[tubepress video=”36O3eLUhPXg”] What do you bench? What do you squat? What’s your vertical? Common questions you have heard lately? Maybe we should be asking better questions. How about “Can you balance on one foot?” Or “Can you mechanically execute a one-leg body weight squat correctly?” Far too many athletes are jumping into the “pretty lifts” and forgetting the steps it takes to become an efficient, strong, healthy athlete. Assessing range of motion and identifying imbalances or inefficiencies will help prevent preventable injuries. As athletes and coaches, we are all looking for ways to increase our fitness, strength, and performance while decreasing the risk for injury. Why not take a serious look at the flexibility and range of motion at each joint in the body to make sure we will stay healthy throughout the season? Why not emphasize how we move and execute an exercise? How we practice, train, and prepare dictates a lot of the success, or lack thereof, on game day. Pay attention to the basics before jumping under that bar to impress your friends. Watch this clip from Mike Kelly at the Strength and Conditioning/Athletic Development Conference . Challenge your balance, improve your flexibility, and make time to work on your weak link training to make you even more successful this season.


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