10 Comments

  1. mlopez100

    Joe, I found your topic interesting. You don’t realize how detailed and structured sports training can be until it is presented to you this way. Mobility and stability are major factors in producing, as you say, an athlete that can perform at a higher level. The complexity of training and planning is more intricate that I imagined. I applaud your passion for your craft and wish you the best of luck.

  2. kgoehring

    I liked your idea of using FMS testing in all athletes in order to hopefully reduce injury. You mentioned that you would retest the athletes every semester and see if their scores changed. Do you think that is an adequate amount of time to improve mobility, or do you think more time would better benefit the athletes?

    • jgottsch

      I think it is an adequate amount of time, while we may not see huge jumps or gains in mobility the frequent retesting will give a sports performance staff an idea if their program is working. Much like testing strength and power, it is as much for the athlete as it is for the coaches, and just a small amount of improvement can back what the coach is saying and motivate the athlete to continue to work on their mobility and stability.

  3. jbrooks1

    I like your idea of retesting the athletes every semester. Its a great way to see if they are improving and if not you then try new methods to help them improve.

  4. mwillis2

    Joe, I love how you use the PLC idea of a “guaranteed and viable curriculum” to your field of expertise. As a classroom teacher I had only considered the classroom and testing data. But applying the GVC idea to sports teams is awesome. Getting to know the mobility and strength issues of all the athletes on your team means knowing what their actual physical situations are in detail, thanks to the FMS evaluation. And figuring this out for a team as a whole is developing the “curriculum,” what the team athletes should all be able to do physically. A beautiful non-academic tie-in to the usefulness of the PLC process of teaching and solving problems.

  5. cbriseno4

    Joe, I enjoyed reading your paper because mobility and stability have a huge impact on an athletes performance and it is something coaches sometime don’t realize. As a personal trainer, this is something I focus on from the very beginning that I receive my clients because with the lack of mobility and stability, it is almost impossible to push them to their fullest potential and they receive the kind of outcomes they are looking for. One question that I have for you coming from a personal trainer stand point is, do you think that diet can effect their improvement on mobility and stability? If so, do you think you would implement or encourage your athletes on a seasonal diet?

    • jgottsch

      Ciara, I do think diet plays a key role in improvement for physical development. I use the analogy all the time of the food we eat is the gas that powers the car. We need gas to power the car, but if we are putting in unleaded when we need premium or diesel we are going to break down. As for your question on seasonal diet, I think it all is dependent on the situation. Your personal training situation is very similar to the situation here at St. Mary’s. You, just like us, cannot control what the your client is eating and doing outside of your time with them. I think education and making suggestions is half the battle, as you know there are many myths and rumors about diet out there. I know at larger schools athletes are required to eat at the “athlete cafeteria” three times daily, so that the teams and athletic department can kind of control what they are eating. Basically, it is all situational. Nutrition education and suggestions could make all the difference in the world in physical development and at the same time could make no difference at all. It is all about the commitment of the client/athlete.

  6. ephillips8

    Stability and mobility are super important as an athlete and are key factors in preventing injuries. Strength and conditioning coaches have a lot of pressure on them, because if a team is not physically prepared and all short, the blame can fall on you. Also finding a balance as a fitness coach can be a difficult task as well, making sure that your athletes are prepared, but also making sure you do not over work them which may cause injury. It takes a lot of practice and balance, if an athlete doesn’t train enough or takes too long of a conditioning break they lose much of what they’ve already worked for. I think implementing your ideas will be a great way to track the progress of your athletes and especially in injury prevention.

  7. ksalinas9

    Joe,

    I found it interesting how an athlete can have to much stability or to much mobility were it hinders them. I know understand that if an athlete has to much stability and not enough mobility, the athlete is at risk of injury because he or she may become to stiff over time. An athlete having too much mobility and not enough stability, he or she won’t be able to control their range of motion. Overall, i learned a lot of information from your paper that can benefit me knowing in my future career.

  8. ataramona

    Joe,
    Firstly, I’d like to say thank you for writing this paper, especially after doing FMS testing with our athletes this semester. Reading this allowed me to understand why we did this, how it can benefit our athletes/team/program, as well as allow me to explain what the meaning behind the numbers are to the boss man. Doing this testing to prevent injuries not only helps with success during the athlete’s career, but also allows the athlete to have a better quality of life once they are no longer playing their sport. I also like the fact that you plan on implementing small exercises into warm ups and daily activities; this allows the athlete to increase mobility even if they don’t necessarily have time to go into the gym/training room every single day.
    Really great paper!

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