Beach Volleyball Fitness Tips
D.I.S.C. Sports and Spine Center, the Official Medical Center of the AVP, takes a comprehensive approach to treating athletes of all skill levels including elite professional and Olympic competitors to the weekend warriors. Our first priority is injury prevention through proper training. Below are some key tips that are beneficial for any beach volleyball player no matter your level of fitness or skill.
Proper Warm-ups are Essential
Elite athletes know they must warm-up before competition. Warming up increases the core temperature of the body. This allows muscles, tendons and ligaments to become more flexible. It also improves the heart and lung function so you can play hard in a safer manner. Even nerves work more efficiently when we are warm. The warm-up can be in two stages: a general warm-up and a specific warm-up. Start with the general warm-up. This can be a combination of jogging or riding a stationary bike, and performing a few common, simple calisthenics exercises. This will increase your core temperature. The rule of thumb is if you begin to perspire, you have achieved the warm-up. You should then perform the specific warm-up. This should include easy volleyball passes, serves and spikes. Performing the specific warm-up will allow the muscles and joints that perform the precise sport movements to also warm and stretch dynamically. Once you have done this, enjoy your game!
Protecting Your Back
Beach volleyball is a very demanding sport, and one of the areas where this demand takes its toll is the lower back. The way that the body has to adapt to the uneven surface of the sand, stabilize to pass the ball or to jump means that there is a lot of stress placed there and it is not an uncommon area of trouble for the beach volleyball player. A back strengthening exercise program involving stretches and weight lifting is recommended along with a solid core strengthening program.
Understanding Shoulder Injuries
Volleyball is a very popular American sport. We can find elite players throughout the country, professional players on the beach during the national and international tournaments, top college, club and high school players in gyms all over the country. During the summer, families, friends and co-workers play volleyball at parks, the beach and the back yard. This sounds great. However, shoulder injuries are common in volleyball. There are several key anatomical structures that are injured. If you develop pain in the shoulder from serving and spiking, it is important to address the pain. The pain is most likely from inflammation of tendons (attach muscle to bone) and a bursa (fluid-filled sac) in the shoulder. You should place ice on the shoulder when you return home from your outing. You can use a gel pad that you keep in the freezer or you can use a plastic baggie filled with ice. Place the ice over the painful area for 20 minutes twice per day for several days. You should take a break from volleyball until the pain significantly reduces.
Strengthening Shoulder Muscles
When top volleyball players serve and spike very fast, the key muscles of the shoulder that decelerate the arm can become very fatigued and injured. Summer and weekend players can have he same injury because these muscles aren’t prepared for volleyball. Once fatigue sets in, the shoulder is susceptible to injuries including rotator cuff tears and tears of a cartilage ring surrounding the shoulder socket. You can help prevent this by strengthening these muscles. One exercise is external rotation. You can begin with very light weight, a 16-ounce water bottle for example. Lie on your left side and hold the water bottle in your right hand. Keep your upper body at your side and bend your elbow 90 degrees. While keeping your elbow and upper arm at your side, allow your forearm to rotate across your abdomen and then back up towards the ceiling. Perform three sets of ten reps on each side.
A New Shoulder Stretch
Recent research on shoulder injuries in overhead athletes (volleyball included) revealed that tightness of the ligaments in the back of the shoulder joint can actually change the pivot point of rotation of the shoulder. This can create three major problems for either a professional or weekend volleyball player. The three problems are tears of the rotator cuff, tears of the cartilage ring surrounding the shoulder socket (labrum), and bursitis and tendinitis. The solution is a new stretch. You should lie on your side with your dominant shoulder down on a bench or floor. Extend your upper arm straight in front of you at 90 degrees. Let your forearm point straight up towards the ceiling. Use your opposite hand to push your forearm down toward your abdomen. Once you begin to feel the very mild discomfort of stretching in the back of your shoulder, stop and hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times, once per day 5 days per week.
Hydration is Key
Dehydration and fatigue dramatically increase the rates of injuries. Hydration should be performed frequently in small amounts rather than waiting until extreme thirst sets in and guzzling fluids. Remember to use a mix of electrolytes and water or alternate their use to keep the proper balance of salt and water. A general rule on hydration, try to drink at least half your body weight in water (200 lbs should drink 100 oz.), but with vigorous activities that should be increased by at least 30%. The number one enemy in sports is dehydration. You cannot win without proper fluid consumption.
 | Joseph Horrigan, DC, DACBSP, CSCS Director, Soft Tissue Center D.I.S.C. Dr. Joseph Horrigan, a board-certified chiropractic sports medicine practitioner and strength and conditioning specialist is widely regarded as one of the preeminent professionals in his field. With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Horrigan has held national leadership roles within the chiropractic community, advances the profession with original peer-reviewed research and presentations, has written numerous consumer articles, along with two successful books, in addition maintaining an active role in post-graduate instruction and a private practice. |