As a high school athlete, you’re always looking for ways to improve your performance, whether it’s on the field, court, or track. While strength, speed, and endurance are crucial, there’s one often overlooked aspect that can make a significant difference in your athletic development: mobility.
As a performance physical therapist, I want to explain why focusing on mobility can elevate your game, enhance your workouts, and reduce your risk of injury.
Why Mobility Matters
Mobility is the ability to move your joints and muscles through their full range of motion effectively and efficiently. It’s more than just flexibility; it involves both the range of motion and the control you have within that range.
Good mobility is essential for several reasons:
- Improved Performance: Being mobile allows you to get into better positions during athletic movements. For example, a basketball player with good ankle and hip mobility can get into a better defensive stance, and steeper shin angle to decelerate and create more space on a step-back.
- Better Weight Room Results: Mobility plays a crucial role in weight training. To perform exercises correctly and safely, you need the ability to move through full ranges of motion. For instance, proper squat depth requires good ankle, knee, and hip mobility. Without adequate mobility, you might compensate with rounding the low back during a heavy squat – which might be more than your low back can handle.
- Injury Prevention: Many sports injuries result from inadequate mobility. Tight muscles and restricted joints can lead to compensatory movements, putting extra strain on other areas of your body and increasing the risk of overuse injuries. Let’s face it, the body can sometimes get put into weird positions in contact sports. More movement options your body has when getting tackled on the football field, or when falling to the ground after a quick dig on the volleyball court, the better chance you have of staying injury-free.
How to Improve Your Mobility
Incorporating mobility exercises into your routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some effective strategies:
- Dynamic Stretching: Start your workouts with dynamic stretches, such as leg swings, arm circles, and walking lunges. These exercises warm up your muscles and increase blood flow while preparing your body for the movements you’ll be performing.
- Add variety: Take a normal lunge and put your body through movements from there. Put your elbow to the floor. Rotate and look to the ceiling. Go the other way. Look over each shoulder. Take ‘normal’ movements and add some small changes from there.
- Joint-Specific Exercises: Incorporate exercises that target specific joints and muscle groups. For example, hip mobility exercises like hip rotations and deep squats can enhance your overall flexibility and joint health. Similarly, ankle mobility exercises such as calf stretches and banded ankle dorsiflexion on a step can improve your performance in activities that involve jumping and running.
- Yoga and Stretching Routines: Yoga is an excellent way to enhance overall mobility. It combines stretching with strengthening and breath work, which helps improve flexibility, control, and range of motion. Many yoga routines incorporate spinal mobility, which is often underdosed in many training programs.
- Consistency and Progression: Mobility work should be a regular part of your training regimen. Start with basic exercises and gradually increase the intensity and complexity as your mobility improves. Consistent practice will lead to improvements over time.
Putting It All Together
By prioritizing mobility, you’re investing in your athletic future. Improved mobility enhances your ability to perform well in sports, ensures that you’re lifting weights effectively and safely, and significantly reduces the risk of injuries. Think of mobility as a foundation upon which all other physical qualities are built. Without it, even the strongest, fastest, or most endurance-trained athlete may find their progress slowed by injury.
Incorporate mobility exercises into your daily routine, and you’ll not only enhance your athletic performance but also enjoy a healthier, more resilient body. So, squat, lunge, rotate, and bend your way to a pain-free and injury-free future.