Giving young athletes the best chance at success

Giving young athletes the best chance at success

Improving running performance and reducing injuries in New Zealand’s young elite athletes is the focus of a recently launched study by AUT University’s Running Mechanics Clinic in collaboration with the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health (MISH).

The study is investigating the effect an eight-week hip strengthening programme has on the running mechanics in young athletes aged 9-14 years, who participate in MISH’s Long Term Athletic Development programme (LTAD).
AUT Running Mechanics Clinic Manager and researcher Kelly Sheerin says that overuse injuries are common in youth athletes and have been linked to faulty running mechanics.

“If mechanics are corrected early it is likely young athletes will be less prone to suffering injuries and able to continue training and competing unimpeded,” he says.

“Athletic development, in the long term, is more likely to be optimised and subsequent high performance achieved.
“This research has wide reaching benefits for our young athletes and future elite performers.”

An initial movement screening was conducted on 10 LTAD athletes in 2008 and a high percentage presented with running mechanics which could be related to muscle dysfunction.

MISH’s Cesar Maylan says if we can identify the problem areas now and correct them, we have a better chance of reducing the incidence of injury and increasing sports involvement into adulthood.

The young athletes will have their running and jumping technique analysed in the Running Mechanics Clinic. New exercises that relate to problem areas will be integrated into their training programmes and delivered by their coaches. Eight weeks later they will be retested to ascertain the success rate.

“Previous, off-shore studies have shown that strengthening exercises can produce changes in step mechanics after only several weeks,” says Sheerin.
If the simple eight-week hip strengthening programme can correct faulty running mechanics, coaches of young athletes around New Zealand will be encouraged to integrate this programme into their training.

“A simple intervention, implemented by coaches, has the potential to correct running mechanics and lay down the groundwork for elite performance and injury avoidance,” says Sheerin.

“We will be giving our young elite athletes the best chance at success.”

For more information about the programme visit http://www.institutesporthealth.org.nz/

ENDS

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