You can only smoothen a movement when you have the right body balance; when every muscle function to their potential (since every muscle has a role to play); and when you make a conscious effort to correct your movements.
Here is a perfect example: look at my two running pictures below and you will notice how I have made the difference in my running action to improve my speed. Where I look like stopping myself (breaking) in 1st picture, I am speeding up in the latest. I used to be a long distance runner but now I train sportsmen for speed and therefore, the training needs to be adapted for speed – work on transverse arc of foot (thanks to great work by coah Adrian Barr on the subject) and action that helps you propel forward is the key.
Here are a few key learning’s from these pictures:
Learning 1: Always make an effort to correct your movements in training. It is never too late and you can only gain.
Learning 2: Knowing the anatomy ….having knowledge of what all muscles you use in an action helps you tremendously to improve your form and make you choose right training.
Learning 3: Whether it is jumping, running, standing or swinging/hitting; you use your entire body muscles – yes, right from your foot to calves & soleus to hamstrings, quads and adductors, to hips and lover back to upper back, shoulder, chest, trunk, arms, forehand and structural muscles (for balance).
Learning 4: Agility, one of the key components in sport requires good body balance and therefore it is an important element in your training.
The pictures show you a perfect display of all major muscles contributions and how balance comes into play in all these movements.
In my experience of training sportsmen from different sports across the age groups, it always make more sense to a trainee if they understand the reason of training and how specific training can help them.
Umesh Chhikara
Sports fitness trainer I Movement specialist I Relaxation therapist
Umesh Chhikara 