Dr. Matt Zanis | Movement Expert

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺⁣
⁣
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗽: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭⁣
⁣
🇺🇸 As the PT/Movement coach for the athletes of @usashooting , I look closely at the postures, positions, and patterns these athletes spend most of their time in to be world class at their chosen discipline. ⁣
⁣
These movement patterns provide insight into understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and potential limiting factors…along with valuable information for when pain and/or injury arises. ⁣
⁣
Let’s take a look at Olympian @lucaskozusa and his rifle shooting position. ⁣
⁣
This posture, required to create maximal stability and stillness, recruits specific length-tension relationships in various structures like muscles, tendons, and ligaments. ⁣
⁣
🔍 I want to narrow down our scope to just his front leg:⁣
🟢Supination of the foot generates an external rotation spiral patterns through the tibia and femur creating a “lock” in the front hip and pelvis. ⁣
🟢 His weight shift forward puts the surrounding hip musculature in a lengthened stretch position under tension. ⁣
🟢 As his pubic bone moves closer to his leg, the adductor group is in a shortened position ⁣
🟢 Lastly, as his trunk shifts back to counterbalance and maintain his eyes on the horizon, we see a an opening of the lumbar vertebrae and lengthening of the front side Quadratus Lumborum, psoas, and lower abdominals. ⁣
⁣
Over time, along with the amount of volume these athletes train in these positions, there could be some sensations of pain, tightness, and discomfort that creep in due to these sustained postures. ⁣
⁣
So, when it comes to helping the body feel ready to perform when it counts, it is prudent to provide him patterns and joint positions in a training program that compliments what he is already really good at doing and where his body is already strong. ⁣
⁣
🔑 Specificity is Key! ⁣
⁣
This helps keep the nervous system fresh, pain sensitivity low, and overall confidence high! ⁣
⁣
✅Check out these movement examples that might be included in a program designed for this particular athlete. ⁣
⁣