Ever wondered why your favourite sports star can make those lightning-quick changes in direction even after an injury? Stick around and find out
You look up; the defender is in front of you. Okay, let’s do this. You’ve completed all the rehab, so you’re ready. It’s time to become the hero. Suddenly, doubts creep in. ‘I don’t know how to do this. I haven’t practiced this since my injury. I don’t think I can.’ You opt for the safe option. It’s easier, and you don’t have to risk it.
Did you know that changes of direction occur hundreds of times during a match, ranging from low-intensity walking to game-defining moments? During maximal efforts that involve stopping quickly, the forces can be up to 5.9x your body weight. So, if you weigh 100kg, that could mean nearly 600kg of force going through your leg
Why does this matter? These actions are crucial in sports. They help you create and utilize space, and pull off game-defining moments that could mean the difference between winning and losing. Secondly, these actions are mechanically demanding. In football, for instance, you might perform 8 of these hard decelerations every 15 minutes. This puts stress on the body, increasing fatigue and muscle damage, and requires strength and fitness to execute repeatedly. Finally, injuries can occur during a change of direction and maximal decelerations. ACL injuries, among others, have been shown to occur during a change of direction. Consequently, if you’re unprepared to perform these actions, the risks are substantial.
There are two common mistakes I regularly observe during rehab and training. First, individuals often return to their sport without practicing these movements. This sudden exposure poses a risk because their bodies are unprepared for these actions. Second, many fail to realize the significant cognitive demand involved in training. They dive back into full training, faced with making multiple decisions in a chaotic environment. This can shake their confidence and present a significant challenge upon their return to sport
So, how do we prepare people to return to sport, ready to dive headfirst into the game? The way I see it, there is a continuum from technical drills to full chaotic training – a concept proposed by Matt Taberner as the ‘control-chaos continuum’. Here’s the outline: You start with technical drills, which might involve holding positions statically, progressing to walking-based intensity. This is gradually advanced by increasing the speed and complexity, such as moving from a 45-degree cut to a 90-degree cut, etc. Then, we start adding in the ‘chaos’, for example, a ball that you have to chase, or a defender whose actions you can predict. Over time, this progresses to chaotic 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, etc., until you are back at full training. This stepwise progression allows you to build up the physical capabilities while also advancing the cognitive demands of the sport
Key takeaways
Change of directions happen a lot in sport
You need to be physically prepared to handle them
Don’t go straight back to full training, build up intensity and complexity over time to prepare you for your comeback.
