Let’s take a look at some common issues related to repetitive hitting, along with some corrective exercises to reduce volleyball shoulder injuries.

Problem: Tight Posterior Shoulder

The backside of the shoulder absorbs much of the impact from hitting. It also provides much of the force in decelerating the arm after a swing. All that trauma in one area often leads to an imbalanced shoulder, in which the front is loose and the back becomes too tight. This affects shoulder mobility and posture, leading to incorrect movement patterns and an increased risk of both shoulder and ACL injuries.

The Fix:

AIS Sleeper Shoulder Stretch

• Lie on your side on a stable surface with your back flat to the wall.
• Tuck your shoulder blades so your chest puffs out.
• Set up with an elbow at 90 degrees and your arm at 90 degrees, arm resting on the ground.
• With your other hand, gently press your wrist down so it moves toward your navel.
• Do not let your back round or shoulders move away from the wall.

Sets/Reps: 3×10 each arm, 30 seconds rest between sets

Problem: Lack of Trunk Rotational Ability

To produce top force when hitting, your core has to rotate quickly. Producing such speed causes a decreased range of motion in the trunk, which can lead to a shortening of the muscles that rotate the core and in turn impair spinal rotational mobility.

The Fix:

Seated T-Spine with Rotation

• Kneel with your knees separated and sit on your heels.
• Place your right hand, palm down, on the ground in front of your right knee.
• Place your left hand behind your head.
• Touch your left elbow to your right elbow across your midline.
• Rotating from your core, take your left elbow away from your midline until you feel a stretch in your core and chest.
• Pause for a 2 count at the stretch and repeat for 10 reps.
• Switch your arm setup and repeat on the other side.

Sets/Reps: 3×10 each side, 30 seconds rest between sets.

Problem: Overlooked Core Muscles

You have small muscles in the front of your ribcage, between the pectoralis and latissimus, called the serratus anterior muscles. You don’t have to memorize the anatomical terms. All you need to know is that it is difficult to find a way to work these muscles and that they need to be strong in order to aid in shoulder stability and deceleration.

The Fix:

Seesaw Plank

• Get into elbow plank position with your feet hip-width apart and your hands separated.
• Keeping your back flat and your hips down, pull your body as far forward as you can, while maintaining control.
• Push back to starting position and repeat for 15 repetitions.

Sets/Reps: 3×15, 30 seconds rest between sets

Problem: Limited Shoulder Blade Mobility

Your shoulder blades are designed to float on your ribcage. The strain competitive volleyball places on the body can reduce this ability and lead to numerous issues, including a condition know as a winged scap. This is when the shoulder blades lock, and even simple movements such as raising your hand become extremely difficult.

The Fix:

Quadruped Scapular Flex

• Get into a quadruped position (hands and knees) with your shoulders directly over your hands.
• Keeping your back flat, head neutral and core tight, squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for a 2 count.
• Again keeping core tight, push your shoulder blades as far apart as possible, count to 2 and repeat.

Sets/Reps: 3×10, 30 seconds rest between sets

RELATED: Why Shoulder Injury Prevention Programs Are Failing

These five softball catcher drills are designed to increase throwing power and lower pop time—the time it takes to transition from your catching position to a two-foot platform to throw the runner out. They also increase power from a single-leg kneeling position, when the catcher goes from the catching position to kneeling on one leg to throw the ball.

To build off-season strength, add this program to your routine two to three days a week. To maintain during season, keep at it one or two days a week (games and travel allowing).

1. Goblet Squat

This is a great drill to build leg strength and develop proper core alignment.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a kettlebell with a hand on each of its horns. If you’re using a dumbbell, hold it in a vertical position with both hands under the top plate.
• Imagine holding a goblet with two hands. Flex your arms so your elbows point out and the weight is against the center of your chest.
• Perform a Squat as you would with a barbell. Your weight should be over your heels and your lower back should be straight. Don’t lean forward from your hips.
• Squat until your hips are below parallel or as close as you can get. Try to squat lower at every workout.
• In the bottom position, your elbows should be inside your thighs, pointing slightly down and toward the ground.
• Pushing with your heels, return to a standing position.

Sets/Reps: 4×5-8 explosive reps. Increase weight when you’re able, but not at the expense of form or movement speed.

2. Rotational Med Ball Throw

Once you’re on your feet, you need rotational power to develop arm speed so you can make a hard throw to the base where the runner is heading. This drill works great when you use a block wall as a rebounder.

• Begin in a shoulder-width stance with your feet in a heel-to-toe alignment.
• Hold a medicine ball approximately at navel level (right and top left).
• Rotate your trunk, shoulders, arms and head to one side as far as possible and immediately twist back in the opposite direction to throw the ball.
• Focus on rotating your feet, hips and shoulders first and finishing with your upper body.

Sets/Reps: 3×6-10, focusing on rotational speed, not heavy weight

3. Kneeling Rotational Chop

This exercise trains the body to handle rotational forces. Throwing with power while kneeling requires the ability to stabilize against rotational forces.

• Clip a rope attachment to the highest level of a cable machine.
• Kneel with the knee of your working side (facing the weight stack) bent 90 degrees.
• Grab the rope with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Angle your shoulders toward the rope with your torso facing forward.
• Keeping your arms straight, brace your core, squeeze your hips and use your torso to pull the rope down and across your body, past the opposite hip.
• Return to the starting position.

Sets/Reps: 3×8-12 slow controlled reps on each side

4. Kneeling Throws

Kneeling Throws require specific upper-body strength and build upper-body throwing power. Ball speed is more important than ball weight.

• Kneel with your knees shoulder-width apart and your torso 1 to 2 feet away from and facing a wall.
• Take the ball behind your head and immediately throw the ball into wall. Catch the ball and immediately repeat.

Sets/Reps: 3×8-12

5. Dumbbell Pullover

This one is good for developing stable shoulders and a strong rib cage. Keep the weight light.

• Lie on your upper back perpendicular to a bench.
• Flex your hips slightly.
• Grasp a dumbbell with both hands under the inner plate and position it over your chest with your elbows slightly bent.
• Keeping your elbows slightly bent, lower the dumbbell over and beyond your head until your upper arms align with your torso.
• Pull the dumbbell up and over your chest.

Sets/Reps: 3×10-15

RELATED: The Catcher Workout

A high vertical jump has a positive impact on your volleyball or basketball game. To improve their verts, most athletes and heir coaches look to plyometrics. However, plyometric training may not be the best thing during the season.

Understanding plyometric jump training is simple: When you load a jump with a countermovement, your nervous systems is forced to fire more quickly, making your vertical jump higher. In science, this is called the stretch reflex response.

Plyometrics is a great training method off-season, but it becomes problematic in-season for one often overlooked reason. Nearly all jumps an athlete makes during practices, lessons and games are loaded with a countermovement. This adds up to hundreds of jumps every week. Doing more jumpsin training can overwork the nervous and muscular systems, and may lead to diminished performance or an overuse injury.

Here are four things you can do during the season to improve your Vertical Jump without resorting to plyometrics.

Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell Swings strengthen your jumping pattern, enhancing your ability to drop into a loaded position under control and explode quickly back to extension.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a kettlebell in front of your waist with both hands.
• Lower into a Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground, allowing the kettlebell to swing back between your thighs; keep your arms straight.
• Drive through your heels and explode up with your hips to bring the kettlebell to chin level in front.
• Return to squat position with control and repeat rhythmically.

Sets/Reps: 3-5×6-10

Deadlifts

A strong deadlift is the cornerstone for jumping, building the hips and hamstrings, the main muscles responsible for pushing into the ground with enough force to get high into the air.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Bend down and grasp the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
• Position the bar close to your shins.
• Fully extend your elbows, stick your chest out, and look straight ahead.
• Simultaneously extend your hips and straighten your legs to stand up.
• Keep your back straight and the bar close to your body.
• Squeeze your glutes to complete the movement.
• Reverse the movement, pulling your hips back to return the bar to the ground.

Sets/Reps: 3-5×5-8

Split Squats

For every two-legged strength movement an athlete does, he or she should also do a single-leg exercise. This develops the balanced strength and stability necessary to explode off the ground.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes straight.
• With your core tight, take a big step forward with your right foot.
• Keeping your shoulders and hips square and straight ahead, drop down to a deep lunge position and pause.
• Both knees should be at 90-degree angles.
• Keeping your knees in alignment with your ankles, feet straight, and your weight through your front heel, push into the ground to straighten both legs.
• Your shoulders and hips should remain square and your feet should not move.
• Repeat to the end of the rep count, then perform with your opposite foot forward.

Sets/Reps: 3-5×5-8

Speed Squats

Done with a 35-degree bend in the knees, lighter weight and a focus on the rate of bar movement, Speed Squats turn the strength built with heavy Squats into the power needed to jump as high as possible.

How to:

• Set up like a standard Squat, bar on your back at shoulder level, feet hip-width apart, toes straight, chest up, core tight and head even with spinal set.
• Instead of dropping all the way down or to 90 degrees, stop at about a 35-degree angle of bent knees (the position you would jump out of).
• Pause long enough to assert control and then explode quickly back to starting position.

If you have access to one, an accelerometer on the bar can help fine-tune the speed of movement and weight used.

Sets/Reps: 3-5×5-8

Remember, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Increase your Vertical Jump this season by getting off plyometrics and performing the above exercises. You will end up higher in the air!

RELATED: Quickness Drills with the New England Patriots

What are High Neurals?

Ignition classifies “High Neural” training as drills performed with high intensity for short duration. The drills develop leg stiffness and a hard foot/ankle, which means tighter muscles when they are not being flexed. This stiffness allows for a better transfer of force from the athlete to the ground and vice-versa. The drills also teach athletes how to bounce their foot off the ground, limiting ground contact time (a huge factor in moving quickly). Finally, the drills develop neuro-muscular coordination and fine-tune the ability to use your arms and legs together, enhancing athletic movement.

RELATED: Improve Quickness With Lateral Speed Drills

How to Perform High Neurals

• Duration: up to 6 seconds per set
• Rest Duration: 20 to 45 seconds per set
• Progressions: add additional sets and reps; progress from simple to complex drills

High Neural footwork drills for football

High Neural Training may be performed with anything from a tape line on the floor to a mini-hurdle, but we prefer floor rings. Here are our four favorite High Neural Drills for football quickness.

Ring Switch Foot ( using 18-inch floor rings )

• Stand in a split stance, right foot in the circle, left foot out.
• Knees are bent and heels come off the ground.
• With both elbows bent, take your left hand forward.
• On go, switch hand and foot placement as fast as possible for 6 seconds.
• Rest as stated above and repeat for 3 sets.

Ring In Out Step

• Stand behind the ring in an athletic stance.
• Hands stay neutral.
• On Go, step your right foot in followed by your left foot, then step back out in the same sequence as fast as possible for 6 seconds.
• Perform 2 sets with each foot as leader, allowing for adequate rest between.

RELATED: Improve First-Step Quickness

Ring Icky Shuffle

• Stand on your left foot with a ring to your right side and your right foot off the ground.
• On go, step laterally into the ring with your right foot followed by your left foot.
• Step out to the right side of the ring on your right foot and raise your left foot off the ground.
• Reverse the pattern back across the circle and repeat as fast as possible for 6 seconds.
• Perform 3 sets allowing for adequate rest between.

Ring Icky Double Tap

• With the ring to your right side, stand outside the ring in an athletic position.
• On go, step laterally into the ring with your right foot followed by your left foot.
• Step out of the ring to the right on your right foot, and tap your trail foot on the ground outside the ring.
• Reverse the pattern and repeat as fast as possible for 6 seconds.
• Perform 3 sets allowing for adequate rest between.

Agility is based on a fast change of direction, but no matter how fast your car is, if you don’t have good brakes, you will crash. Same goes for a basketball player—if you can’t stop safely, eventually things are going to go wrong. Adding deceleration training to your agility drills for basketball is crucial for two reasons.

1. Injury Prevention: The majority of ACL and other knee injuries occur when attempting to stop a body in motion. Highest risk times are the moment of impact when landing a jump and when pushing laterally or changing from a forward to backward motion. Learning deceleration technique teaches the athlete proper knee placement and eliminates valgus (i.e., twisting of the knee joint) when the knee joint is most susceptible to injury). Proper technique also allows an athlete to slow his or her body down to a stop and absorb force with the stronger muscles of the hips instead of the weaker muscles of the thighs, again protecting the knee.
2. Court Coverage: On both offense and defense, changing direction hinges on the ability to stop. Learning to stop quickly with balance and control gives an athlete the ability to move faster on the court and control his or her redirection. Finally, when athletes use proper deceleration technique, they develop proper lines of force, recruiting the strong muscles in their hips so they can move faster.

By enhancing these two factors, you can train athletes for both maximum court speed and safety.

The following drills teach athletes how to engage their hips to absorb force while correctly tracking their knees. Perform each drill three times a week to develop mastery and at least once a week after that to maintain good mechanics.

RELATED: Agility drills from basketball training experts

Reach to Load

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
• Reach your arms overhead as if you were blocking a shot.
• Lower into a quarter-squat to assume a loaded jump position; hold for 2 counts, keeping your chest up, back flat, weight in your heels and knees over your ankles.
• Drive up out of the loaded jump position.

Sets/Reps: 3×8-10 with 1 minute rest

Single-Leg Squat

• Stand on one leg with the other leg out in front at a 90-degree angle.
• In a controlled manner, squat down as low as possible with your heel still on the ground.

Sets/Reps: 3×8-10, in a slow and controlled motion on each leg; rest about 1 minute and repeat

Posture, the Forgotten Factor

As soon as a player begins to decelerate, he or she needs to pin his/her shoulders back to a neutral spinal posture (i.e., flat back) and pull his/her belly button in to have a braced core. Failure to keep a flat back and tight core during deceleration pulls the athlete’s center of gravity (i.e., middle of body) out and away from their base of support (the area where their feet make ground contact). These postural flaws greatly increase the risk of court injury and inhibit speed and power production.

To improve postural control, perform 3 sets for 30 seconds of each of the following drills. Make sure to pull your belly button in and tighten your stomach as hard as possible during these drills.

RELATED: Agility Drills to Improve Basketball Performance

1. Center Elbow Plank: Get into push-up position on the floor. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and support your weight on your forearms, with your shoulders directly over your elbows. Hold your body in a straight line from your neck to your ankles.

2. Superman: Lie on your stomach. Keeping your head down, raise your arms and legs as far off the floor as possible. Keep your elbows and knees straight. Hold this position for time.

Volleyball has specific physical demands. You must have speed, power and agility with short rest intervals. Since you don’t want to waste time training skills that won’t help you in your sport, let’s look at some common volleyball workout practices and explore better options.

Volleyball Conditioning

Don’t: Do distance running.

Playing volleyball is not the same as running a marathon. You need low-intensity training for the aerobic base you need for health and conditioning.

Do: Interval sprinting for 20 to 50 yards.

Training intensity for each sprint should be between 90 and 100 percent. Rest intervals should be the time it takes to walk back to starting point. Perform 10 to 15 sprints on two to three non-sequential days each week during the pre-season and one or two days a week during the season.

Don’t: Perform plyometrics in-season.

Plyometrics train the nervous system to fire explosively by loading a jump with a counter movement. They require a big time commitment, are hard on the body and take a while to show results, so it’s best to attempt them in the off-season.

RELATED: 2 Challenging Volleyball Conditioning Drills

Volleyball Core Strength

Don’t: Do Sit-Ups and Crunches.

Volleyball players need a strong core, but Sit-Ups and most commonly performed stomach exercises flex the spine forward. When overdone, these exercises create posture issues and cause incorrect movement patterns. Jumping, landing and cutting safely require a braced core and a straight spine, not a flexed one.

Do: Stability work.

Develop your internal core stabilizing muscles with variations of Planks and Bridges. A stable midsection allows you to transfer force through your body and aids in the development of movement mechanics that protect your knees. Three to five sets (30 to 45 seconds per set) of Planks alternating with Bridges several times a week will help you develop a rock-solid core.

Vertical Jump Improvement

Don’t: Jump on really big boxes.

Even though Box Jumping is a YouTube fad, tucking your knees to jump onto a giant box does nothing to improve your vertical.

Do: Increase lower body and kinetic-chain strength.

Vertical jump is all about ground force production, core stability and quick hips, not seeing how high you can tuck your knees. To improve your jumping ability, you need to do Deadlifts, plus Squats for hip and leg strength and Kettlebell Swings for hip quickness. A few sets of these exercises performed a couple of times a week will promote a significant increase in your vertical.

Volleyball Strength Training

Don’t: Train on machines because they are safer. They may be safer, but they are not more effective. Bodybuilder-style training on strength machines isolates individual muscle groups and does not develop muscular coordination or a chained neuromuscular response.

Do: Train with free weights (under proper supervision). Athletes move by coordinating a chained response from multiple muscle groups, producing ground force and channeling this force through their cores. Free-weight training via Squats, Front Squats and Kettlebell movements not only reinforces athletic movement but also help to develop balance.

Read more:

• Volleyball Workout and Drills You Can Do at Home
• Ultimate Volleyball Workout
• Killer Volleyball Plyometric Workout

Between school, homework, practice and conditioning, a high school basketball player’s life is pretty busy. One of the best ways to build athleticism and maximize training time is to perform multi-purpose exercises that relate directly to game play. Here are some great ones to add to your training toolbox.

Single-Leg Med Ball Wall Pass

This drill develops balance and passing strength, and strengthens the hips and knees. You also gets the benefit of learning how to absorb impact while remaining upright.

• Set your core and stand on your right foot facing a wall, about three feet from the wall.
• Place your left leg in front of your body with your left knee at a 90-degree angle and your foot flexed.
• Using a 6- or 8-pound rubber med ball, perform chest passes to the wall without letting your left foot touch the ground.
• Do 25-35 reps non-stop, then switch feet.
• Repeat for 4 sets.
• When balance improves and reps become easier, speed up the hand movement (with good form) to increase difficulty.

Dumbbell Squat to Overhead Press with Triple Extension

With this drill, you develop leg power for jumping by increasing ground-force production. You also develop upper-body strength for driving through opponents while rebounding. Squat-to-Press also helps you improve your coordination. The dumbbells strengthen each shoulder independently.

• Assume a jump stance holding dumbbells at shoulder height (start with 10- to 15-pound dumbbells).
• Keeping your weight on your heels, tighten your core and drop to a bottom squat position.
• From the bottom position, keep your feet flat and push into the ground to stand back up.
• At the top of the stand, transfer force to the dumbbells and press them up to a full overhead position while simultaneously rising up on the balls of your feet as in jumping. (This is triple extension, a sequential straightening of the hip, knee and ankle joints, which is the basis for all sports movements.)
• Lower your heels back to the ground and the weights back to your shoulders.
• Perform 3-5 sets of 8-10 reps, resting about one minute between sets.
• When all sets become easy, move up to heavier dumbbells.

Single-Leg Lateral Line Hop

This exercise develops lateral foot quickness and strengthens the hips, knees and ankles. It’s also great for conditioning and developing balance.

• Stand next to a line on the floor (or a broom stick) on your right foot.
• Place your left leg in front of your body with your left knee at a 90-degree angle and your foot flexed.
• Keeping your core tight, stand on the ball of your right foot and jump over the line and back without letting your left foot touch the ground.
• Perform as many reps as you can in 30 seconds.
• Switch feet and repeat.
• After doing both legs, rest 30 seconds and repeat for five sets.

Read more:

• Upper-Body Strength For Basketball
• Get More Out of Your Basketball Strength Training
• Strength Exercises That Transfer to the Basketball Court

Photo: Bodybuilding.com

Sprinting and jumping are crucial for success in many sports. Athletes must reach top speed in the blink of an eye to get on base or score a touchdown. Rebounding often involves jumping over an opponent to get the ball.

The two skills may look different, but they share the same basic mechanics. To run or jump, you must be able to produce a large amount of ground force; take your legs from extension (straight line) to recovery (approximately a 90-degree bend) and back quickly; and increase your hip turnover ratio or load for a jump. You must have timing and proper arm-swing mechanics to maximize both vertical height and first-step quickness.

Skipping drills enhance sprinting speed and vertical jump because they improve ground force production, hip quickness, upper- and lower-body coordination and core stability.

Do’s

• Keep your torso upright, your core tight and your head neutral to your spine
• Keep your elbows at 90 degrees and tight to your sides
• Keep your fingers loose and open
• Bring your knee up to 90 degrees (recovery position) on every step, keeping your foot in front of your center mass and your toes pulled up
• Extend your leg quickly and punch the ground with the ball of your foot as you skip
• Move your arms in a contralateral rhythm with your legs (opposite leg moving with opposite arm) and snap quickly behind your center mass

Don’ts

• Curl forward from your trunk or jerk your upper body
• Place your knees and hands out of your mid-line
• Strike the ground with your heels
• Extend your elbows out from your sides
• Pull your feet behind or under your body

Try these skipping drills for speed and hops. Add them to your weekly speed workouts or as part of your warm-ups. Perform 3 sets of 25-35 yards and walk back to the start to recover. Focus on explosive movements and quick hips.

Front Skip

Move forward while skipping and focus on producing ground force to cover large distances quickly.

Acceleration or A-Skips

Similar to Front Skips, but the focus is on quick, choppy skips. Perform three to four times the number of A-Skips as Front Skips over the same distance. Pull your knees to recovery as fast as you can.

Power Skips

The goal with Power Skips is to attain maximum height and arm drive on each skip. Think about ground force production and drive the opposing knee up to lift your body off the ground.

Read more:

• Tim Collins Lateral High Knee Skips
• B-Skip Drill
• Georgia T&F Trail Leg Skip Drill

Photo: huffingtonpost.com

In softball, getting on base is purely about speed. A quick jump toward first base after a batter makes contact with the ball is often the difference between reaching safely or being called out.

Getting out of the batter’s box can be tricky! You have to control the momentum of your swing and shift from your hitting mechanics platform (standing upright with your center of gravity evenly distributed between your feet) to your speed mechanics (running with your body at a 45-degree angle and your feet pushing behind your center of gravity to drive your body forward). To be a fast and effective softball base runner, you have to be balanced while  transitioning from being a hitter to being a runner.

Balance training can be added to any warm-up series and should be done several times a week. One of the best beginner balance drills is the Single Leg Stand.

Softball Base Running Drills

Single-Leg Stand

• Tighten your core
• Stand on your right leg and hold your left leg off the ground in front of you with your knee bent at a 90-degree and your big toe pulled up
• Keep your posture upright, your head neutral, your knee high and your foot straight
• Hold for 30 seconds then repeat on the other side
• Perform three times

To add variety, you can also do this drill with your leg straight out in front, out to the side (abduction) or behind you.

Add transition training to your regular speed workouts and perform it two to three times a week. A great drill that will help you work on your transition from upright posture to sprinting is the Lean Fall Sprint Drill.

Lean Fall Sprint Drill

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your body rigid from ankles to neck
• Lean forward until you actually start to fall (so far that if you don’t step, you will literally fall on your face). This is critical to create forward momentum and approximate the angle required to accelerate effectively. Most people think they are leaning farther than they really are, so be brave!
• As you lean, rise up on the balls of your feet and do not bend at the waist
• While driving out of the fall, move your knees and push off the ground with your legs to drive your body forward
• Keep your elbows bent at 90 degrees and swing your arms from the shoulder joint
• Keep your hands open and relaxed
• Sprint distance should be from 10 to 20 yards
• Walk back for recovery
• Repeat 8 to 10 times

Read more:

• A Guide to Base Running Strategy
• Tim Beckham Overspeed Baserunning
• 4 of the Best Base-Running Drills

Sore low backs are common among volleyball players midway through the season. Despite their athleticism and dedicated training, many players suffer from back pain. The cause is simple to diagnose but hard to treat.
Volleyball players move in short explosive bursts of three to five steps throughout games and practices. These movement patterns, repeated hundreds of times weekly, have a cumulative effect of shortening the hamstrings. As the hamstrings shorten, they pull on their attachment at the base of the pelvis, which causes the pelvis to rotate backwards, increasing stress at the sacroiliac joint and leading to low back pain.

Although common stretching techniques can provide partial relief, basic static stretching won’t completely alleviate the symptoms. However, Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) is a fantastic technique to gain greater length through the hamstrings and relieve pain. This form of stretching was developed by Aaron Mattes, a registered kinesiotherapist and licensed massage therapist, whose techniques have helped thousands of professional and amateur athletes improve their agility and avoid injuries. Whereas static stretching may temporarily lengthen the muscle, Active Isolated Stretching functions as a multi-pronged approach by loosening tight muscles, grooving new neural patterns and increasing range of motion around the joint. These factors combine to offer immediate relief.

The AIS stretching protocol follows four distinct points:

1. Isolate the muscle to be stretched
2. Repeat the stretch eight to 10 times
3. Hold each stretch for no more than two seconds
4. Exhale on the stretch; inhale on the release

Athletes and coaches can apply these points to any muscle in the body. However, for preventing low back pain among volleyball players in particular, two muscles are critical: the hamstrings and the piriformis. Start the new stretching protocol by practicing the following stretches after workouts and on recovery days to help gain extra length through these areas.

AIS Hamstring Stretch

• Lie on your back.
• Bend your right knee slightly and place your right foot flat on the floor to take the tension off your back.
• Keep your left leg straight with a band or rope draped around your foot. Hold an end of the rope in each hand.
• Contract your quads and hip flexors and lift your left leg as high as you can, using the rope to increase the stretch with a gentle pull.
• Hold the stretch for two seconds before lowering your leg back to the ground.
• Repeat for a total of 10 reps; repeat with your right leg

AIS Piriformis Stretch

• Lie on your back.
• Bend your right knee slightly and place your right foot flat on the floor to take the tension off your back.
• Bend your left knee and rotate it outward so your left ankle is crossed over your right knee.
• Pull your right knee toward your chest. This should create a stretch deep in your left hip.
• Hold the stretch for two seconds before lowering back to the ground.
• Repeat for a total of 10 reps; repeat with your right leg

Active Isolated Stretching is a great technique to increase flexibility in tight muscles. However, it doesn’t take the place of regular flexibility and mobility work. Incorporate the above stretches into your regular flexibility routine to reap the benefits of better movement and less pain throughout the volleyball season.

Read more about relieving back pain:

• Managing Back Pain
• 3 Exercises to Alleviate Low-Back Pain
• How to Relieve Lower Back Pain by Stretching

Photo: coreperformance.com