Volleyball is a complex

Transcription

1 SMARTER VOLLEYBALL TRAINING: REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY AND ENHANCE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE by Patrick Ward, CSCS Volleyball is a complex game requiring high amounts of power, strength and skill. Youth female athletes are particularly susceptible to injury. Ankle injuries are the number one injury in volleyball, with the knee and shoulder following close behind. Research indicates that strength and plyometric training can positively impact game time performance, as well as decrease the athletes risk of injury by teaching proper movement patterns and increasing jumping and landing ability and stability. Below we offer strength and power exercises which can help enhance your athletic ability. We have also included some recommendations for proper warm up, stabilization and core training which can (and should) be used prior to practice or game in order to properly prepare the body for the demands you are about to place on it. shoulder. Seek out a qualified professional and have them perform a movement screen so that you can know specifically where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Each training session or game day should begin with light static stretching to prepare the tissue. Perform each stretch for 2 sets, holding for 5-10 sec. Hip flexor stretch Assume a half-kneeling position on the floor with your front foot in line with your knee and your back knee in line with your hip. While maintaining an upright posture, gently shift your weight forward towards the front leg, stretching the hip flexor of the back leg. The front foot should maintain complete contact with the ground. Do not let your heel rise. Calf Stretch Assume a staggered stance in front of the wall, placing your forearms against the wall. Gently shift your weight forward towards the front leg and stretch the calf of the back leg. It is important to keep both feet on the ground, not allowing the heels to rise. Chest Stretch Stand next to a wall or doorway and place your arm against the wall, elbow bent to a 90-degree angle, standing in a staggered stance. Once in position, gently lean forward and turn away from the arm that is against the wall. WARM-UP & STRETCH The warm-up is an overlooked component in both practice and game situations. Three areas that test tight on most athletes are the hip flexors, calves and the 7238 E DEER VALLEY RD. #100, SCOTTSDALE, AZ

2 When you ve completed your static stretches, continue with dynamic warm up exercises. The dynamic warm up is used to engage the nervous system to prepare for explosive, high velocity movements that are typical to the game of volleyball. These should be performed as a circuit (no rest between exercises) for 10 repetitions on each leg. Perform the circuit two times. Knee Hugs Stand upright and lift one leg up in the air. Gently grab your knee and hug while also rising up onto the toe of the leg that it is in contact with the floor. Hold for a moment, return the leg to the ground and switch legs. The exercise can be performed in place or walking across the gym floor. rising up onto the toe of the standing leg. Hold for a second, return the leg to the floor and switch legs. The exercise can be performed in place or walking across the gym floor. Straight Leg March With arms held out directly in front, raise one leg up straight (do not kick, just raise). Lower the leg back to the floor and switch legs. The exercise can be performed in place or walking across the gym floor. tucked. Abdominals should be tight (braced). Progressions: one-legged planks and side planks. Heel to glute Standing upright bend one knee bringing your heel toward your glute. Gently grab your ankle and pull the heel closet to the glute, while also CORE & STABILITY Following the dynamic warmup, move into core and stability training. Core and stability training are key elements in the development of an athlete. They are the foundations of our movement. For each workout, choose two core exercises and one stability exercise. CORE EXERCISES Planks Lying on your stomach, place your elbows underneath your shoulders. Rise up on your elbows and toes and hold for a desired amount of time, attempting to increase it each time you perform this exercise. Be sure to maintain a flat back (neutral spine) as well as proper alignment of your neck. Eyes should be looking at your hands, and head should not be up or Bird dogs Begin on all fours with a neutral spine (no movement; abdominals braced). Extend one arm in front of you (thumb facing up) and the opposite leg straight behind you. Hold for time, return back to start and either repeat with the same arm and leg or switch sides Progression: Bird dogs using the arm and leg on the same side of the body.

3 Regression: If this is too difficult at the start, begin by performing the movement with only your arm, and then only your leg (one at a time). Crunches Half kneeling medicine ball rotations Take a half-kneeling stance. Holding a medicine ball in front of you, abdominal muscles braced, rotate over the front leg and then back to start position (hips and shoulder pointing straight ahead). Perform repetitions per side for 2 sets. STABILITY EXERCISES Single leg balance with hip excursion Standing upright on both legs, take your weight onto one leg, lifting the other leg slightly off the floor. Move that leg in front of you, and hold for a 3-5 count. Return to start without touching the ground. Next, move the leg directly to the side, again holding for a 3-5 count. Return to start, still without putting your foot down and move the leg in a diagonal angle behind you, hold for a 3-5 count, and move back to the start. Without putting your foot down, repeat the sequence 2-3x s before changing legs. Straight Leg walking Romanian dead lifts Standing upright lift a foot slightly off the floor and hold your arms out to the sides. Perform a dead lifting movement, with the back leg in a straight line with the torso (make a letter T with your body). Move only as far as you can control without compensating. Performs 8-10 repetitions per leg. This warm up should take between min. and should be performed prior to resistance training and/or practice. POWER TRAINING/ PLYOMETRICS Following the warm-up, core and stabilization training, move into the plyometric and resistance training portion of your workout. Always start with plyometric or high velocity/explosive movements. This will help to ensure that you are able to move rapidly and display optimal power output. It is important to start out basic and progress to more advanced jumping technique. When starting out, the most important thing is to learn proper landing mechanics. Land softly and with your weight distributed between the ball of the foot and the arch. Start with jumps and stick the landing. In other words, make a nice soft landing and hold the position for a 2-3 count, before making the next jump. Once you learn how to properly land, you can advance to multiple response jumps in which you are not sticking the landing, but actually returning the force against the ground and jumping right into your next repetition as fast as possible. You should choose one of the below landing exercises for each workout. Jump Squat Stick the Landing Jump into the air, land softly between the ball of the foot and the arch and hold that position for a 2-3 count. After the 2-3 count, perform another jump. Continue in the sequence for 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.

4 Lateral hop stick the landing Standing upright take your weight onto one leg, then jump laterally (to the side) and stick the landing on the opposite leg. Hold that position for a 2-3 count and then jump back to the other leg. Perform 8-12 repetitions for 2-3 sets. After the landing drills, perform lowlevel quick feet drills. The most basic is the bilateral quick feet drill. Bilateral Quick Feet Drill Gets into the athletic stance and shift your weight to the balls of your feet. On the go command, bounce on the balls of your feet as rapidly as possible (similar to speed jump rope) for a set amount of time sec for 4-6 sets. STRENGTH TRAINING Once you have completed the power training/plyometric portion of the program, you are ready to move into strength training. For strength training, you can use any means possible to create resistance. For example, body weight exercise, medicine balls, free weights, resistance bands or cables. To maintain athletic skill and work on stability, try to avoid using machines, as they lock you into a fixed range of motion and prevent your stabilizing muscles from working. This type of training is not conducive to athletic enhancement or injury prevention. The following exercises will greatly enhance your performance on the court. It is important to have a qualified professional properly instruct you on the technique of these exercises. LOWER BODY EXERCISES Squats Begin with legs shoulder width apart, toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out to the sides and arms either straight in front of you, across your shoulders with your elbows pointed foreward or with your hands on the side of your head at your temples. Start the movement by pushing your hips back and bending your knees, keeping your heels on the ground at all times. Squat down until your thighs are parallel or slightly below parallel with the floor and then stand up to the start position (remember to keep those heels down!) and repeat for the desired number of repetitions Progressions: Suitcase squats (pictured), Dumbell front squats (pictured), Barbell Back squats, Barbell Front squats Split Squats Begin with one foot out in front of the other, a distance a little longer than a stride length should be sufficient, with your toes pointed forward. Hands can go on either your temples or, on your hips. Lift the back heel up off the ground so that the toe is spiked (the front heel remains down at all times!!). Squat down until your front thigh is parallel with the floor and then stand back up to start position. Continue for the desired number of repetitions and then switch legs.

5 Lunges Begin with feet shoulder width apart. Step forward with one leg and squat down into position, press into the ground with the front leg and drive yourself foreward, bringing your feet either together at the top or bringing the back leg through into triple flexion (hip flexion, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion), as pictured. Continue by lunging out onto the opposite leg and moving (in a walking fashion) across the ground for a desired amount of repetitions. Romanian Dead lift Begin with legs shoulder to hip width apart, feet pointed straight ahead or slightly out to the side. Place a slight bend in the knee, but then do not allow the knee to bend any further for the duration of the exercise. Hold dumbbells in hands right in front of the thighs or slightly to the side. Initiate the movement by pressing your hips back, as if you were going to bump a door with your butt, until your torso is near parallel with the ground OR before the point at which your back begins to round. From there, squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward, back to the starting position. Technical note: You don t want to think of this exercise as bending your back. You should not be bending at your spine. You should feel this exercise in your hamstrings (almost like a stretch). At no point during this exercise should your back be rounded. Always strive to maintain a neutral spine. Single Leg/Single Arm Romanian Using a dumbbell in the opposite arm of the leg that you are working. Be sure to maintain a neutral spine and do not let your hips open up or rotate towards the side you are working. UPPER BODY EXERCISES Push up Place your hands on the floor about shoulder width apart, then rise up onto your toes. From this position, lower yourself to the floor by bending the elbow, to a position where your chest is near the floor and your elbows are bent greater than a 90-degree angle. Press yourself back up to the start position. Do not allow your stomach to sag or your hips to rise up in the air. Maintain a flat line. Supine Pull Up (aka reverse push up) Lie on your back underneath a fixed barbell. Grab the barbell just outside of shoulder width. Maintaining a tight abdominal, pull your chest up towards the barbell, bringing your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.

6 Stick ups Stand with your back against a wall and put your hands above your head. Start the exercise by pulling your elbows down towards your side, allowing your arms to slide against the wall. When you get to the bottom, hold for a 3-5 count and then slide your arms back to the overhead position. One-arm dumbbell row Begin with a dumbbell in one hand. Place opposite arm in front of you and brace it on something stable (an incline bench, a dumbbell rack, etc). Bend over, with a flat back until your torso is between 45 degree and parallel with the floor. From here, row the weight up toward your abs, squeezing your shoulder back and keeping your elbow close to your side. Return to start and continue for the desired number of repetitions. Pulldowns/Pull ups Adjust the thigh pads so that they rest comfortably on top of your thighs in the seated position. Lean back slightly, maintain a neutral spine and bring the bar down towards your upper chest area, squeeze the shoulder blades back, return to start and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. After the strength training portion of the workout is over, perform the stretches that you did in the beginning of the workout. This time, hold each stretch for sec and attempt to increase your flexibility now that the muscles have been warmed up and are able to properly stretch into ranges of motion that may not have been possible prior to the workout. Volleyball is a sport that requires you, as an athlete, to efficiently reduce, stabilize and produce force. A systematic training program which encompasses all of the variables suggested in this document is critical when preparing for your competitive season as a way to reduce your risk of injury and enhance your athletic performance. Patrick Ward is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), a certified personal trainer through National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a USA Weightlifting- Certified Club Coach, and a competitive Olympic weightlifter. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Patrick s professional experience includes training for general health, fat loss, rehabilitation, and sports conditioning. Prior to joining the COR Clinic team, Patrick was a top-level personal trainer in New York City, where he also taught and held seminars for other trainers, covering topics such as program design, periodization and fitness assessments. He served as a strength and conditioning consultant for various athletes of all ages and status..