The Knee Past the Toe - Here We Go!

Just about the time I thought the issue of the knee going past the toe was a dead issue, it keeps rearing its ugly head. It is hard to believe this is still an issue with what we understand of knee function. Approach this with an analytical mind. Start by observing movement, observe the knee in work, play and games and ask yourself the following questions:

Where does the knee go?
How does it get there?
How does it get back to where it started?

Observe how the ankle, knee and hip link and synchronize. All of these movements occur in hundreds to tenths of a second. You cannot consciously think about where the knee should go, it all happens too fast. It is all sub cortical and reflexive, not planned and programmed. This demands that training progressively load the knee in all the positions that could occur in the demands of the sport. Artificially restricting knee motion will not prevent knee injuries, in fact, you may be setting up the knee for injury. Here is a simple mantra to guide your training involving the knee:

Link & Sync ? Don?t Think

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Vern Gambetta

Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Vern is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the a conditioning coach for several MLS teams as well as the conditioning consultant to the US Men's World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. He has lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe and has authored six books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports. He has a BA in teaching with a coaching minor and an MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education from Stanford University.