KATHERINE GORDON | TAOS CONTENT CREATOR AND EDITOR
Injury prevention goes hand in hand with confidence and autonomy. Often young athletes are taught the basics of their sports, without fully learning the physiological basis of their movement or the ways that they can more fully understand their needs and protect themselves. As a recently-certified yoga instructor, I found myself tying many of the things that I learned back to my 10-year career as a competitive Scottish dancer, a time when anatomy, nutrition, and self-trust were not a particularly important part of my personal training regime. Knowing what I know now, I feel a responsibility to share some of the advice that I wish I had been given, advice that could have prevented some of my injuries, improved my mind-body relationship, and potentially lengthened the time of my dancing career.
UNDERSTAND FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY
As part of my yoga teacher training, I was required to read Functional Anatomy of Yoga by David Keil. Though the book was written with yoga in mind, it breaks movement down in ways that could be applied to any sport. Improving my understanding of the musculoskeletal system, unique aspects of my own anatomy, and the relationships between strength and flexibility changed my perspective in terms of cross-training. As a dancer, I was always hyper-focused on flexibility, often worrying that strength exercises would bulk my muscles and restrict my range of motion. After improving my understanding of functional anatomy, I became more aware of the strength necessary to increase flexibility and hold difficult postures. For example, when stretching your hamstrings, your quads and hip flexors must engage. Think of Newton’s law: “every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” Why would this be any different in the body? Looking back, I realize that I often obstructed my flexibility because of weakness in the muscles necessary to deepen my flexibility. This brings me to my second piece of advice:
CROSS TRAINING IS YOUR FRIEND
Even with an understanding of functional anatomy, it is difficult to fully understand which muscles are involved in any given movement. Sometimes, we are not aware of the improvements that could be made until we begin to zero in on different muscles through cross-training. Going back to my previous example, when I began to focus on quad and hip strength, I was suddenly able to stretch my hamstrings more deeply and attempt poses that I was not previously practicing. Another benefit of cross-training is its ability to prevent injury, by strengthening areas that may otherwise be neglected to increase support and stability and also to add variety to training, giving otherwise overused areas time to rest and recover.
RECOGNIZE THE COMPLEXITY OF PERFORMANCE
For many young athletes, it is difficult to accept inconsistencies in performance due to physical growth. With hormonal changes and growth pains, I remember there being days when practices were painful, exhausting, and discouraging. This is natural, and it is okay. Sometimes it takes time, but by paying attention to your body’s patterns, it is possible to construct an effective and diverse routine, catering training to your ability on any given day. Also, as we grow, it is important to be mindful of caloric intake. After puberty, it is natural to consume fewer calories and to have a diet that differs from that of your childhood. It is important when entering this phase, however, to remember that food fuels your body and that as an athlete your caloric intake may be higher than that of your peers. Maintaining a healthy and full diet combats fatigue and strengthens bones, leading to more effective training sessions and fewer injuries.
YOU KNOW YOUR BODY BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE
This is possibly the most important advice that I could give to young athletes. When I was fourteen, I was diagnosed with two stress fractures in my right foot, but it took months of working through pain and visiting doctors to come to this diagnosis. I was often told it was tendonitis, something that I had become extremely familiar with throughout my career. However, I could tell that this sensation was different than my previous experiences with tendonitis. After there were no issues found in my x-rays, I reluctantly accepted that it must have been tendonitis. It was not until I had an MRI that the fractures were visible, and my suspicions were confirmed. If I had trusted my intuition and knowledge of my own body and advocated for myself, rather than accepting a diagnosis that did not seem right, I may have been able to receive an earlier diagnosis and began the process of healing before the fractures worsened. This is relevant in any situation. When searching for coaches, doctors, and trainers, it is so incredibly important to find ones that respect your autonomy and listen to your intuition. No one knows your body better than yourself, and you are worthy of others’ trust when it comes to your own sensations and knowledge. Your intuition may not always be correct, but it never hurts to talk through and explore your suspicions, and your athletic support system should be made up of people who understand and encourage the importance of this.
