It isn't rocket science or a strange secret society, functional movement,
functional training, you do functional movement everyday without thinking about
it.
The term functional training was coined when trainers happened upon a
concept used by Physiotherapists and rehabilitation trainers was used by them
to describe and retrain people to go about or improve their daily tasks/lives.
Since then it has evolved in many ways and forms and be used in every aspect of
the fitness industry from personal trainers to strength coaches. The various
forms are vast and varied and who is to say what or which one is right or
wrong, the common denominator is that all methods agree on the improvement of a
person or athlete in or on all planes of human movement; whether this be the
retraining of a stroke victim to walk or an athlete to re balance instabilities
in a movement the goal is the same FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT improves all aspects of
movement (if trained correctly)
The dictionary defines functional training for sport as
Functional training for sports
Functional training may lead to better muscular balance and joint
stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an
individual's performance in a sport The benefits may arise from the use of
training that emphasizes the body's natural ability to move in six degrees of
freedom. In comparison, though machines appear to be safer to use, they
restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of
movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or
injury.
In 2009 Spennewyn conducted research, published in the Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research which compared functional training to fixed variable
training techniques; this was considered the first research of its type
comparing the two methods of strength training. Results of the study showed
very substantial gains and benefits in the functional training group over fixed
training equipment. Functional users had a 58% greater increase in strength
over the fixed-form group. Their improvements in balance were 196% higher over
fixed and reported an overall decrease in joint pain by 30%.
In addition, a recent study of the effectiveness of sandbag training on
athletic conditioning, found that training with a variable load has significant
cardiovascular benefits over conventional methods. The study compared subjects
doing exercise with a sandbag, a kettlebell and battle ropes for 5:44 seconds
each. The study concluded that sandbag training burned 24% more calories over
the other methods.
Consideration when implementing a functional programme This can go either
way dependent on many factors inclusive of your experience, knowledge and
understanding of the concept. One key factor to consider when implementing a
programme for an athlete or the general public is every session is an
EVALUATION, from the minute they walk through the door to the minute they
disappear from view.
Other key factors for consideration are
• Plan
• Management timing in relation to the plan
• Liaison with other agencies involved with the athlete
• Define objectives
• Clearly defined executions of delivery for said objectives
• Always work efficiently and effectively (quality before quantity)
• Workouts should be creative and challenging
• EDIPP principle is paramount in delivery
• Both athlete and coach must be prepared for the long haul
• Consistency within the programme (one step at a time) e.g each session
should concentrate on one aim not multiple goals
• Play as you train, train as you play, remember competition is the outcome
of training
other factors can affect your plan and also need to be considered
especially in relation to performance factors.
Sports performance factors
1. Power
2. Strength
3. Speed
4.
Coordination
5.
Flexibility
6. Quickness
7. Muscular
endurance
8. Cardio capacity and endurance
However firstly it is important that you understand the needs of the sport,
you may not be familiar with a sport or at least not all of the demands for the
sport. Most sports can be broken down into four basic categories
• Sprint
• Intermittent sprint
• Transitional
• Endurance
Thereafter you need to look at the athlete
o Understand their position within the sport
o Analyse the qualities of the athlete
o Understand the most common injuries to the sport
o Impact factors on the athlete and injuries
Hopefully this article will allow you to understand a little more about the
need for sports functionality.
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