Boost Your Speed: Master Hip Stability

Welcome to The Stoiclete! Every Monday, We're here to help you improve by answering your questions about exercises, training issues, and specific areas like power and mobility. Learn from other sports and get the edge on your competitors in just 6 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can sign up for the weekly email here.

Here’s what we got for you in today’s edition:

• A deep dive into the functioning of a joint that many athletes pay too little attention to.

• An unfamiliar term that will help you perform better during crucial moments.

• 3 exercises that can give you an edge over your competitors.

IN OUR MAILBOX

Welcome to 'In Our Inbox' where we answer your strength and conditioning questions related to your sport, got a question? Send it to [email protected] - your question could be featured next! Let’s dive into today’s situation:

When we think of athletes, we envision muscular legs, arms, and a strong core. An area that is often overlooked but is essential for an athlete's performance is hip mobility and stability. How can you, as an athlete, get your hips in top shape to accelerate your progress instead of holding you back?

ON YOUR MARK

Before exploring how to improve hip stability, let's understand how the hip works. The hips are the central point in the body for generating speed, agility, and explosiveness. The hip joint, as seen in picture 1, consists of a ball-shaped end in a socket. When we talk about hip mobility, we refer to the range of motion the ball-shaped end has in the socket. The joint is surrounded by different muscles, which control the direction and range of its movement.

The hip isn’t called the body's power center for nothing. Besides being the link between the upper and lower body, it has several important functions. Various muscles attached to the hip generate power, including the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Good mobility in the hip will therefore positively impact the power generated during activities like jumping, sprinting, etc.

The second reason is that a stable hip will ensure a more stable body during physical activities. Athletes with good hip stability can keep their bodies more stable and thus perform better.

The third reason is that the hip, being the link between the lower body and the upper body, is responsible for transferring forces. In sports where you serve or throw, your lower body creates power, moving to your arm and shoulder muscles. A stable hip will be able to do this effectively with minimal loss of power and energy.

The final reason that hip mobility is important for athletes is that it can prevent injuries. Most injuries in athletes are related to muscles attached around and to the hip. Athletes with good hip mobility are better prepared to handle unexpected movements or large forces.

GET SET

We know what hip mobility is and why it matters, but how can you improve it? Since our reader's situation involves improving sprint starts, we arrive at hip lock exercises. The hip lock is a term popularized by Frans Bosch (a Dutch movement scientist and former athletics coach).

Hip lock exercises are mainly used by athletes for whom running is central, but the hip lock is also relevant for athletes in other sports. Good hip mobility improves running, jumping, and quick direction changes, enhancing performance in many sports.

You can do hip lock exercises at different times during your workout, such as during the warm-up, strength training, or field training. The exercises can be done without weights, but to increase the intensity and difficulty, they can be performed with medicine balls, resistance bands, boxes, and weights.

Many exercises focus on the hip lock, training both hip stability and mobility. To make it easier, we picked some exercises and included a video with explanations. Examples of exercises are the wall hip lock, box step-up, wall leaning hip lock, and the walking hip lock.

GO

Welcome to the "Go" section, where we put theory into practice. Before you start training this week, take a moment to answer these two questions below. This will help you understand and apply the information from the newsletter in your training. Let's begin:

AROUND THE STADIUM

• Hip Lock Benefits: Essential insights on hip lock for athletic performance.

• Hip Lock Training: Top reasons to incorporate hip lock exercises.

• Youth Athletic Growth: Importance of hip development for young athletes.

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DISCLAIMER: None of the content provided in this newsletter constitutes medical, training, or performance advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not intended to be a substitute for professional guidance or personalized coaching. Please be mindful of your limitations and perform exercises at your own risk.