Linking work on the muscles with movement learning: lessons from a change-of-direction case
Despite coaching and repeated practice, the athlete cannot perform the target movement well. They are trying to move as instructed, but the body does not follow.
Is it that the movement has not yet been learned? Is stiffness in the muscles involved getting in the way? Or are both involved?
Zeroka Seitai works with the trainers and coaching staff who support the athlete, sharing the movement, the condition of the muscles and the changes before and after hands-on work, and deciding together what is needed next.
A case examined jointly | Able to move one way, but not the other
We jointly examined a change-of-direction movement with a professional who coaches athletes in movement and training. On this occasion, the person who performed the change of direction and received the hands-on work was that professional.
They could change direction smoothly one way, but could not perform the movement they wanted in the other direction.
| Stage | What we did and confirmed |
|---|---|
| Before hands-on work: confirming the difficult movement | They actually changed direction, and we confirmed that one direction was smooth but they could not perform the movement they wanted in the other. |
| Interpretation and response | Comparing the movement with the condition of the muscles, we interpreted that in this case muscle stiffness was getting in the way of the movement. We worked on the muscles involved in that movement that had become stiff. |
| After hands-on work: rechecking with the same movement | They repeated the change of direction in the difficult direction, and we confirmed that they could now perform the movement they wanted. The practitioner observed the change in movement, and the person also felt the change. |
We treat this before-and-after change as a cue for thinking that muscle stiffness had been getting in the way of the movement.
What we confirmed in this case is the change in movement at the time. We keep our interpretation of the cause, drawn from comparing before and after, separate from the observation that the movement changed. We checked not only whether the muscle had softened, but how the movement the person wanted to achieve had changed.
Two aspects to consider in development and movement learning
When learning a new movement, too, we check separately whether the athlete understands the explanation and whether they can reproduce it with their body.
In Zeroka Seitai, we check whether muscle stiffness is getting in the way of the necessary movement. The athlete’s staff look at understanding and learning of the movement and how practice is progressing. Combining both kinds of knowledge makes the issue to work on more concrete.
| Aspect we check | What we consider together |
|---|---|
| Are the muscles needed for the movement in a usable state? | Is stiffness getting in the way of the movement? How does the movement change after work on the muscles? |
| Has the target movement been learned? | Does the athlete understand and reproduce the movement? What coaching or practice is needed? |
| Is a response to both needed? | After the muscle condition changes, what practice will lead to the target movement? |
This is not limited to changing direction. We check the movements the athlete wants to achieve, such as running, kicking, driving off the ground and jumping, sharing them with the athlete’s staff.
Pain-related issues seen in young athletes
Heel pain such as Sever’s disease, pain at the front of the knee such as Osgood–Schlatter disease, and groin pain (pain in the groin and at the front of the hip) can also get in the way of taking part in training and competition and of the target movement.
Taking into account the diagnosis and treatment provided by medical professionals, we share with the athlete and staff which movements are difficult and under what loads pain or difficulty moving appears.
We have hands-on experience with athletes for each of these three types of symptoms. We have checked muscle condition and movement and worked from the muscular side as needed.
How we can work with the staff who support the athlete
The trainers and coaching staff who see the athlete every day know the movement being aimed for, the practice so far and the situations in which difficulty keeps returning.
We add Zeroka Seitai’s checks of muscle condition and the response before and after hands-on work to that information.
Share the target movement and what is currently difficult
Check the movement and muscle condition, and provide the hands-on work needed
Check what changed and what remains, using the same target movement
Decide together what to work on next
For example, if the range of movement changes after hands-on work, that change can be shared with the athlete’s staff and carried into movement practice in that new state. If only part changes, we check again what is still difficult.
Even when hands-on work does not change the movement, we do not simply conclude that “it is a training problem”; we review our interpretation and response to the muscles as well.
Bringing together the knowledge of the staff who support the athlete and the cues available from the condition of the muscles, to move closer to the target movement. The joint examination described above is one example of the potential for this kind of collaboration.