“I am a gymnast who loves to play soccer. When I do my training, is there something I can do that helps you in both?” —Leslie, 12, Tribeca
I think the biggest thing you can do to help both sports is practice landing.
Most athletes know how to jump, but it is the landing that is the hard part. In gymnastics you are probably always practicing how to land properly. That should be taken to the soccer field as well. Part of my job is to teach athletes how to decelerate their bodies when they land.
Landing should look the same as your take off.
Practice a stationary jump in front of the mirror and watch how you jump. You should be using your arms by swinging them to help you take off and when you land you should also be swinging your arms to help you decelerate as you land.
The landing should be quiet and you should bend your knees when you land to “absorb” the landing.In soccer a lot of injuries are due to landing incorrectly. By bending your knees when you land, you use your quads, hamstrings and glutes.
Sometimes athletes’ knees fall in toward each other when they land, but with practice this can be corrected and hopefully decrease the possibility of knee injuries.
Bio:
Gene Schafer, MA, ATC, CSCS is the founder and owner of ARC
Athletics (www.arcatheltics.com) on the Upper West Side. He is a
certified athletic trainer and a certified strength and conditioning
specialist. He has worked as an athletic trainer at Columbia University
and specialized in sports rehab for young athletes.
Gene has run four marathons and knows the rigors of training for tough athletic events.
