Project Description
In 2011 I was fortunate to work with the Saint Michaels College men’s soccer team to design and implement an off-season program that would decrease the number of injuries that they had experienced in the past and to help make them faster, stronger and better balanced. In my thought process the challenges were that the majority of players were right side dominate which means they preferred to strike the ball using their right leg. On top of being designed asymmetrically (only have one heart, one liver and a diaphragm that is bigger on the right side of their bodies) they were all neuro-reflexively patterned to be stronger on the right side of their bodies. I decided to take a chance to strengthen their left side more than their right with a corrective exercise approach using postural restoration testing and muscle facilitation concepts. The results are below.
January testing:
22 men’s collegiate soccer players
| January | March | |
| Adduction drop | 18 positive | 2 positive |
| Extension drop | 4 pos | 1 positive |
| 20 yd dash | 2.72 | 2.51 |
| T-test | 9.39 | 9.1 |
| Pro agility | 4.4 | 4.1 |
| 300 yd shuttle | 58 | 55 |
| 1.5 mi run | 11:08 | 9:23 |
The results were impressive in that every category that was tested improved. Of the most surprising was the speed in which the mile and a half dropped over a minute and a half. The resting position of the pelvis improved in every athlete but two.