Are you a regular winter team-sport participant or know of someone who is?
Then you most likely have been going to training or been doing extra cardio to help with match game fitness. However, the difference between a 5km run at a constant pace, and a chaotic game of team sport is very significant. Therefore you are most likely missing these specific skills:
- High speed running, including maximal sprints
- Acceleration and deceleration loading due to rapid changes in running speed
- Dynamic change of direction movements
- Unusual movements such as jumping & landing, twisting & turning, running backwards, getting up & down off the ground, etc.
- Body contact
- Sport-specific movements & skills
To assist with a safer return, start incorporating the following into your training schedule.,
Hip conditioning drills: The muscles that surround, is paramount for well-balanced, controlled movements in the hip & knee joints.
Jumping and landing mechanics: Whatever land-based team sport you play, it’s impossible to avoid some form of jumping and landing. This creates unique forces and places the hip, knee, and ankle joints under high loads.
Running based fitness: Repeated-short sprints is an overlooked fitness characteristic for team sports. When watching a game, the key moments revolve around players performing repeated maximal efforts in a short space of time. Hence, improving your ability to fight fatigue and save the quality of your high-intensity efforts may provide the x-factor when it comes to those high-stake moments.
Hopefully, this has provided you with some ideas for that competitive edge this season. If you want a tailored specific program or have questions about preparing for sport, please don’t hesitate to contact Medicine in Motion for expert advice.
