Stretching to Correct – How Do You Really Know? Part 1
Scott Kroculick MSEd, RKT, CSCS, MAT Certified Specialist
There seems to be a preponderance of Golf Fitness programs that place the emphasis on passive stretching to correct swing problems. Consider the fact that the body may be “tight” in certain areas simply as part of a protective defense mechanism. To remove this tightness without replacing it with some form of stability would remove this protective mechanism and leave the joint in question vulnerable to injury.
A number of golf fitness professionals claim they can recognize a certain swing certain pattern or end result and then identify the tight muscles that may be causing that problem. In fact, some have made a pretty good living at doing this very thing. However, how do you really know what is happening? While passive stretching to relieve a specific tightness may improve a swing, has the practitioner simply gotten lucky or have they set the body up for long term damage. Short-term results are one thing, but if the long-term results include major muscle imbalances and increased joint stress – well then, now we have a real problem.
The theme of this article series will be “how do you really know?” It is designed to encourage some active debate or even anger about current practices. While the most common effect will be to defend one’s “position”, it should make you think about how that position was generated in the first place. It is critical to always ask why.
- Why have I been using this particular system?
- Why do I sometimes get results and sometimes don’t?
- How did I learn it in the first place?
- Am I using it the way I learned it?
- What are the long term effects?
- Was any of this based on biomechanical principles or did I just take the course developer’s word for it?
- Is there a better way?
- Can I tweak my program to make it more effective while at the same time reducing my long term liability?
The following quote is from Jim Rohn – America’s Foremost Business Philosopher
“Get the right knowledge. Words--if they are not true--are meaningless. I hear children say, “I read it in a book”. But is it true? Just because someone says it or writes it, doesn’t mean it is true. As learners, we want to get the right knowledge, not just information or opinions. It is our job to seek out information and knowledge and then test it and run it through our minds to see if it is true, and if it can be rightfully applied to our lives in order to make them better and help us succeed. We need to weigh and measure what we learn in order to gain the right knowledge. And when we do, we will be unlocking the potential of our mind!”
Hopefully, this article has you thinking about passive stretching. Your response may be, “well, I know that, I do an active warm-up”. Active stretching is definitely a step in the right direction. By invoking reciprocal inhibition, that is contracting the agonist to get the antagonist to relax, we have reduced the chance of seeing a loss in strength due to a decrease in proprioception. In other words, the nervous system is still involved. Still, if this is being done a part of a program to correct a swing deficiency, how do you are getting to the root of the problem? The initial question still remains, are you replacing the increase in mobility with an increase in stability? Does this increased range of motion have adequate neuromuscular control or have we just introduced another problem into the kinematic chain? Expect a more in-depth analysis in part 2.
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Scott
Kroculick MSEd, RKT, CSCS, MAT Certified Specialist has over 20 years
of experience in the Health and Fitness fields. He has worked as a Fitness
Consultant, Program Director, Strength Coach, Cardiac Rehab Specialist,
Registered Kinesiotherapist and Certified Personal Trainer. He has
completed the requirements to become a MAT
Certified Specialist and will soon be pursuing the Resistance
Training Specialist Mastery certification. He is no stranger to advanced
education and has written and published over 20 innovative training
articles. For more info, about Scott and the The Neuromuscular Training Institute, go to www.nmti.org
