Mobility in the athletic performance world describes how well (or inhibited) your joints and corresponding muscles, move through a range of motion.
Most sports call for a general amount of mobility to perform the skills required for your sport and to minimize injury. There are also times when having more mobility will keep you from getting injured due to more rigorous components of your game.
You can mobilize any joint in your body and it is not difficult to do. In this article and video I give you my essential joint mobility exercises that can be implemented before you practice and play in your games to get you warmed up and primed to perform at your best.
Lower Body Mobility Exercises
Hips and Hamstring
If your hips and hamstrings are tight, you can be sure your sprint and cutting ability will be inhibited. You have probably warmed up the hips and hamstring with standing leg swings; however I have found it better to do them in the lying position. In the standing position the hips may sway too much to fakemobility, however when you lie down there is less of a chance to do this. Lie on your back and extend both legs straight out. Keep the hips stable and raise one leg while the other one remains extended. Bring the moving leg upward until it cannot go any further without the body having to move to compensate. Do 10 repetitions per leg and get those hips loose.
Quad and Hip Flexors
Nothing sets you up for injury more than sitting in class all day long and then immediately going out to run full speed. The reason being, the hip flexors are most likely short and tight from sitting all day and when you sprint you need them to be stretched out. Get into a kneeling lunge position and have your rear knee slightly behind your hip. Grab the top of your rear foot, tighten your rear glute and pulse your hip forward until you feel a stretch and then back off and repeat until you are loose on both sides.
Ankle
Probably the most overlooked area to mobilize, the ankle is the first thing that moves when you run and jump in your sports. If your ankle does not move optimally, the force absorbed moves to the next joint and takes the brunt which can lead to an injury. Fortunately the ankle is easy to mobilize. Stand tall on one foot; it may be helpful to hold on to a post in front of you. Move your whole body as one unit as you glide your knee and lower leg forward. Make sure your heel remains on the ground and your knee tracks directly over your foot.
If you have any questions about this topic or any topics I should cover in the future feel free to email me at: doug@riseabovestrength.com
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Bio: Doug Fioranelli is the owner of Rise Above Performance Training™ (est. 2008) where he uses personal, progressive programming to increase his athletes’ performance and reduce their risk for injury. He has over 13 years of experience in strength training, conditioning and athletic rehabilitation. He has coached many adult clients and athletes from middle school to Olympic and Professional level.
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