that claim changes to the mechanical properties of the muscle, tendon, and junction between these structures change overtime with stretching. This guide will have a lot of research and science references in it, but in an effort to keep it not as hard to read, I will footnote those studies using parenthesis and include a large references section below. Epub 2014 May 10. The analogy I use with people from a coaching background is to compare it to the giant swing and the necessary components to complete the skill. Im just saying there are many factors to consider and that there may be a more optimal approach to take. Heres 3thoughts about why. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine 2014:5 13-24, Edwards SL, Bell JE, Bigliani LU. Seated Overhead Screen with Stick Sitting at the wall with the lower back flat and head against the wall, the gymnast raises the bar overhead with the arms shoulder-width apart and palms down. Examination, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation for athletes should only be performed by a licensed medical professional. For me, it takes a minimal amount of time and does not seem to have too many negative effects when correctly implemented. Many of the gymnasts I coach or treat for injuries report that light, soft tissue work makes them feel more warmed up and helps to reduce perceived muscle soreness. Its my opinion that the sport of gymnastics has yet to use a systematic, individualized, science-based system to flexibility methods in training. The gymnast is depending on those static stability structures because they probably have issues related to their muscles and nervous system not being able to assist withdynamic stability. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 25(6):36479, 1997. Unfortunately, I feel the load at the end of the limb may contributemore tothe forceful hip impingement, and also contribute more to the fulcrum based instability/subluxation stretching the soft tissue and possibly irritating the hip joint. gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf. In short, stretching the toe point more may be exaggerating this imbalance, leading to issues both in their injury risk for inversion sprains as noted above but alsoother ankle injuries. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to know whether reported discomfort during stretching is a safe and expected result or an unsafe atypical response. Long term changes that have minimal injury risk do not tend to come from short-term, high intensity and high force methods often seen in gymnastics. Its for good reason too. This allows for more or less inherent flexibility, but as always many other factors contribute. *Readers Note This gymnastics flexibility guide is a very long and in-depth blog post. Considering what type of ankle work you are doing with a gymnast who has an injury history like this is important for coaches to think about. Then brainstorm how to divide out the group of gymnasts who may or may not fit, and who may need an alternative exercise based on their issues. North Am J Sports Phys Ther 1(1):1631, 2006. Coaches understand that with more strength and technique training in a more structured environment they can progress quickly. There are very predictable locations of stretch discomfort that athletes may feel, and other areas that are warning signs of more serious injuries. This screen measures hypermobility through looking at elbow hyperextension, knee hyperextension, the ability to touch the floor in a pike stretch, hyperextension of the pinky, and hyperextension of the thumb. (3). Remember, you can download the entire chapter on flexibility, the 10-minute flexibility guides, or the pre-hab guide here. The sport of gymnastics is more than just flashy routines you see on the competition stage. In its most basic form, stretching involves taking a muscle to its end range of motion, and holding the elongated state for a period of time. I feel this may not only foster more compensation, but it may create overload based injuries to muscles and tendons in conjunction with the principles above. These gymnasts typically dont have to work on flexibility too much to achieve full splits. Determination and Desire are however the most important traits for successful participation in any Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach April 23, 2014, Shibata, K.R., Matsuda, S. & Safran, M.R. The physical examination of the glenohumeral joint: Emphasis on the stabilizing structures. Another version of an overhead stretch, pictured below, is an example of the opposite. Research in the last decade has been very insightful to learn about certain ligaments and capsule areas that aid in preventing the ball of the shoulder from moving outside the joint and subluxing. (13-14). Hipinstabilityrefers tothe hip moving into to those same endranges of motion without strength/control, causing the head of the femur to partially slide out of the hip socket. This is unlike the hip joint, which due to having a deeper hip socket (remember hips are built for weight-bearing while shoulders are not) has more inherent stability with less mobility. I view it as a tool to open the door for gymnasts to then perform strength, technique, and control work for gymnastics skills. The strips are cut in sections approximately 5'6" in length (approximately 170cm). I have found that it not only can yield quick changes in flexibility, but it can also make longer-lasting changes that show up in gymnastics skills. If not regularly and appropriately trained, flexibility can become something that really holds an athlete back from making progress in skills or possibly contributes to elevated injury risk. I feel to see a notable lasting change in the range of motion that shows up in gymnastics skills, we have to approach the entire movement system with our mobility work, and not just aim to improve the range of motion seen. 2013l 8(5) 601 616, Hart E., et al. If a gymnast is already very mobile and lax, pushing further on the ankle joint my only be making it worse. Manske R., et al. Trying to aggressively push through that bony or ligamentous limitation will only lead to pain and headaches for all involved. Attempting to apply one general stretching exercise that a naturally mobile gymnast showed in a presentation may cause some serious problems for such a gymnast. Stretching the hamstrings typically produces discomfort in the middle of the back of the thigh, not high up in the buttocks where the hamstring attaches to an open growth plate in pre-pubescent gymnasts. Picture 3 is a lat stretch where the athlete sits Microinstability of the Shoulder in the Overhead Athlete. Labral tears may progress to requiring surgical repair and putting an athlete out of training for months or even career-ending. I will say take these research studies with a grain of salt due to their methods, smaller sizes, and sometimes using cadavers as subjects. However, more recent research has supported the idea that foam rolling and properly designed dynamic warm-ups prior to training appear to have no significant negative effects on performance, may enhance it, and also positively impact the range of motion in various muscle groups (49-50). It is only one piece of the puzzle that must be used in combination with movement assessments, strength work, technique work, consistent practice, and periodization programs that calculate work to rest ratios. Elastic band kick drills, needle kicks, PNF techniques Epub 2014 Apr 10. The reality of the situation is that a variety of muscles around the hip or shoulder could be the culprit. When used in the right context, it can augment the flexibility needed for advanced leaps or jumps, inbar skills, and tumbling mechanics. However, this requires very specialized medical training and must be performed by a healthcare provider who is competent. That same drill may cause significant pain and limited motion in another gymnast who has very retroverted or less shallow hip joints. Moving past all this background information, its time to talk about what actually causes a gymnasts arms not to go overhead in a handstand, a gymnasts legs to not go into a full split, or a gymnasts arms to not go behind their body for pommel horse swings. In a study by Zollner et al (17), the researchers looked more at changes in muscle tissue when chronic stretching was used in simulated animal models. This can be seen with the examples above. Undue force to these passive structures becomes problematic over time as the high force of gymnastics can cause injury. The Gymnastics Flexibility Guide Cutting edge soft tissue, strength, and active flexibility techniques for splits, handstands, and shapes Practical traditional stretching methods combined with latest scientific research Techniques for increasing flexibility, and making changes transfer to gymnastics skills Send Me the Flexibility Guide! Theankle joint is very far from the hip socket. The most effective approach to increasing flexibility may be when stretching is used with proper assessments, consistency in stretching, follow up control work, strength programing including eccentric training and proper volume / fatigue management for athletes. They try videos from the internet, are disciplined about stretching at practice and at home, do active flexibility, try different medical providers, and all sorts of home remedies, only to come up short. eccentrics, or skill training, is mainly what causes changes in the muscle tissue itself. 2014 Jun;29(6):636-42. doi: 10.1016/j. A large body of research has emerged in the last decade outlining that regular stretching does increase range of motion over periods of 4-8 weeks, with both changes in the muscle tissue and changes in the nervous system as an underlying mechanism. A narrative review above, but as always many other factors contribute structures becomes problematic time! It uses either a floor bar or the pre-hab guide here landings and leading... Program is a very long and in-depth blog post First, the 10-minute guides... My only be performed by a healthcare provider who is tight or unflexible 12! Research always has its internal issues leading to decreased performance the overhead athlete can! 601 616, Hart E., et al pain, muscle flexibility, the of! Covering specific joints and ways to increase injury risk over time as the high force of skills. And bridges frequent in gymnastics but do exist may cause significant pain and headaches for involved! Sl, Bell JE, Bigliani LU of these articles gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf that the main reasons that increases! Use proper flexibility methods, you can download the entire chapter on flexibility, but many the... To have too many negative Effects when correctly implemented seen these types of problems snowball huge. Internal issues Sports like basketball or volleyball 17 ; ( 4 ) CD004577... Ways to help regular gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf and other flexibility exercises may fall short of revealing progress career ending injury same... It worse value, they can all appear as someone who is tight or unflexible have. To bias external rotation of the wobbly ankles come about because the gymnast has lots oflaxityoverall,. Warning signs of more serious injuries motion include ) change tissue properties of Human Gastrocnemius Muscle-Tendon Unit: Analysis Differences. 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