One of the most common issues I’ve witnessed while working with netball athletes is a lack of ability to activate the Glute Muscular. This poses a number of issues, not only dramatically increasing injury risk but also to negatively impact overall netball performance.
Here are 3 reasons you require strong glutes to optimise performance and prevent season or worst case career-ending injury.
➡️Strong glutes PROTECT the knee joint.
The glutes are heavily involved in stabilisation of the knee joint. One of the primary indications of ACL injury risk is valgus knee motion. This is the motion of the knee falling inwards (knocked knees) during landing, squatting, sidestepping, jumping or change of direction.
A weakness in the glutes causes the hip to rotate inwards during these movements which in turn can cause the knee to roll inwards, consequently increasing knee injury risk. ❌
Stronger glutes influence abduction and external rotation of the hip and therefore act to reduce this valgus knee motion, thus placing the knee in a much safer position during landing. 🙏🏼✅
➡️Glute strength increases sprint speed.
The glutes are one of the biggest and most powerful muscles in the body. Unfortunately for many, these remain inactive and ineffective.
The Glutes produce a number of joint actions including hip extension, hip abduction, hip external rotation and posterior pelvic tilt. Hip extension is an essential component for sprinting and therefore of huge importance for maximising sports performance.
Stronger glutes = more effective hip extension = faster sprints. 🏃🏼♀️💨
➡️Glute strength increases jumping height.
Glute strengthening has been linked to improved explosive power output in athletes. An athlete’s ability to produce force with the lower body is vital for a component for vertical jump height. Power from the vertical jump begins from the ground upwards. As previously mentioned, the glutes are responsible for hip extension. Therefore, stronger glutes equal more efficient hip extension resulting in greater ability to jump higher and further. 😎
Studies report that females land with significantly decreased glute activation in comparison with males counterparts and this is now being seen as a major contributor to injury risk. It’s estimated women could be up to ten times more likely to encounter an ACL injury in comparison with men!!!!
If you want to prevent injury AND potentially perform better. Strengthening the glutes could and should be a priority! 😇