Doug Stebbins, M.S. Physical Education / PE Teacher West Carrollton, Ohio; N.A.S.M. Personal Trainer / Owner of Voltage Athletics; Egoscue Certified Postural Alignment Specialist
First Stop...Ever notice that certain kids in PE class seem to always be falling down or tripping over their feet? Why is this? Are they clumsy and uncoordinated? The truth is these kids are not able to load and maintain their body weight equally on both sides of the body due to an imbalance in strength and flexibility. For example, when body weight cannot be maintained with the left side of the body, it results in one's center of gravity (COG) going outside their base of support (BOS). They do not have the mobility and stability to recover and re-establish COG over BOS and falling down, running into another person or crashing into a wall is imminent. When the body is not able to produce movement in an equitable sequence, the result is a stumble, slip, trip or fall. To avoid falling down, individuals will compensate and slow down their rate of speed at which they move, avoiding the frequency and intensity at which their center of gravity goes outside their base of support.
Functional Strength is the ability to maintain COG over BOS in multiple planes of motion. Next time you play tag in class, observe who tends to fall down when trying to change direction and who is the individual that is hardly ever tagged. You will notice a dramatic difference in posture and also the rate at which the functional posture is able to change direction when compared to the posture that falls down. The quicker you can recover COG over BOS the more athletic a student or player will be. In sports, the one who stops first is usually the best athlete and more often than not, will come out victorious.
Railyard Obstacle Course workouts demand students, athletes, and clients to constantly re-establish COG over BOS at a rate that can be tolerated at each individual's own level. Maintaining center of gravity over base of support is a requirement not an option when working out on the Railyard Course, building a more functional student, athlete or client.
Single Leg Balance/Jump - Balance on one leg. Jump up as high as you can, but yet land softly on the same foot. Your landing should look exactly as your start. Absorb the force and try to avoid double hopping to regain balance. Repeat for 4 to 10 repetitions on each leg depending on the age group and skill level you work with.
Doug Stebbins
Egoscue P.A.S.
NASM C.P.T.
937-545-6946
www.voltageAthletics.com
Railyard Fitness products are distributed by TherapyZone Inc.
