Richie Doyle former Kilkenny hurler had a shorter inter county careeer than he would have liked after it was cut short by an on going hip problem because of an imbalance in his hip.
Functional Movement has become a really big part of my life. On a daily basis functional movement exercises benefit me greatly.
I was diagnosed with an imbalance in my left hip from birth, this put huge pressure on my left hip and has totally destroyed the cartilage space in my hip joint, because I was unaware of this up until 2 years ago my left hip has deteriorated rapidly over the many years of training at various club, college and county levels.
Training methods and training techniques have changed and are continuing to change over the last number of years, it has gone from static warm ups and heavy squatting and weights training to dynamic warm ups and functional movement exercises with more emphasis put on recovery after training, which in my opinion is going to be of great benefit to younger players going forward in their careers. This new style of training and recovery will allow players to train properly with the right techniques and movements and in turn reduce player burnout.
Looking back on my personal situation, if functional movement screening was around 10 years ago my own situation would have been a lot different to the way it is now and all those imbalances in my hip would have been caught earlier and would have been rectified and thus taking the pressure off my joint and cartilage. I have been forced and curtailed to club hurling only, as the rigorous training of senior inter-county level would finish the cartilage in my hip altogether and force a hip replacement a lot earlier than I need one.
The day before a match or tough training would consist of:
· Foam rolling all muscle groups
· Trigger point release[inside of hurling ball]
· Hip mobility exercises
· Gluteus muscle warm ups
· Resistance band work
I was diagnosed with an imbalance in my left hip from birth, this put huge pressure on my left hip and has totally destroyed the cartilage space in my hip joint, because I was unaware of this up until 2 years ago my left hip has deteriorated rapidly over the many years of training at various club, college and county levels.
Training methods and training techniques have changed and are continuing to change over the last number of years, it has gone from static warm ups and heavy squatting and weights training to dynamic warm ups and functional movement exercises with more emphasis put on recovery after training, which in my opinion is going to be of great benefit to younger players going forward in their careers. This new style of training and recovery will allow players to train properly with the right techniques and movements and in turn reduce player burnout.
Looking back on my personal situation, if functional movement screening was around 10 years ago my own situation would have been a lot different to the way it is now and all those imbalances in my hip would have been caught earlier and would have been rectified and thus taking the pressure off my joint and cartilage. I have been forced and curtailed to club hurling only, as the rigorous training of senior inter-county level would finish the cartilage in my hip altogether and force a hip replacement a lot earlier than I need one.
The day before a match or tough training would consist of:
· Foam rolling all muscle groups
· Trigger point release[inside of hurling ball]
· Hip mobility exercises
· Gluteus muscle warm ups
· Resistance band work
The day after a match or tough training would consist of:
· Foam rolling
· Trigger point release
· Hip mobility exercises
· Hydrating
· Foam rolling
· Trigger point release
· Hip mobility exercises
· Hydrating
Through these exercises and movements my hip flexibility and range of motion have improved and are keeping me playing and enjoying my hurling.
Fish oils and other supplements such as glucosamine can have a very positive effect in keeping the joints properly lubricated while training and recovering and have a huge place in a healthy lifestyle.
I have studied functional movement and screening in my time at I.T Carlow on the GAA course and have seen the many benefits that players can achieve from doing the FMS screen. It is very rewarding seeing a player’s performance improving because of the screen and through their own dedication and work on their exercises.
It is a good starting point for any player looking to improve their performance and that are looking to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
My advice to young players who are aspiring to be top level athletes in the GAA would be to get the functional movement screen done as early as possible and rectify any weaknesses that you may have, stay on top of your recovery after every training session, let your training become a way of life and give yourself every chance of becoming the best player you can be and of achieving your true potential while staying injury free.
Fish oils and other supplements such as glucosamine can have a very positive effect in keeping the joints properly lubricated while training and recovering and have a huge place in a healthy lifestyle.
I have studied functional movement and screening in my time at I.T Carlow on the GAA course and have seen the many benefits that players can achieve from doing the FMS screen. It is very rewarding seeing a player’s performance improving because of the screen and through their own dedication and work on their exercises.
It is a good starting point for any player looking to improve their performance and that are looking to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
My advice to young players who are aspiring to be top level athletes in the GAA would be to get the functional movement screen done as early as possible and rectify any weaknesses that you may have, stay on top of your recovery after every training session, let your training become a way of life and give yourself every chance of becoming the best player you can be and of achieving your true potential while staying injury free.