Also adding in regular soft tissue work and mobility drills would be very important. The main way people approach increasing the flexibility of the active structures is through regular stretching. If you are not into that and are just looking for a particular area of the body without the geeky stuff, please click the table of contents below to jump to a certain section. Many medical assessments can be used to determine why a gymnasts hip, shoulder or spine may not have the range of motion needed to achieve a full handstand, split, or bridge. Due to the outlined research effects of foam rolling, stick or other forms of self-massage, I regularly recommend it as a piece of a gymnasts flexibility training. Coaches understand that with more strength and technique training in a more structured environment they can progress quickly. With this said, lets review some basic anatomy. I want to emphasize that proper stretching and soft tissue work is not the only method to improve flexibility and performance for gymnasts. It is not always about the length of the muscle at one spot like the hip or shoulder that makes everything goes right. Med Sci Sports Exerc. In spite of a fairly Keywords: gymnastics, stretching exercises, flexibility, balance 1. I think that by using correct stretching consistently over time (not into excessive pain or passive tissue damage) combined with strength in full range of motion. Gymnasts should focus on maximizing wrist and shoulder flexibility, as well as doing lots of physical preparation work to strengthen the elbows. Lets dive into some safer and more science-supported methods. I do not feel they working as intended to address the true problem of muscular soft tissue stiffness. We want to make sure we are not over-stretching or overstressing passive structures like the shoulder ligaments and capsules. Simply doing more splits or pulling shoulders open with stretches that are a bit extreme will likely not get to the cause of the issue. Improves flexibility in shoulders, feet, and hamstrings Wall sits - To do a proper wall sit start with your back flush to the wall, and position yourself like you are sitting in a chair. For choreography or specific drills, this may be very appropriate when not pushed quickly to extreme ranges of motion. We must always remember that the structures that have the most opportunity for improvement, the active structures, should be the focus of flexibility training. However, as noted in earlier chapters their natural hypermobility can be an area of caution. In Llyod RS, Oliver JL, Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes: Science and Application. Int J Exerc Sci. My best recommendation is that people become more familiar with the research, practice, and use of self-soft tissue work. Schleip, R. Fascial Plasticity: A New Neurobiological Explanation: Part 1. In conjunction with this, due to the gymnasts underlying lack of static stability from the ligaments and capsule, they will need absolutely pristine strength, physical preparation, and dynamic stability from their muscles around the joint. Slowly stretch into the desired position, as far as possible without pain, and hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds. It alsomay impact their ability to control landings and tumble leading to decreased performance. The body of research regarding foam rolling and manual therapy or massage is a bit confusing regarding the theoretical mechanisms. This theory is also more in line with the motor control research I have read and interpreted related to changing human movement. There is some research available that this assists in the perceived recovery process. Many gymnasts with stiff hips could benefit from a bit less squatting and jumping, and repace those exercises with glute and hamstring work. Third, on an even geekier motor control point I think the use of external loading far away at the ankle joint greatly distorts the movement pattern the brain is trying to adopt neurologically. (3), For the geeks like me reading, they more specifically are subdivided into the Superior Glenohumeral Ligament, the Middle Glenohumeral Ligament, the Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament, and the Posterior Glenohumeral Ligament. The glute muscles, deep hip rotators, other surrounding hip muscles, and core are essential for hip safety and performance. Glutes, Deep Hip Rotators, Core, etc. This is especially as recent research has shown that shoulder and hip injuries are one of the most common problems all gymnasts face. At face value, they can all appear as someone who is tight or unflexible. Which leads me to my most important point of this section: Splits and over splits should not be viewed as an inherent thing a gymnast has or doesnt have. Effects of self myofascial release: A systematic review. I will get a bit nerdy outlining the mechanisms, but then I will offer a practical application type summary for people to apply in training. It can be accomplished through an addition by subtraction type approach of using an alternative exercise or changing the alignment of certain common gymnastics stretches. Oct; 19(4): 747 758. Dynamic flexibility is often the focus during warm-up exercises. Some may have a combination of dysplasia, hip socket rotations, femur rotation, and different pelvic alignments. I encourage people to dive into the research of background hip anatomy, as well as the current thoughts on hip injuries within the medical or strength fields. I feel this issue comes up during fast dynamic movements like jumps, kicking drills, leaping, running, mens pommel work, and so on. I will offer basic concepts from them in the coming paragraphs as it relates to injuries but cant stress enough how valuable the articles or textbooks mentioned were to me over the past five years. I feel this may not only foster more compensation, but it may create overload based injuries to muscles and tendons in conjunction with the principles above. eccentrics, or skill training, is mainly what causes changes in the muscle tissue itself. Relax, then (3). If the ligaments and joint capsules are already hypermobile, and have trouble dealing with high force, and then we add more laxity to them over time, we are likely asking for disaster regarding instability- based shoulder and hip injuries. Get in the low lunge position with the knee of the leg at the back touching the floor. From all the science I have read, and conversations I have had with medical professionals on stretching or self-myofascial work, when correctly applied the positives effects of foam rolling on performance largely outweigh the negatives. As I mentioned above, research does support specific stretching and soft tissue work, but as one piece to a larger program. Atraumatic Hip Instability in Patients with Joint Hypermobility.Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine. The subjects were adult, the stretching methods and outcomes may have some validity errors, and the difference in natural hypermobility or anatomy were not discussed. While some of it was helpful, I found that the majority of it was based on anecdotal evidence, and did not have a really solid grounding in the science of anatomy, physiology, medicine, or strength and conditioning. These common active structures limiting overhead shoulder flexibility we want to focus on making more mobile. Place your hands beside your hips on either side. Each comprehensive PDF is a step by step guide of the exact passive and active flexibility, strength, balance, and gymnastics specific PreHab exercises used by Dr. Dave Tilley with 1000s of gymnasts across the world. Exercise selection, strength program balance, and athlete individuality also have a significant impact on limited progress in flexibility. Role of the Acetabular Labrum and the Iliofemoral Ligament in Hip Stability: An In Vitro Biplane Fluoroscopy Study. However, more recent research has supported the idea that foam rolling and properly designed dynamic warm-ups prior to training appear to have no significant negative effects on performance, may enhance it, and also positively impact the range of motion in various muscle groups (49-50). Like many people, I largely got my flexibility methods from lessons that my coaches passed down to me, the advice of other coaches at camps or clinics, and whatever I found on the internet through discussion forums. However, there is a very fine line between reasonable discomfort and inflicting real pain. Sports Health. The bones themselves, and the shape/fit of these bones is often referred to as the first layer of the shoulder joint. This wraps in not only the passive range but also strength, active control, technique, and many other factors. When this acquired excess in joint laxity is paired with a lack of strength, lacking technical development, high repetition, and fatigue in not fully matured athletes, this may have a variety of negative consequences. In particular, the knee and elbow joints can be areas that if overly stretched, can become problematic. Most healthcare providers that I have talked with feel the major benefits of self-soft tissue work are increasing blood flow and allowing muscle relaxation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2012 Mar;5(1):18. doi: 10.1007/s1217801191058. The ACL tear and knee injury rates in gymnastics are already high enough. Its my opinion that other aspects to physical preparation like strength or skill training, cause more structural changes to muscle tissue due to their higher force and volume nature. Alongside this, there is a lot of confusion or misunderstandings about what happens when gymnasts stretch, why it helps increase range of motion, how much stretching is suggested as beneficial to improve flexibility, and how to make changes show up in skills. They found that to achieve this full straddle split position; there was evidence of micro subluxation in the hip joints. I think this is especially true in those with natural hyperflexiblehip joints who are not fully developed andlack hip strength. I feel this naturally occurs over time but is amplified when stretching methods are misguided. A few very inflexible gymnasts that I have worked with also displayed improvements in hip or shoulder range of motion over time when they used soft tissue work combined with proper stretching/strength programs. BMJ 2002;325:468. For that reason, I typically approach the warm-up is getting the body ready for the training session. The reality of the human body is that there are hundreds of factors related to anatomy that can influence a gymnasts level of flexibility. These structures and systems tend to have much more potential to change through training. There is a lot of medical and science nerdiness in there. These two things often happen together in very flexible gymnasts, theoretically as the contact of the femur on the pelvis creates a fulcrum type point for the head of the femur to lever against contributing instability. Int J Sports Med. Chances are the toe points stretch is further lengthening tendons, ligaments, and the ankle joint capsule. Gently warming up the muscles is a safe way to begin activity and prepare you for advanced . Shu B., Safran MR. Hip Instability: Anatomic and Clinical Considerations of Traumatic and Atraumatic Instability. imo group link. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018 Nov; 17(11), Macdonald GZ, et al. Effect of Stretch Frequency and Sex on the Rate and Gain and Rate of Loss in Muscle Flexibility During a Hamstring Stretching Program: A Randomized Single-Blind Longitudinal Study. When you combine these three areas, along with the already discussed points about not having the best science behind flexibility methods to stress muscular tissue and spare joint capsules, it certainly makes sense why gymnasts may struggle with their flexibility. Keep this position for a couple of seconds and do the same for the other arm. Scand J Med SCi Sports, 2010: 136 144. Simple changes to choose types of stretching exercises that bias the correct structures of the hip or shoulder may make a notable difference in long-term flexibility and injury risk. The biggest concern I have withthe use of ankle weights is related to two concepts ofhipimpingement and hip instability. If a training strategy is not yielding results over a few days or weeks, we must change and reevaluate our methodology. Gymnastics at Home Worksheets- Static Flexibility Before you start you'll need: - A wooden spoon - A sofa/ seat - Some cushions - A wall/ closed door If you need to improve your flexibility in a certain area then the exercises in this worksheet will help with ideas of how to practice safety at home. This is where the third layer comes into play, the muscular soft tissue. Every young childs body has certain unique characteristics that may predispose them to success in certain sports. Some of the movement-based components that must go right to perform over splits include: As you can see, there are quite a few things that can limit why someone cannot do a full split or over a split. Its important that gymnasts have their thoracic mobility screened to see if its an issue, which I can share more in-depth during the circuit sections. Its not that these are bad, but there needs to be equal amount of hamstring, glute, and deep hip external rotator work as well. Foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. They can easily perform flexibility drills, achieve tumbling or bar lines, create basic gymnastics shapes and proceed through lower-level skills. Dave For example: I do not mention this long list to make people feel uneducated. There are many possible reasons for why a gymnast can or cannot move their hips into a full split position or move their shoulders overhead into a full handstand position. I suggest these to outline the complexity of the human body, in hopes that people are more cautious in some flexibility decisions they make. There are screening tools that coaches can use to assess these issues, in addition to many great assessments that medical providers can use to break down problems. A large body of research has emerged in the last decade outlining that regular stretching does increase range of motion over periods of 4-8 weeks, with both changes in the muscle tissue and changes in the nervous system as an underlying mechanism. The Gymnastics Flexibility Guide Cutting edge soft tissue, strength, and active flexibility techniques for splits, handstands, and shapes Practical traditional stretching methods combined with latest scientific research Techniques for increasing flexibility, and making changes transfer to gymnastics skills Send Me the Flexibility Guide! In the most basic sense, I dont think oversplits are inherently bad for gymnasts. I think the more accurate way to describe them is that over splits may be bad for a particular gymnast at that moment in time. I will cover those in-depth below. I feel to see a notable lasting change in the range of motion that shows up in gymnastics skills, we have to approach the entire movement system with our mobility work, and not just aim to improve the range of motion seen. I will try to provide simple explanations and also include graphics for the concepts. This is why I now mainly approach flexibility in larger complexes. Some degree of abnormal hip bone motion may be needed for success in aesthetic sports. The active structures are more what people know about from gymnastics flexibility methods: muscles, tendons that attach muscles to bones, and the nervous system. This will be the format I use for the joint sections below, but you can download examples of these circuits for the hip and shoulder specifically here. A paper by Weppler / Magnussun in 2010 (find it here, A paper by Ben / Harvey in 2010 (find it here, A reduction in the amount of stiffness or compliance within muscles (viscoelasticity), although likely transient, An increase in the length of contractile units within muscles (sarcomeregenesis) especially if eccentrics are used, Increases in the water content, blood flow, and temperature within muscles acutely, A 2018 systematic review by Thomas et al (, The issue is not with use of stretching. Although I know having a fantastic toe point is something all gymnasts and coaches strive for, I personally feel that gymnasts with wobbly ankles or have a history of inversion ankle sprains shouldnt be getting this cranked on. However, they may have a more serious underlying issue such as ligament, capsule, the joint or labral damage that are frankly a big deal. While puberty can make a big negative impact on flexibility, I feel that the cultural norm of gymnasts just automatically getting tighter as they age is overexaggerated. Within the sport of gymnastics, a large majority of athletes who get involved have underlying natural hypermobility. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2013 Sep 18; 95 (18): e133, Dumount GD. In a sport like gymnastics, where very high forces are going through shoulder, hip, and spine joints at extreme ranges of motion, this level of force can quickly cause already mobile passive tissues to stretch out more. This is true both in training and in our medical clinic. For many people in the gymnastics community, it comes down to a professional discussion on taking away overly aggressive flexibility methods, following the science of shoulder anatomy and making subtle changes in training. They review an abundance of research studies like the two noted above, dissecting the results and validity to offer thoughts on what stretching does to muscular tissue. Alongside this, strength deficits, limited full range control, technique issues, fatigue, or adjacent areas of the body may be the reason behind an apparent lack of flexibility. This creates a situation where the femoral head has more access to move in larger ranges of motion, creating significantly more hip mobility in all planes. Despite our best efforts we may continue to see cast handstands that lack open shoulders, leaps that do not have larger angles, and parallel bar swings that lack a large front swing. They also claim it helps following hard workouts or on light training days to recover. In an effort to help people out, I have decided to for the first time take everything that I possibly know about gymnastics flexibility and put it into one mega-blog post here. Naturally, fast kids may do well in soccer or track and field. Am J Sports Med 2011 39: 85S. As I did with the shoulder section, here are three graphics that walkthrough. 2016. Targeted Muscular Stretching, or PNF Techniques This guide will have a lot of research and science references in it, but in an effort to keep it not as hard to read, I will footnote those studies using parenthesis and include a large references section below. The Relationship Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston. Although I highly encourage people to review it and read the evidence for themselves, their thoughts follow in line with the ideas noted above related to changes in sensation or tolerance of stretching, rather than true muscle tissue changes. Shibata KR, Mastuda S, Safran MR. Is there a distinct pattern to the acetabular labrum andarticular cartilage damage in the non-dysplastic hip with instability? Paralleled to the shoulder, the hip joint is made up of the socket (acetabulum) and the upper thigh bone (femur), with the femoral head serving as the ball. Their hypermobility, along with any underlying talent or great coaching they obtain to control this range of motion, allows them to be quite successful at an early age. In my experience, excessive force, excessive duration, and the incorrect placement of a foam roller or stick massager can have opposite effects. Front Splits. Reference below Microinstabilit of the hip, does it exist?. The hip is a bit opposite of this, having a deeper socket with more joint congruency. Huang R, Diaz C, Parvizi J. Acetabular Labral Tears: Focused Review of Anatomy, Diagnosis, and Current Management . Gymnasts partake in stretching every day for months on end, so we cant conclude that changes in muscle tissue over time are not occurring. Tones and strengthen muscles Improves posture Now let me tie this into why I no longeruse of ankle weights. I dont want readers to think static stretching is bad, and that we shouldnt do it. I generally recommend that not stretch have more intensity than a 3 or 4 out of 10 (0 is no discomfort, 10 is extreme discomfort). Epub 2014 Apr 10. The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. There may be a lot of variation on exact exercises/stretches included in your athletes' warm-up, but do try to include ALL of the following components: Following a full-bodied dynamic warm-up, athletes can then do some core basics, jumping and landing basics, handstand or other gymnastic specific prep work, and then progress naturally to their first about. Those looking for more research related to ACL tear mechanisms can start by following this link here. The ability of the good quality gymnastics are based. A complex typically includes these steps (I will offer links to videos below), Pre Test Screen Heres 3thoughts about why. J Hip Preserv Surg (2015) 2 (2):123-135.doi: 10.1093/jhps/hnv017. we can attempt to make more progress over time. As mentioned, the important take away here is to focus on things we can change, like the muscles themselves. In my mind, the warm-up should not really be the main time we are looking to make massive changes in flexibility. Opplert J, Babault N. Acute Effects of Dynamic Stretching on Muscle Flexibility and Performance: An Analysis of the Current Literature. Helpful or Not? Considering what type of ankle work you are doing with a gymnast who has an injury history like this is important for coaches to think about. Also, think how they apply to the gymnasts skill profile. It is a physical activity that can be developed professionally, but can also be practiced generally for recreation or as a personal exercise routine. (10), In another study by Konrad (10), twenty-five adult individuals were compared to twenty-four adult individuals in a control group to see if a six-week calf stretching program would. Theankle joint is very far from the hip socket. Right and Left Leg Split on Line A better option would be first to modify the amount of pull up or rope climb volume these athletes do, and instead replace those exercises with more horizontal pulling type motions to help create balance. Nonoperative rehabilitation for traumatic and atraumatic glenohumeral instability. Sports Med. It uses either a floor bar or the other arm version to bias external rotation of the shoulder. 3556). Because exercise can shorten your muscles, skipping your post-activity stretch can decrease your mobility over time. For 12 Weeks, 2 days a week and 90 min. The ligaments and joint capsule, along with the alignment of the ball on the socket, create what is known as the passive structures or stabilizers. Lastly and most importantly, this complex approach tends to create much more engagement from gymnasts, as the longer static holding of flexibility can be very prolonged and monotonous. Department of Exercise and Sport Science University of Utah Most gymnastics coaches would agree that flexibility is an essential aspect of gymnastics training and performance. I will say take these research studies with a grain of salt due to their methods, smaller sizes, and sometimes using cadavers as subjects. Im just saying there are many factors to consider and that there may be a more optimal approach to take. Gymnasts practice up to 30 hours a week and have regiments full of conditioning and exercises. Manske R., et al. Many also claim that it helps them move in a larger range of motion with less discomfort before starting their practice. (Image credit: Unknown) Sit on the floor with straight legs at about 90 apart. I strongly feel that gymnasts must earn the right to do over splits and must be mature enough to do them safely. What About Static Stretching? Importantly enough, following a review of the literature, it was outlined that the combination of appropriate self-myofascial release and targeted static stretching may yield the most beneficial gains to acute changes in flexibility. Konrad A, Tip M. Increased range of motion after static stretching is not due to changes in muscle and tendon structures. Undue force to these passive structures becomes problematic over time as the high force of gymnastics can cause injury. There are a handful of topics that are regularly at the center of conversation within the sport of gymnastics. Warm-ups are typically best looked at as a time when you can prepare the available joint range of motion that a gymnast has. Like in the shoulder, natural mobility of the hip allows them to move through a greater motion. 2006 Nov;20(4):804-10. Half the group performed static stretches, while the other half performed Hold Relax stretching, a variety of PNF. I often give these circuits for shoulder or hip flexibility assigned as homework before practice or at home. I will then end with some important notes on other joints like the knees, elbows, and spine. 0, No. This is an expected part of trying to gain flexibility, to a certain degree. This is usually why they were noticed as a good candidate for competitive gymnastics, as they naturally had full splits and bridges. More research is needed, but this concept of natural boney adaptations in gymnasts is a central idea I feel will emerge in years to come. For example, this research study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26944667) recently looked at x-rays from professional ballet dancers during full straddle splits. Gymnastics is, therefore, a sports discipline that seeks to provide strength and flexibility to the body, through specific exercise routines. In its most basic form, stretching involves taking a muscle to its end range of motion, and holding the elongated state for a period of time. From there I will take a deep dive into some cultural issues that exist in gymnastics, and then conclude with step by step flexibility examples for each main region of the body that gymnasts struggle with including the shoulders, hips, ankles, and wrists. Sands WA, Flexibility. Do each stretching exercise at least 4 times each session. I urge people to not automatically push splits or pull shoulders open when they see a gymnast with limited range of motion. Long term changes that have minimal injury risk do not tend to come from short-term, high intensity and high force methods often seen in gymnastics. Just as with the warm-up concept above, it is only one piece of the bigger puzzle to increasing shoulder or hip flexibility long term. This creates a huge range of mobility for the shoulder joint, but in exchange for inherently less stability. They often struggle quite a bit to lift their legs even against gravity alone. I now look back to how I coached and trained as a gymnast 10 years ago, and am blown away with all the things I was doing that were not backed by scientific support. Teaching gymnastics specific stability and whole chain coordination through single leg jumping, hopping, dynamic balance drills, and so on is usually the more beneficial route. to injury. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. If the gymnast doesnt do it fast enough or lands awkwardly it can be problematic. Flexibility is frequently included in talent identification and screening measures for gymnasts, divers, and dancers (2, 10, 11, 16, 20, 21). Without the ability to assess these various factors, it can be very challenging to make progress in flexibility. It appears that a combination of mechanical factors (18, 25, 27-29), as well as neurological factors (18-21, 24, 25-26)), are reasons behind why regular stretching increases range of motion. Eccentric pull up lowers or EZ Mover Sliders, Gymnastics skill technique drills to use the new range of motion Especially in gymnasts, the changes in sensitivity of nerves that transmit pain, and also reductions in stretch reflexes likely are the main mechanisms. This allows for more inherent weight-bearing stability but may limit the natural mobility the hip can achieve. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine 2014:5 13-24, Edwards SL, Bell JE, Bigliani LU. I think there are not yet studied boney adaptations to the hip joints of gymnasts when correctly performed and consistent stretching occurs in younger years. It consists of two upper-body sessions, and two legs and core sessions, hitting each muscle group twice per week. Trying to aggressively push through that bony or ligamentous limitation will only lead to pain and headaches for all involved. Not to mention their flat feet may cause those same outside ankle structures that may be inflammed/damaged to get re-irritated when impinged upon. They ended up finding changes in range of motion for both groups, with more changes to the muscle tendon stiffness in the Hold Relax group. There is more support in the literature for the use of static and dynamic compression, but I think lighter recovery sessions of self-myofascial release, light stretching, or even light aerobic exercise are valuable tools alongside other methods. As a result, gymnastic branch-specific stretching exercises increase the balance and flexibility parameters in a positive way; it is thought that the longer duration of training programs will. Another study by Konrad et al (29) took thirty healthy men ages around 21 and subjected them to 4 sets of 30 second calf stretches. As with the shoulder, I also feel that extreme hip stretching methods from a very high surface, or when a coach is pushing aggressively on a gymnast, have no place in our sport. Effect of self-myofascial release on myofascial pain, muscle flexibility, and strength: A narrative review. The research definitely leans towards changes in the nervous system being the primary reason, especially in the short term. Long list to make people feel uneducated in not only the passive range also... Lunge position with the research, practice, and athlete individuality also have a significant on! The right to do over splits and must be mature enough to do over and! Due to changes in the hip allows them to success in certain Sports Part of to..., other surrounding hip muscles, skipping your post-activity stretch can decrease your mobility over time but is amplified stretching! In spite of a fairly Keywords: gymnastics, as well as lots... 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