Mind that step

Just came back from a gruelling NTL training with East. Something to share with you guys as it could be useful to think about.

No not a new move.

No not another defense policy.

No nothing about the FREE F1 race i'll be having the privilege of attending this Sunday for FREE.And did i mention it was FREE? No no no don't think so...yeah so its FREE. Huh? didn't hear me back there? i said its FREE.

Yeah ok, so down to it. I was running with the ball and while passing to a man on my inside, i planted my right leg awkwardly into the ground and lost my balance. The speed at which i was travelling could have easily landed me in some bad shape because i had my entire ankle twisted outwards before falling over. Thankfully as you are reading this, i'm actually sitting here quite comfortably w/o even the slightest discomfort in my ankle.

I realised the only possible thing which may have prevented me from sustaining a bad injury or worse a torn ligament was my enhanced proprioceptive awareness. No no, this does not mean i'm genetically more superior in any way, unless you are a single cell organism?

"Proprioceptors in the skin, muscle and joints provide feedback to the central nervous system as to the position of a joint. If a joint (eg knee) is approaching a position that may place it at risk of injury (eg hyperextension and risk of ACL rupture) the proprioceptors can relay that information back to the central nervous system and adjustments in muscle activation can take place that may prevent that injury occurring."

Basically, as a person moves, muscles contract to facilitate that movement. And when that same movement requires a person to negotiate a sharp turn in a state of instability, muscles around your joint automatically contract in such a way to prevent joints from being displaced; and this happens without the person's conscious perception of the unstable terrain. Call it a 'sixth sense' if you will. Nerve receptors or proprioreceptors in your muscles and joints communicate information of an imminent angle displacemnt in the joints to the brain, which then travels back to the muscles around the joint to contract appropriately.

There are ways to train your proprioceptive abilities which are most handy given the undulating nature of most of our playing surfaces. I use a wobble board which is basically this contraption made of wood/plastic in a form of a disc on which you stand on and attempt to balance as the board swivels and wobbles. Another way could be balancing on a medicine ball or simply standing on one leg and starting to perform squats as your balance improves.

Always work progressively with these methods of training. Always start with both legs on the wobble board or med ball before progressing to one. For the med ball, it'll help to hold on to something initially. As you get better at it, try closing your eyes or doing things like juggling a ball, folding your arms or scratching your arse...yeah. I personally spend about 5 mins every two-three days on the board while watching TV to serve as a distraction and to challenge my senses. PLEASE work progressively if you're to consider such training methods. The last thing you want is having to undergo rehabilitation as a result of a prehabilitative mishap.

If you're looking for a wobble board, i know of this stockist down the street but i'll have to check if they still stock it. There is a downside though...i bought mine for SGD$99.00. Ok fellas, good luck with the little bit of info but you may wanna search the web to find out more.But with this, i may have already saved you a painful trip to the hospital and months of psychological battles. Be safe out there.

Ok man, somebody please ask me what i'm doing this sunday.