Today we did initial evaluations for 6 new athletes in our NFL Draft prep program. Part of this process is the video analysis of their sprinting technique, which is coupled with the battery of screening and physiological tests.
In one case, Ihave a realtively powerful athlete, but his 10 yd split is slower than expected. As I look at the video analysis I can see he is not getting enough flexion in the hip to drive his thigh so that its atleast 90 degrees from the torso. Is this a technique problem? Maybe he has developed a very short choppy stride and thats his movement pattern.
Maybe, but on further review, I find his hip flexors are very tight along with his hamstrings. By getting hip extension when pushing back, he has tilted the pelvis forward because of the tight hip flexors. That with the lack of range in his hamstrings, along with only OK core stability, put us in a situation of an athlete who is not getting the stride length he should.
Having seen this many times before, I have prescribed so specific hip mobility and core stability drills. In this athletes case, this alone may improve his speed. Its a case where changing some of the physiological parameters, will impact the technique.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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