Recently I stumbled across a study of racquetball injuries posted on a facebook page. The study was sort of off in a few things though. One, it was stated that research done was outdated and done in the 80s and 90s. I disagree the research is outdated as the same energy systems are used today that were in the 80s and 90s. The demands of the game have not changed and the average length of the rallies have not changed.
The second issue I have has nothing to do with the data. I totally agree on the data of injuries and it seems reasonable. However, one little paragraph seemed to stand out to me.
“AS AN ATHLETE, WHAT COULD I DO TO HELP PREVENT SOME OF THE INJURIES THAT YOU REPORTED?
For those competing, I strongly recommend having annual sports medicine or physical therapy evaluations. Having coaching or a certified trainer to help athletes in this area is also highly recommended.
But the biggest area of injury prevention is over-looked by most racquetball players and coaches. I’m talking technique and footwork. Those things prevent injury. I see so many shoulder, back, and elbow injuries due to poor technique. For whatever reason people do not understand basic biomechanics of movement. What prevents injury as well as the training aspect thoroughly covered in this study, is proper coaching. Frustrating to me that people do not know what that is.
All coaches are not equal and many unintentionally are contributing to injury, not preventing it. Most of the posts I see on facebook and instagram of celebrity pros training include poor technique and footwork. Just because a coach has a great talented player or two does not make them a great coach. You can beat up a great player as well as a C player if you do not understand the game. When you lunge and extend yourself and swing a racquet from that position you are putting stress on joints which lead to injury. If your footwork is great you are not extended as many times to less stress. Make sense? I have taken many players who were in pain and fixed the pain with a reduction of stress by focusing on good mechanics and footwork.