Donald A. Chu

Trunk and Hip Control Neuromuscular Training for the Prevention of Knee Joint Injury

This article provide evidences to outline a novel theory used to define the mechanisms related to increased risk of ACL injury in female athletes. In addition, this discussion will include theoretical constructs for the description of the mechanisms that lead to increased risk. Finally, a clinical application section will outline novel neuromuscular training techniques designed to target deficits that underlie the proposed mechanism of increased risk of knee injury in female athletes.

Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus

The current manuscript has been adapted from the official position statement of the UK Strength and Conditioning Association on youth resistance training. It has subsequently been reviewed and endorsed by leading professional organisations within the fields of sports medicine, exercise science and paediatrics. The authorship team for this article was selected from the fields of paediatric exercise science, paediatric medicine, physical education, strength and conditioning and sports medicine.

The back squat: A proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance

ABSTRACT FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT COMPETENCY IS ESSENTIAL FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION AND FOR REDUCING INJURY RISK, WHICH ARE BOTH KEY ELEMENTS OF HEALTH PROMOTION. THE SQUAT MOVEMENT PATTERN IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE SPORT PERFORMANCE, TO REDUCE INJURY RISK, AND TO SUPPORT LIFELONG PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. BASED ON CURRENT EVIDENCE, THIS FIRST (1 OF 2) REPORT DECONSTRUCTS THE TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE OF THE BACK SQUAT AND PRESENTS A NOVEL DYNAMIC SCREENING TOOL THAT INCORPORATES IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES FOR KNOWN FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS. THE FOLLOW-UP REPORT WILL OUTLINE TARGETED CORRECTIVE METHODOLOGY FOR EACH OF THESE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS.

ATHLETIC TRAINING ISSUES IN SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

Synchronized swimming is an aesthetic sport comparable to, in terms of its physical demands, those sports that require high metabolic conditioning. This article discusses injuries related to the demanding combination of strength, speed, and flexibility, including shoulder instability, lower back injuries, medial stress syndromes of the knee, and injury management treatment regimens.

Responding to Exercise Deficit Disorder in Youth: Integrating Wellness Care into Pediatric Physical Therapy

THE PROBLEM The decline and disinterest in regular physical activity among contemporary youth have created an immediate need to identify and treat these youngsters before they become resistant to our interventions. KEY POINTS Exercise-deficit disorder is a term used to describe a condition characterized by reduced levels of physical activity that are inconsistent with current public health recommendations. Pediatric physical therapists are in an enviable position to identify and treat exercise-deficit disorder in youth, regardless of body size or physical ability. RECOMMENDATION If pediatric physical therapists want to become advocates for childrens health and wellness, there is a need to address limitations in the physical therapist professional curriculum, educate families on the benefits of wellness programming, and initiate preventive strategies that identify youth who are inactive, promote daily physical activity, and encourage healthy lifestyle choices.

The Back Squat: Targeted Training Techniques to Correct Functional Deficits and Technical Factors That Limit Performance

ABSTRACT THE BACK SQUAT IS A WELL-RESEARCHED AND WIDELY USED EXERCISE TO ENHANCE FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT COMPETENCY THAT CREATES A FOUNDATION FOR OPTIMAL MECHANICAL STRATEGIES DURING A BROAD RANGE OF ACTIVITIES. THE PRIMARY COMMENTARY INTRODUCED THE BACK SQUAT ASSESSMENT (BSA): A CRITERION-BASED ASSESSMENT OF THE BACK SQUAT THAT DELINEATES 30 POTENTIALLY OBSERVABLE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS. THIS FOLLOW-UP COMMENTARY PROVIDES A TARGETED SYSTEM OF TRAINING CUES AND EXERCISES TO SUPPLEMENT THE BSA TO GUIDE CORRECTIVE INTERVENTION. WE PROPOSE A CRITERION-DRIVEN APPROACH TO CORRECTIVE EXERCISE THAT CAN SUPPORT PRACTITIONERS IN THEIR GOAL TO HELP INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE MOVEMENT COMPETENCY IN THE BACK SQUAT.

Plyometrics or Not

WE LIVE IN A “GOT TO HAVE IT right now” society. This type of thinking has permeated the world of sports and we have caught the wave of the easy way to athletic excellence. Football, basketball, soccer, baseball, wrestling, and other speed and explosion athletes have been led down the primrose path by the promise of the quick and easier way to get faster, stronger, and bigger. The main culprit being plyometrics. Plyometrics is the greatest farce ever perpetrated on speed and explosion athletes. With no scientific or empirical data, coaches got sold on how an athlete could jump around on dots, jump over bags, jump on boxes, quicker and better than he ever could using free weights alone. Their fallacious and inane theory is based on the stretch reflex and muscle memory. The stretch reflex is defined as a postural reflex, but the principle of it is used to aid contractions in voluntary movements. It is known that if a muscle is stretched approximately one-third beyond its resting length, it is best prepared for forceful contraction. This is partly because the muscle is under greater tension (like a tow rope, the slack has been removed) and can effectively shorten through a greater distance and partly because impulses, in addition to voluntary impulses, result from the stretch reflex, adding to the force of contractions. This is where the truth ends about the stretch reflex and the subterfuge begins by those who peddle plyometric devices and equipment. Skill implies efficient and effective performance. It includes: (a) coordination and timing of muscular actions; (b) control of power (strength and speed of contractions; and (c) it has been proven scientifically that as the speed of movement increases, the amount of force the muscle can produce is decreased. It is also wise to avoid jerky movements that cause the stretch reflex. There is little advantage in executing rapid repetitions with light or no weights. These movements employ too much resistance to improve specific speed of movement and too little resistance for increasing strength and therefore are essentially nonproductive for improving athletic speed performance. When you perform many quick repetitions with light weight, one recruits many slow twitch fibers. Fast movements with low resistance do not tax the muscles enough to recruit fast fibers because the resistance falls outside the training sensitive zone. The training stimulus for increasing strength is muscle tension and not the prolongation of the exercise. Intensity relates to a high percentage of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and not the fatigue displayed after performing a dot drill or plyometric box jump. An increase in intensity is more advantageous. With the increase in intensity the speed of movement is slow, but muscle tension remains high. This is done by practicing the specific speed of movement actions, along with strength training. Where is the scientific application of jumping around on a bunch of dots to get faster at running a football, doing a single leg sweep takedown in wrestling, or stealing second base? There is no transfer of unlike elements between exercise programs. There are specific adaptations to imposed demands (the SAID principle). Sport-specific skills are needed for speed and explosion such as running, jumping, hopping, agility (the ability to change directions), balance, and several others. Jumping is a sport-specific skill in basketball, however it is POINT/COUNTERPOINT