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.