A Blueprint for a High-Performance Body
Last year I had the opportunity to go to Italy with 10 other athletes for SBR’s Destination Trip for 2010. We all took a 10-day vacation and ran the Florence Marathon. Even though marathon day was cold, rainy and windy, we stayed in an 800 year old villa on the Tuscany hillside. It was an awesome experience.
The house was large, beautiful and strong. One thing that struck me was how solid the foundation was. The strong infrastructure was majestic and amazing. It was 100’s of years ago that this house was built. Builders back then took their time and used their own hands to build such strength and beauty. There was no rushing anything. There was no shortcut to anything. And, when looking at other houses in the area, none looked alike.
This started me thinking about my athletes. How each one of them is completely different. Each is on their own schedule. Each has their own mechanics. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. But, why the rush?
I love the enthusiasm that my athletes have. It’s a great driving force to get them to their goals. However there are many times I have to dial a few back. Many have never been athletic. Many have never swum before. Many have never completed a triathlon. So, why the rush?
Off subject for a moment…..I am a huge fan of Michael Jordan. Been since I was a little girl. He was never highly recruited to play basketball at UNC. He actually wanted to play baseball. But he saw the potential in basketball. So he shot free throws. 1000’s of them. Every week. Until he had such great form from the repetition that he barely missed. However, he did miss a lot. He missed over 9000 shots in his career. He lost almost 300 games. But he kept trying. He kept trying until he got it right. But if he never tried, he would not have succeeded. The key to his success was practicing his motions correctly, over and over again.
Now, back to my original thought process….repetition is key to athletic success. Scratch that. Correct repetition is key to athletic success.
Athletes should use biomechanics first as a way to improve their form. By improving their form they will better optimize their performance levels that could be the difference between an injury free season, or laid up with a stress fracture. Today biomechanical evaluations and video analyses are a must for athletes and their athletic life longevity.
Sports biomechanics can help an athlete work out the technical kinds in their armor so that they can take the next development step forward. Biomechanics not only help athletes to perform at maximum performance but can also help athletes avoid injuries and help n the rehabilitation. Technology today has improved in such a way as athletes can see where their deficiencies are and help build that area to stop from being injured. Biomechanic physiologist can see where an athlete is compensating certain muscles in order to protect others. From that they can seek out the problem a lot of the time before the athlete realizese their is a problem.
Completing a full biomechanical assessment is the best money invested for your performance. You can speed 1000's of dollars on carbon bikes, super light shoes and a speed suit, but if your mechanics are poor, you will get nowhere fast. There is no cookie-cutter way about a strong foundation. there are no similarities in blueprints, athlete to athlete. There is no short-cut to your great performance.
Strong foundations, clean mechanics and longevity in the sport takes time and repetition of good things.
