13 Jun Bent Knee Leg Swings Sports Performance Exercise
The ability of the rotary athlete to move through the transverse plane movement patterns associated with their sport is integral. In order for the athlete to complete these rotary based movement patterns it is necessary for large range of motions to be achieved by the hips. The process by which the athlete can develop and maintain these ranges of motion is via the utilization of modalities such as self myofascial release exercises, static stretching, and dynamic mobility exercises.
Why It’s Important: Maintaining and developing the required ranges of motion in the hip requires a number of modalities to achieve this end goal. One of these modalities entails utilizing dynamic movement patterns engaging the muscularture of the kinetic chain in patterns to achieve large range of motions with the ball and socket joint of the hip.
Improves Your: Dynamically increases the range of motion within the hips via mechanisms such as reciprocal inhibition. The utilization of dynamic mobility exercises in conjunction with self myofacial release exercises and static stretching will assist in maintaining and developing the required ranges of motion within the hip complex for the rotary athlete.
Target Area: Hip Joint
The Common Problem: Limitations in hip mobility due to a lack of soft tissue extensibility or joint range of motion limit the rotary athlete from executing the patterning required for efficiency within their sport. The result of such situations are lower speed outputs, poor patterning, higher potential for injury, and overall reductions in performance.
The Solution: The implementation of self myofascial release, static stretching, and dynamic mobility exercises to improve range of motion in the hip joint.
Bent Knee Side-to-Side Leg Swing
Set Up:
- Stand 6-10 inches away from a wall, post, or cable column with the feet shoulder width apart
- Toes pointed directly at the wall, legs straight, hips facing the wall, and hands planted firmly on the wall at shoulder height
- Lift the left leg off the floor, placing the knee in-line with the left hip
Action:
- Begin rotating the right leg in a swinging motion in front of the body
- Keep the knee elevated at hip height and swing the leg left and right as far as possible while keeping the right heel firmly planted on the floor
- Perform 10-15 swings of the right leg and switch to the right
About Performance Coach Sean Cochran: Sean Cochran, one of the most recognized performance coaches in sports today. A career spanning positions with 2 major league baseball organizations, over 10 years on the PGA Tour and work with top professionals including three-time Masters, PGA, and British Open Champion Phil Mickelson, future hall of fame Trevor Hoffman, and Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy provides Sean a proven track record of success. He has been involved in the production of numerous performance videos and authored books including; Performance Golf Fitness, Complete Conditioning for Martial Arts, and Fit to Hit. He has been a presenter of educational seminars for numerous organizations including the world renown Titleist Performance Institute.