Sport-Specific Movement

Chapter 6


Sport-Specific Movement




Objectives


After completing this chapter, the student will be able to do the following:


1 Identify elements that influence performance skill.


2 Explain why massage application is movement-generated rather than sport-generated.


3 Describe the importance of coordinated movement strategies.


4 Compare and contrast acceleration and deceleration.


5 Describe the movement strategies of:


catching


cutting


hitting


jumping


kicking


pivoting


rotating


running


swinging


throwing


turning/pivoting


walking



Key Terms





















Each sports activity consists of a combination of functional movement strategies based on fundamental movement skills. Because therapeutic massage is targeted to support effective functional movement, in general it is more important for the massage therapist to understand the movements required to accomplish a task, as opposed to the movements required for proficiency in a specific sport. Assessment can then be focused on the combination of movements that constitutes a sport-specific or activity-specific pattern. It is the role of the performance coach to develop sport-specific skills in the athlete or performer and of the physical therapist or similar professional to target skill achievement in those in rehabilitation. It is the responsibility of the massage therapist to identify the demands of the client’s activities and the sequence of movements required for performance, and then to apply appropriate massage treatment both to support performance and to correct dysfunction.


Mobility and stability must coexist to create efficient movement in the human body. If a movement problem exists because of reduced mobility (soft tissue shortening or joint stiffness) or reduced ability (poor strength, coordination, control, or deconditioning), then the movement pattern is altered to compensate.


Mobility and stability are the functional building blocks of strength, endurance, speed, power, and agility. When these building blocks are not in place, the athlete compensates, developing bad biomechanical habits that allow him or her to continue to perform a skill but in a nonoptimal way. Compensations increase the chances of poor performance and of injury.


Physical performance is about functional movement development, which is not the same as fitness or muscular strength development. It involves integration of all aspects of training, working together without conscious effort. In the field of education, this unconscious effort is referred to as automaticity. Automaticity is an important factor in the performance of athletes; for the brain and muscles to habitually perform a movement, the brain and muscles must be consistently trained in the ways in which they will be used in a specific sport or activity.


Sport skills are learned. Talent is a combination of physical ability, perception, and dedication to repetitive training. People can be born with a tendency toward a particular set of skill development. A genetic predisposition to muscle mass, muscle fiber type, neuromuscular sensitivity, height, cognitive processing, and so forth may be present. Genetic predisposition can be enhanced or deterred by lifestyle (diet, substance use, activity), environment (air quality, sanitation, water quality, training facility, economic opportunity, social support), and motivation (drive, determination, and training commitment).



Basic Fundamental Movement Skills and Functional Movement Strategies



Objective




Fundamental movement skills include basic movements such as throwing, kicking, running, jumping, and catching. Functional movement strategies or sport-specific skills consist of these movement skills applied to a sport activity such as throwing a baseball, kicking a soccer ball, running a marathon, jumping to make a basket in basketball, catching a football for a touchdown, or spinning in figure skating.


Fundamental movement stills are divided into three categories:



Certain combinations of basic functional movements equal sport-specific skills. These basic movements include walking/running, jumping, kicking, and throwing. These can be further categorized as rotation, swinging, catching, hitting, cutting, pivoting, and turning. Each of these basic movements is even more fundamentally a combination of primary movements of flexion, extension, medial and lateral rotation, abduction, adduction, pronation, supination, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion (Box 6-1).



Box 6-1   Examples of Primary Movements Combined to Be Function Movements

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Jun 22, 2016 | Posted by in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Sport-Specific Movement

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