In contrast, the exercise also appears to result in unique compression and shear load ratios in the lumbar spine that may account for the irritation in some people’s backs, who otherwise tolerate very heavy loads. Shear stability and tolerance to posterior shear loading would be a requirement to obtain the other benefits of kettlebell swing exercise painlessly.
-Stu Mcgill on Kettle Bell Snatches
When you don’t have enough back strength, all the plank work doesn’t matter. I am still working with low back injuries with soccer players who think that sparing the spine means having cocktail weenies instead of kielbasas is the good idea to preventing back injuries. We do have a lot of experts on core don’t we? Do I listen to the Spinal Engine theory or do I follow Mike Reinold’s model? What about Paul Chek in the 1990s or do I read Craig Liebenson’s work? Healthy training over time creates adaptations that enable athletes to perform. Bad preparation predisposes athletes to injuries, reduces their training and practice times, thus rendering an athlete underdeveloped and spending most of their time in rehab. Rehab is not training. While rehab is similar, it’s never the same when you have athletes in pain.
Glute strength is not just hip extension. Remember that Hip hyperextension is not a real term and never happens (extension beyond COM of standing) during acceleration. Strong glutes help keep the pelvis angled properly and good back preparation helps with posture. In the Japanese study was a hint to possible influences of the core and speed, but having a great core with weak legs isn’t a good recipe either.
The current results indicate that the muscularity of the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum contributes to achieving a high performance in sprint running over distances of less than 20 m.
Another reason we need to look at acceleration versus top speed mechanics is that each athlete may have strengths during splits and have better performances in earlier or later parts of the race. An athlete that has done a 120m test has three variables, speed endurance, top speed, and acceleration- Too many variables to look at.Karine Copaver, Claude Hertogh, and Olivier Hue did a nice job looking at strength and structure of the Psoas Major, another part of the core technically, but more questions than answers showed up. Sometimes pelvic position will be a problem, but that threshold is hard to drill down to with algorithms, no matter how sophisticated they are designed.
The impact of hip flexion power and LL on sprint stride pattern efficiency was considered. Hip flexion might not have a simple role in the passive knee replacement of the stride pattern; instead, it may be an active parameter. Other investigations are needed to determine the influence of pelvic architecture on sprint performance.
Solving the problems requires training, intense training, not corrective exercises. Most corrective approaches are thera-band or balance work doesn’t handle supramaximal loading of actual game or meet performance. Corrective is deceptive, since doing a moderate load that targets a muscle group via EMG doesn’t mean the solution will hold. A self mobilization exercise isn’t lasting, since many will do this over and over again. Deep squatting heavy, for example, is both corrective and diagnostic. The heavier the load the more likely it will stay that way. The less prep work it takes to do demanding activities the better, since artificial interventions done are not available during mid game actions. Activation only after injuries, as training should sustain connections to those muscle groups or rethink the etiology of the issues.