(Don’t) Assume the Athletic Position
By
Joe Kenn
— stance (noun): the attitude or position of a standing person or
animal, especially the position assumed by an athlete preparatory to action
— posture (noun): the position of the limbs or the carriage of the
body as a whole
In all sports, the rudimentary beginnings of movement starts with a specific
stance or posture. Whether it’s a defensive stance on the basketball court, a
three-point stance for an offensive lineman, a batter preparing to hit a
baseball, or a weightlifter preparing for his final clean and jerk, there is a
proper starting position. All of these athletes must be taught the fundamentals
of a proper stance to place them in a position to be successful. Everything
successful in sports starts with a proper starting position. The simple
foundation of all sports—the stance—is often times overlooked because of the
ever increasing natural athleticism of athletes of this era.
In an athletic era where natural gifts supersede technique, many coaches and
athletes have forgotten to focus on this piece of the puzzle that can help
garner continued success and possibly reduce the chance of injury occurrence. By
placing the athlete in a proper starting position, the athlete has the ability
to move more efficiently with less effort, allowing him to accomplish a
successful bout of exercise.
Developing a sound athletic position is no different. We must teach and
direct our athletes to be able to start in a basic position from which all
athletic movements can derive. It is important to note that although there is a
developmental progression to establishing the athletic position, each individual
athlete will look slightly different because of limb and torso difference. It is
our goal for each athlete to understand the basic postural mechanics of the
athletic position so that there will be an efficient transfer to strength
training, running exercises, movement mechanics, and sport-specific position
drills.
By establishing the athletic position, we can then begin to teach, instruct,
and educate the athlete on the numerous movements and the techniques associated
with all aspects of training. Each individual coach will have a slightly
different version of what “their” athletic position technique will look like,
but I assure you that we will all be very similar. When speaking of technique,
many ask the question, “What protocols should we use when teaching our
athletes?” There are numerous ways to answer this. Some may say “good technique
is a form of movement that does not violate biological and mechanical laws”
(Nytro). Others may use the old cookbook philosophy of what is written in a
textbook or scientific data, bullet points, or checklist methods. I prefer to
use a holistic approach including all of the above plus my own abilities as a
former athlete as well as others who are professionals in specific fields of
athleticism. Therefore, I can create my norms and know how to differentiate for
the laws of individual differences and still stay within my protocols of
success.
Before an athlete can begin to perfect his sports’ starting stance, it must
be determined if he can properly align his body into the basic athletic
position. As a coach whose main objective is to enhance the general physical
preparedness of the athlete, it is my focus to help the athlete understand body
positioning and awareness. If I can perform my duties well, the athlete will
have the general athletic consciousness to apply the specific skills and body
alignments needed to succeed in his individual sport of choice.
From the anatomical to athletic position
Our first step is to put the athlete in our basic anatomical position.
Definition of anatomical position (1)—that of the body standing erect with
palms turned forward, used as a position of reference in designating the site or
direction of structures of the body (2); the erect position of the body with the
face directed forward, the arms at the side, and the palms of the hands facing
forward, used as a reference in describing the relation of body parts to
another.
Many of us who have a general background in exercise science are familiar
with the anatomical position of the body. This position is the basis of our
ability to determine the movement planes and actions the body can perform. It is
an extremely critical function when determining the way we will choose certain
exercises to enhance overall athletic performance.
Planes of movement, gross movement patterns
Sagittal plane: Divides the body vertically into right and left parts. The
main motions are flexion and extension. A major example is walking.
Frontal plane: Divides the body vertically into anterior/front and
posterior/back parts. The main motions are abduction/adduction, side flexion,
and inversion/eversion. A major example is a jumping jack.
Transverse plane: Divides the body horizontally into superior/upper and
inferior/lower parts. The main motions are internal and external rotation,
horizontal flexion and extension, and supination and pronation. A major example
is throwing.
Note: All functional movement is tri-planar motion, meaning there is
simultaneous movement of all three planes in one motion, making all functional
movements three-dimensional.
Definition of athletic position—the position of the body in a flexed (bent)
hip and knee position. The foot position is based on the athlete’s natural
landing position. The head is set in a neutral/natural spine position (looking
through the eyebrows). The shoulders are retracted back and the chest is
expanded (proud position). The shoulders will be slightly over the toes. The
arms are flexed at the elbow, and the hands are at the hip. The palms are
neutral (facing hip) with the thumbs up. The lower back is isometrically
contracted as is the abdominal region. The majority of the athlete’s weight is
distributed on the mid-foot to the heels. This position is used as a general
starting point for most athletic endeavors.
Most of us have assumed that all of our athletes can drop their hips and
knees and correctly put themselves in a position of athletic success. Don’t!!
With the aid of assessment protocols such as the functional movement screen and
by establishing an orientation program for newcomers, you will find that many of
your athletes can’t perform this simple act to your satisfaction when they enter
your program. This article isn’t made to go into all of the reasons why. It is
written to give you practical “in the gym information” from 20 years of
experience.
Stepping into the athletic position: Assessing the athlete’s natural
starting position
We determine the athlete’s natural athletic position with a simple reaction
test. Have the athlete stand on a line in a relaxed manner. When the athlete
hears a whistle, he must immediately react to the verbal cue, set his athletic
position, and hold. The only instruction given is, “At the sound of the whistle,
set yourself in a basic athletic position.”
Generally, we see variations of these three positions:
· Knee bender: Knees pushed forward, heels off the ground, hips still in
full extension
· Waist bender: Bent over at the waist, chest down, knees extended
· Hip and knee bender: Athlete naturally can assume a basic quarter squat
position
Obviously the third one is the goal for each athlete. Any of these three
positions has the ability to expose the athlete’s deficiencies in ankle, knee,
hip, and shoulder mobility and flexibility as well as core strength and
stability.
Teaching progression
Start position: Anatomical position (see above)
Feet: The foot position is set first. Instruct the athlete to do a very low
intensity vertical jump. The natural landing position of the feet will be the
starting point for the general athletic position.
Head: The head will be set in a natural or neutral position. As the athlete
progresses to the bent knee and hip position, the head will continue to be in a
neutral position in which the top of the head is in alignment with the spine.
The eyes will be focused straight forward in the upright position and then
looking through the brow and forehead in the bent knee and hip position.
Shoulders/chest: The shoulders will be retracted back and down, which will
allow the chest to be expanded in what is called the “proud” position.
Arms and hands: The arms will begin extended with the palms facing away from
the midline of the body. The athlete will then flex the elbow until the hands
are at the hip and rotate the hand so the palms are facing the hip with the
thumbs up.
Upper body set up
Low back and abdominal region: The low back is arched and isometrically
contracted. The abdominal region is also contracted in a natural state. We won’t
emphasize “belly button drawn in” or “stomach expanded” in the athletic position
protocol.
Hips: The athlete will break at the hips first to begin the lower body
descent. The athlete will push the hips back until the shoulders cover the toes.
Knees: The athlete will break after the hips and will continue to flex until
the shoulders cover the toes.
Weight distribution: The weight will be distributed from the mid-foot to the
heel to heel to begin. At this point, the athlete will be asked to push the feet
through the floor to learn how to apply force into the ground.
Completion: When the athlete is in the athletic position, he is required to
hold that position for a prescribed number of seconds in an isometrically
contracted manner. This will give him his first experience in body awareness,
coordination, and balance. See
this video for more information.
This investment can’t be overlooked. With the amount of pre-existing back
injuries and lack of mobility (to name a few) increasing each year in our
incoming athletes, there is extreme merit in placing this important aspect of
sport into your incoming freshman or beginner program.
See these examples of utilizing the athletic position into specific position
stances for the sport of football:
Center
Linebacker
Linebacker
Running Back
Defensive Back
Offensive Line pass protections
References
1. Anatomical position (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman's
Medical Dictionary. Retrieved: October 21, 2009. At:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anatomical position.
2. Kenn J (2009) How to Prepare Your Athletes for Collegiate and NFL
Weight Programs. American Football Monthly 15(9).
3. Nytro Arne (1987) What is Correct Technique. “The Throws–Official
Report of the European Athletic Coaches Association Congress.”
4. Position (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved: October
21, 2009. At:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/position.
5. Posture (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved:
September 05, 2008. At:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/posture.
6. Stance (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved: September 5, 2008. At:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stance.
Joe Kenn has spent the last 19 years as a “strength coach” on the
collegiate level working at Boise State, Utah, Arizona State, and Louisville. He
owns and operates Big House Power Competitive Athletic Training, LLC (http://www.bighousepower.com),
an educational member website for parents, coaches, and athletes. Kenn has
published the highly successful The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook and is a
highly sought after speaker on the national level.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com
