I found this picture the other day looking through another website for a sport training company. The pic is clearly a stock photo of an athlete making block clearance that this company used in their banner. Note the extreme chin tuck and forward head position. It’s actually amazing that we don’t see more kyphosis. At first glance, it actually appears as if the athlete is missing his head.
I strongly advise against chin tuck positions like this. Among other problems, postures like this place the spine in an inefficient position to produce force; has the tendency of making a transition to upright posture very difficult; and by shifting the COM down a little bit creates a line of force application that is not directly through the long axis of the body.
If anyone stumbles across the original of this photo please let me know as I’d love to purchase it for clinic talks. It is a great example of what not to do and would open up some thought provoking discussion. I’d try to recreate it myself but I wouldn’t want any of my athletes risking cervical strains trying to get their head in that position while accelerating.
Discuss entry