If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely curious about two key questions:
How can I move faster on the field?
How can I get stronger and minimise injuries?
In this four-part series blog, I’ll reveal the program that professional athletes use to enhance both strength and speed. I’ve broken it down into four training methods to help you understand the rationale behind each one:
- Power Training (click here)
- Strength and Muscle Hypertrophy Training (click here)
- Plyometrics (click here)
- Balance and Stability
This post will focus specifically on Balance and Stability.
A balance and stability program for the lower limbs focuses on enhancing the alignment, muscular control, and coordination of the body, hip, knee, and ankle joints. The primary purpose of such a program is to improve overall lower body stability, which can help prevent injuries and enhance athletic performance.
Benefits:
Injury Prevention through:
– Improved Alignment: Ensuring proper alignment of the hip, knee, and ankle joints helps distribute forces evenly across these joints, reducing the risk of misalignment-related injuries, such as strains or ligament tears.
– Better Coordination: Developing coordination between the muscles and joints improves the ability to handle dynamic and uneven surfaces.
In the following video, I will demonstrate various methods to train your body’s stability and strength. For example, in soccer, which is a contact sport, athletes need a strong body to withstand external forces (Exercise 1). Knee injuries often occur when landing from a jump, so athletes should learn the correct landing techniques (Exercises 2 & 3). Additionally, ankle sprains are common in sports and usually happen due to incorrect stepping (Exercise 4).
Dosages:
1 minute of each exercise on both sides, twice a week.
During the off-season: These exercises can be done either before or after a gym session, depending on your goal. If your goal is to learn the skills, perform the stability exercises while you are fresh. On the other hand, if your goal is to challenge your stability in a way similar to game day, when you might be fatigued, then perform the exercises at the end of your gym session.
During the pre-season: Perform the exercises before training sessions to prime your neuromuscular system.
During the season: Perform the exercises before training sessions and matches.