(7-9, 17). I meet many well-intentioned gymnastics coaches and parents who are simply looking for an easy to use, but scientifically-backed flexibility program to help the gymnasts they know to increase their flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and increase their performance. Arabesque - a body shape on one leg with the other leg extended behind the body Part of this may be inevitable for high-level gymnastics, but we should be doing anything we can to reduce risk given the scientific information and coaching expertise available. You may remember the shoulder joint has a very shallow socket, which allows for lots of motion but then creates a situation where stability is needed. It was found that thirty minutes of supervised hamstring stretching to the point of discomfort, five days per week for six weeks improved overall range of motion but did not increase the muscle extensibility. Routledge: New York. The biggest concern I have withthe use of ankle weights is related to two concepts ofhipimpingement and hip instability. Huang R, Diaz C, Parvizi J. Acetabular Labral Tears: Focused Review of Anatomy, Diagnosis, and Current Management . They can also partner with healthcare providers who are versed in this information to either to teach in-services to their staff or teach the gymnasts themselves. In my mind, definitely not. Trying to aggressively push through that bony or ligamentous limitation will only lead to pain and headaches for all involved. Remember the biggest risk factor for an injury is a previous injury, and a lot of it has to do with what got the gymnast there in the first place. 2006 Nov;20(4):804-10. In support of this, my experiences working with hundreds of gymnasts to improve flexibility also supports the use of regular stretching and foam rolling for the range of motion, perceived soreness, and perceived recovery, with minimal negative impacts on performance. As I did with the shoulder section, here are three graphics that walkthrough. So here are some main take always to help. You can see a video of our entire warm up here. Third, on an even geekier motor control point I think the use of external loading far away at the ankle joint greatly distorts the movement pattern the brain is trying to adopt neurologically. Relax, then Background Anatomy and Understanding Hypermobility, Beightons Testing and Links to Capsular Laxity. I have also seen what was believed to be a hip flexor strain turn into a large labral tear and career-ending injury. It may help improve range of motion acutely, but it will not change movement in a gymnastics skill-specific manner. Straddle Split on Line, kneeling lunge test at wall for Dorsiflexion (wow this video is old! The Relationship Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. Do each stretching exercise at least 4 times each session. This will be the format I use for the joint sections below, but you can download examples of these circuits for the hip and shoulder specifically here. I strongly suggest people who may be unknowingly pushing knees down more in oversplits, or feet elevated pike stretches stop and think about why they chose to certain stretching interventions. It can be accomplished through an addition by subtraction type approach of using an alternative exercise or changing the alignment of certain common gymnastics stretches. Speaking beyond the research, I truly feel that both mechanical and neurological changes occur in muscles as well as tendons with prolonged stretching. It by no means is the perfect solution, but when based on a movement assessment and used with other strategies, self-myofascial release can be very beneficial. This is why I now mainly approach flexibility in larger complexes. Slowly stretch into the desired position, as far as possible without pain, and hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds. Im glad you asked! We want to make sure we are not over-stretching or overstressing passive structures like the shoulder ligaments and capsules. Amplitude - refers to the fullness of the movement with respect to flexibility stretch, and height Apparatus - one of the five pieces of hand-held equipment used in rhythmic gymnastics. Understanding multidirectional instability of the shoulder. So often gymnastics is thought of as a kids sport, but the following activities can be great fun for the family to do together! I am incredibly grateful for all the research they have conducted. Some may have a combination of dysplasia, hip socket rotations, femur rotation, and different pelvic alignments. So I know this has been an absolute beast of an article. It has all become wildly popular in the last five years, and its starting to show up much more in the gymnastics community. Many people want to know what the best approach is, either static or dynamic, if they should be aiming to increase range of motion, what are the best drills, and so on. Like in the shoulder, natural mobility of the hip allows them to move through a greater motion. 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. Role of the Acetabular Labrum and the Iliofemoral Ligament in Hip Stability: An In Vitro Biplane Fluoroscopy Study. Often the specificity or individuality of specific exercises lacks as a result. The research in the world of hip micro instability, labral tears, hip stress fractures, and other injuries commonly seen in gymnasts has been rapidly developing in the last decade. These are the muscles themselves, to a small degree the tendons that connect muscles to bones, and largely the nervous system. I will cover those in-depth below. The science must be blended with expert coaching opinion and consistency in training. Gymnastics is, therefore, a sports discipline that seeks to provide strength and flexibility to the body, through specific exercise routines. Weppler CH, Magnusson SP. 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. It is not always about the length of the muscle at one spot like the hip or shoulder that makes everything goes right. One example of this would be replacing a commonly used shoulder stretches for overhead handstand flexibility in training. Doing slider crawls are a great core training replacement to reduce some of the leg lifts that may be creating ongoing headaches with limited split flexibility. Mobility tends to refer to the amount of motion someone can actively show on their own. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston. They found that to achieve this full straddle split position; there was evidence of micro subluxation in the hip joints. 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. The research definitely leans towards changes in the nervous system being the primary reason, especially in the short term. (17) Adjunctive radiographic X-Rays or advanced medical imaging can also be helpful to see a boney congruency. significant difference (p > .05). One of the most effective methods that I have come up with to increase flexibility, make changes stick, and not risk injury with aggressive stretching techniques is to work in complexes rather than performing only static or dynamic stretching. There are very predictable locations of stretch discomfort that athletes may feel, and other areas that are warning signs of more serious injuries. 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). Andrews, J., Reinold, M., Wilk, K. The Athletes Shoulder. Those looking for more research related to ACL tear mechanisms can start by following this link here. The majority of these articles theorize that the main reasons that stretching increases range of motion include. Chaundry H, et al. IJSPT Oct 2013; 8(5): 554 578. Before you apply new flexibility ideas, take a step back and consider the scientific rationale behind them. This creates a huge range of mobility for the shoulder joint, but in exchange for inherently less stability. improvements on how we have typically taught athletes/gymnasts to stretch their hip flexors, groin and lats. These children are often detected through an early talent identification and are quickly put into competitive team tracks. People assume that progress is being made, rather than having some comparative baseline for observing changes. I do not mean to suggest that this shoulder stretch will cause injury in a gymnast and should never be used. There has been a large spike in the rate of hip flexor strains, groin strains , and cranky shoulders that I feel is being very much swept under the rug in gymnastics. Readers are encouraged to only operate within their scope of practice. More research is needed, but this concept of natural boney adaptations in gymnasts is a central idea I feel will emerge in years to come. J Bodyw Mov Ther. The point is that targeting the soft tissue of the hip flexor and quad may be a more optimal approach. 2015 Jul;7(4):34658. This is where things start to get important. Its not always because they are not trying hard enough. I will talk more specifically about oversplits below, but I feel that the lack of education around this topic is why so many people are using aggressive methods. 2015; 23: 203-212, Escamilla RF, Hooks TR, Wilk KE. In a sport like gymnastics, where very high forces are going through shoulder, hip, and spine joints at extreme ranges of motion, this level of force can quickly cause already mobile passive tissues to stretch out more. It appears that a combination of mechanical factors (18, 25, 27-29), as well as neurological factors (18-21, 24, 25-26)), are reasons behind why regular stretching increases range of motion. 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. A very useful research review on this topic was performed by Weppler and Magnusson titled, Increasing Muscle Extensibility: A Matter of Increasing Length or Modifying Sensation? (18). For choreography or specific drills this may be very appropriate. 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. exercises, and stretching exercises are the only kind you are able to do, do them at least 3 times a week, for at least 20 minutes each session. 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. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD004577. This would suggest that with significant immobilization or time spent in prolonged tension, sarcomeregensis may occur within the muscles. As a result, gymnastic branch-specific stretching exercises increase the balance and flexibility parameters in a positive way; it is thought that the longer duration of training programs will. 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. Here are 8 gymnastics exercises that will help improve your flexibility: Pike stretch The pike stretch is great for improving your upper body flexibility. When correctly applied certain stretches into this position can augment skill development. Am J Sports Med 2011 39: 85S. Gymnasts practice up to 30 hours a week and have regiments full of conditioning and exercises. Opplert J, Babault N. Acute Effects of Dynamic Stretching on Muscle Flexibility and Performance: An Analysis of the Current Literature. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine 2014:5 13-24, Edwards SL, Bell JE, Bigliani LU. Underlying bony hip anatomy (retro or ante verted femur or acetabulum, depth of hip sockets, boney leg length discrepancy), Glute and deep hip rotator strength on the front and back leg, Neural tension in sciatic, femoral, piriformis, and quadratus femoris nerve, Lack of protective guarding against tissue injury, Coordinative dynamic stability of hip and core muscles, Underlying bony shoulder anatomy (retro or anteverted humerus or glenoid, depth of shoulder sockets), Pectoralis major and minor muscle extensibility, Thoracic spine extension and rotation joint mobility, Lower cervical retraction and rotation mobility, Forearm and wrist extension mobility for proper stacking, Thoracic outlet neural compression and extensibility, Coordinative dynamic stability of rotator cuff, scapular, and larger prime mover muscles, The ability to create whole body tension that optimizes storing energy within the bar bending, Tapping mechanics of hollow arch kicking, Finishing hollow position to carry momentum over the bar Enough repetitions to maintain technique memory, Warm Up Prepare the available flexibility athletes have, and prepare the body for training, Flexibility Circuits Look to increase joint flexibility or mobility through step by step circuits (more below), Cool Down Help the body slowly ramp down into recovery mdoe following a hard training session. John Wiley & Sons: Oxford. These are just anecdotal experiences, but they are in line with what the literature outlines. Using proper movement assessments, understanding the anatomy, and a consistency over intensity mindset is what will reduce injury risk and increase gymnastics performance. Limitations in thoracic spine flexibility can create a situation where a gymnast is unable to get their arms fully above their head or behind their back. Click here to read our full privacy policy. Pictures 2 and 3 are showing a dynamic chest stretch over a foam roller where the shoulder blades are held down/ in while the arms slide on the floor from overhead to hip. This capsular and ligamentous hypermobility is not inherently a bad thing, as it is part of what makes a gymnast good at the sport. 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. Corrective exercises consist of stretches that improve chest and lat flexibility (fig. Within the sport of gymnastics, a large majority of athletes who get involved have underlying natural hypermobility. However, as noted in earlier chapters their natural hypermobility can be an area of caution. flexibility changes in a gymnast. J Bodyw Mov Ther. As a younger coach and medical provider, I absolutely did not study enough and use proper flexibility methods. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach 2(2) 2010. 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