Paul Kolody, MS, ATC, CSCS

As the Spring season begins to get into full swing, I often wonder if the athletes we have trained in the past have prepared correctly for the rigors of their season. A rotational sport, such as tennis, requires the athlete to turn ballistically on a stable base, while keeping their eye on the ball and on their opponent. If you think closely about the swing, it requires rotation, nearly simultaneously, at the hips, mid back, shoulders, neck and forearms. That’s a lot of motion for just one volley. Multiply that by a couple hundred, add in the fact that one of those movement might need some help or compensation at some point, and you can see why many of the, “overuse injuries,” occur as we play.

Part of everyone’s pre-season routine should be a functional assessment, especially in the northeastern states where everyone has been closed in for the Winter. Looking at primitive movement patterns, identifying weak or asymmetrical areas and making the corrections, can make the difference between having a successful season and a painful one.

Two great assessments that you can have are the, Functional Movement Screen: www.functionalmovement.com, and the Body Map: National Academy of Sports Medicine, www.nasm.org. No matter which assessment you choose, you will be evaluated by a certified specialist in movement patterns and dysfunctions. Identifying these dysfunctions early can help keep your body efficient throughout the season. The word efficient is the most important because as the season goes on, you may start to develop tightness, weakness or mobility changes in your joints that may cause compensations in your movements. Not only will you lose power in your stroke or a step or two on the court, you may be setting yourself up for an injury. Below we will discuss the areas these two assessments focus on and how they’re important to you.

1. The Ankles
a. Should be very Mobile
b. First line of defense in force reduction
c. Need a good shin angle to produce force
2. The Knees
a. Need to be Stable for injury prevention
3. The Hips
a. Should be a Mobile area
b. Takes the pressure off the lumbar spine and knees
c. The body’s, “Engine,” for power development
d. The body’s main, “Brakes,” for force reduction
4. Lumbar Spine, (Low Back)
Needs to be Stable!
5. Thoracic Spine, (Mid Back)
Very Mobile!
Where your turn comes from
6. Shoulders
a. Mostly Stable and Slightly Mobile
i. Need our rotator cuff, back of the shoulder, to be strong in order to keep your shoulder in the socket, (golf ball on the tee).
ii. Need our front side, chest, to be mobile to allow the turn to happen.

As you look from the ground up, you can see a pattern developing as far as stability and mobility. If one of the areas either loses it’s mobility or stability, another area has to be sacrificed to get the movement done. This is where we run into trouble. Other areas the professional may look at are your grip strength, elbow range of motion and arches of your feet.
After the assessment, the evaluator will add exercises to your warm-up, flexibility routine, or your strength training to help eliminate the dysfunctions found in your movement patterns. For more information about movement screening, you can visit http://www.somersetsportsperformance.com/ and click on the FMS page.