How to Keep Volleyball Knees Healthy
Kudos to accomplished writer and volleyball coach Eric Hammond for an insightful article on keeping knees healthy in volleyball players. I appreciated the opportunity to work with him and USA Women's National Team ATC Jill Wosmek on this important article.
The following table summarizes some key points, but I highly recommend you click here to read the entire piece originally published in VolleyballUSA.
Healthier knees: 5 tips
- Avoid landing on straight knees. Always land and move "softly"
with hips, knees and ankles bent.
- Try to land in good alignment, with the hips and knees lined up
with the second toe. Don't let your knees collapse in or rotate.
- The best time to stretch is after practice or after a match when the
muscles are warm. Focus on hamstrings, quadriceps, hip adductors/abductors
and calf muscles.
- Don't hesitate to ice sore knees for 20 minutes after practices
or matches.
- Knee pads help reduce bruises and pounding, especially
with repetitive diving drills.