May/June 2020 - 42

Preventive Measures
in back side mechanics needing full
development in field hockey for the
multiple stops and starts with the
trunk in various degrees of flexion
while running and shooting. Teryn
Gallaway says " We typically focus
on quads and glutes as they are the
powerhouse of what drives field
hockey athletes and rarely receive
the proper attention necessary " .
Glute and quad strength seem to be
a point of emphasis for many field
hockey coaches. Lauren Penny is
a performance coach for elite field
hockey players and she says tight hip
flexors, overworked quads and weak
glutes are the most common thing
she sees when working with hockey
players at all levels. (4).
The hamstrings also assist
with speed deceleration and the
quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus
intermedius, lateralis and medialis
oblique) also play an important role in
running, stopping and starting - but
do not appear to be at high risk for
injury in field hockey.
*Hip adductors and abductors
provide needed stability for lateral
movement and an important side note
is the importance of proper landing
mechanics for the prevention of ACL
injuries - especially in adolescent
female athletes.
Another specific muscle often
overlooked in back pain is the psoas.
Weak abdominals and glutes can
cause tightness of the psoas and can
lead to multiple lower body injuries (4).
HIP FLEXORS
The hip flexors are susceptible to
excessive tightness because of the
forward flexed position required to play
the game. Daily stretching - pre and
post-game and practice should be done
to keep the hip flexors from shortening
and becoming tight. " The hip flexors are
the worst for injury " (5). Teryn suggests
pre and post daily stretching, foam
rolling and Graston IASTM to reduce
pain and improve the function of the hip
flexors and as an Athletic Trainer, I often
use these techniques on many of our
injured athletes.
42 | Training & Conditioning | May/June 2020
PRE/POST-SEASON SCREENING
Through a functional movement
screen or other assessment
techniques, the athletic trainer and/
or strength coach can do a pre or post
- season musculoskeletal evaluation
to check for any muscle group, or
flexibility deficits. This will identify the
weakest and least flexible areas that
need to be addressed in the off-season
strength and conditioning program.
In this author's opinion, it is ideal
to do a post-season evaluation
because this gives the athlete the
entire off-season to do the program
designed specifically for the deficits. A
complete injury risk and health history
profile would be optimal - but not all
teams are able to do this. If time and
resources allow, an individualized
program is best - at least in the offseason
to correct any physical deficits.
With incoming freshman and new
athletes, you may have no choice but
to test them in the pre-season.
A certified strength and
conditioning coach should design
a specific year-round field hockey
program for the entire team. As with
any program, adherence is the key
to success. There are APPs (Team
Builder) that we use that can help
track program compliance that are
very useful to coaches to see if players
are following their designed program
- especially in the off-season.
May/June 2020

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