Applying Biomechanics in Performance

Biomechanics are simply the physical structure and movement of the athlete, they are quite complex though in that these traits can vary minimally to drastically for each individual athlete.

An athlete’s biomechanics can greatly impact their strengths and weaknesses in athletic movement. Two athletes can have similar success at the same position in the same sport with completely different athletic styles of play. Understanding which traits of the athlete to impact and which are non-relevant are key to the success over the long term.

Jonathan quick is often seen as a very athletic goalie, using his flexibility to take away the bottom of the net while still being able to remain upright enough to keep his hands active. Corey Crawford relies on patience and positioning the bottom of the net while remaining upright as well, although in a butterfly stance. Both these goalies have backstopped their team to championship levels and seen much success throughout their careers.

A mistake often made is focusing on a quality where we think that a player is weak, but one that is not overly relevant to the development for their position in their sport. A popular niche training tool is balance training on unstable surfaces (bosu balls, balance boards, etc.). While this tool seems to gain popularity every few years, there are very few sports that require the athlete to be on an unstable surface, the few exceptions being surfing and possibly skiing/snowboarding.

Instead we should focus on the qualities relevant to the individual and the development necessary for success at their position in their sport. An easy way to look at this is to work backwards from their game style itself. This way we can determine if the limiting factor is physical (biomechanical), mental, technical or tactical. If we determine that the limitation is physical it’s then a matter of figuring out what the problem is and how to solve it, this is where biomechanics is in play.

For goalies in-season, a common problem that we find from a physical standpoint is tightness or pain that begins to develop around the knees and/or groin. This can be addressed in the short-term by addressing the inflamed tissue quality via massage or athletic therapy. To help address for the long-term we can assess the physical breakdown of the athlete’s strength in-season and help to develop an in-season training program to support their in-game endurance.

An off-season game plan should include base-line testing that is relevant to the problems that are applicable to the individual athlete. An example of this for a team sport athlete can be measuring biomechanical imbalances (a proven indicator of increased injury risk), relevant speed tests (10m sprints, 5–10–5 agility, t-tests), relevant power tests (vertical jump, broad jump, repetitive jumps), strength measurements (resistance measurements) and relevant energy system measurements (repeated sprint ability, yo-yo). Once a base-line is established, and limiting factors are noted, development can be continually measured to ensure the necessary development.

There is no cookie cutter plan with this approach. It takes time and energy to break down each athlete on a pure individual basis, which is why most development coaches shy away from it.

Every athlete should be aware of the short-comings in their game and of the measured improvements/disimprovement being used to address them.