I realized yesterday that it’s been quite a few weeks since my last installment of Becoming a Better Athlete. Alright, so maybe it was also my one and only installment but who’s counting anyways?
I’m going to apologize in advance for the quick post, but I have my first softball game tonight so I have to get my mind right. I’ll need a minimum of 4 hours to visualize me stroking that high, stinky cheddar over the center field fence. And if you’re asking yourself “will he do an epic bat flip?” the answer is…..absolutely!
Enough of the beer league talk, let’s get down to business! (To defeat the Huns….Bueller….Bueller)
What Is It: Foam Rolling Series
Who Did I Steal It From: I came across this series while I was reading up on corrective shoulder exercises from Eric Cressey. I immediately began including it in my own personal warm-up which soon evolved into it become a staple with most of my athletes who suffer from limited mobility.
Key Coaching Cues: Most of these exercises are basic and easy to do, but a few of them have finer details that can really make a difference.
IT Band – Roll from the knee to the hip. If you let out a cuss word or two then you know you are hitting the right spot because it isn’t the most pleasant feeling.
Groin – Slightly straddle the roller, should be pretty sprawled out and rolling all the way down to the knee.
Thoracic Extension – Elbows up, keep the butt down on the ground, rolling on the top of the shoulder blades.
Rhomboids/Middle Back – Cross the arms, rolling from the lower back up to the shoulders.
Lats – Lying on your side, slightly leaned back. Roll from the armpit down to the bottom of your lat.
Pecs – Rolling from the bottom of the pec to the armpits. Be careful not to take a nipple off on this one!
Rotator Cuff with Internal/External Rotation – Find the soft spots behind the shoulder, keeping the elbow at 90 degree as you rotate internally and externally.
Calf – Roll the back, outside and inside of the calf
I like to do this before each workout, typically spending 20-30 seconds per side on each exercise. I also like to use them as “fillers” during rest periods if pressed for time or really lacking mobility in a certain area.
UPDATE: Tripping over second base in the first game of the season is some kind of baseball omen right? We won 10-9 so that’s what I’m going with and I’m sorry to report no bat flip occurred.
Matt VanSumeren 