If you are active, consider yourself an athlete. That means walking, pickleball, kayaking, golf, you name it — when you move your body, you are athletic.
That’s good news, right? It means we’re all athletic. To help us better understand the topic, we have two very knowledgeable teammates to weigh in on unlocking your athletic potential: Amy Harrison and Herm Hundley, both athletic trainers with OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinics.
Defining Athletic Potential
So, what is athletic potential? Herm Hundley clearly defines: “Athletic potential is your ability to do things, whether running, playing a specific sport, or just being physically active in terms of physical fitness, conditioning, strength training.” Athletic potential varies from person to person; genetics and the amount of training you undergo influence that potential.
Herm suggests you Imagine your athletic potential like a building with a ceiling and a floor. Your genetic potential, or the ceiling, represents the upper limit of what you can achieve physically. This includes factors like muscle mass, the composition of muscle fiber types, cardiovascular endurance, and more. While genetics play a role, the floor is where the magic happens. The floor represents your current abilities, where training comes into play.
Here’s the exciting part: You can elevate your floor through training and hard work. The more effort you put into your training, the higher your floor rises. Most people never reach their genetic potential, but they can still improve. Intelligent training, dedication, and consistency can help you grow, regardless of where you currently stand.
Embrace the Journey
While some athletes seem naturally gifted at everything, remember that even they must work to improve. “With training, you could easily be like those naturally gifted athletes,” says Amy Harrison. “It just may take a little more work for someone less genetically gifted.”
“Even genetically gifted athletes won’t improve if they don’t put in the work. It’s all about finding the right balance.”
Whether you’re genetically gifted or not, your journey toward unlocking your athletic potential is a process that involves dedication and balance. It is not fixed. With the right mindset and commitment, you can continue to grow and surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
Key Factors for Unlocking Your Athletic Potential
Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for understanding athletic potential, let’s delve deeper into the key factors that can help you maximize your athletic abilities.
Building a Solid Foundation
A strong foundation of strength, flexibility, and movement lies at the core of athletic performance. “Overall strength, flexibility, and movement are crucial for athletes,” says Harrison. “They need to be strong, flexible, and able to move efficiently to perform in their sport.” These elements are essential for athletes of all levels, from weekend warriors to aspiring professionals. Think of your body as a well-structured building – it all starts with a solid base.
Strength:
Building strength isn’t just about lifting weights; it’s about ensuring that your body is strong enough to support your movements, whether playing sports or going for a leisurely walk with your dog.
Flexibility:
A good range of motion is vital to athletic success. Flexibility allows your body to move freely, preventing injuries and enhancing overall performance.
Movement:
Proper movement patterns are crucial for efficiency in any sport. Ensuring that you move correctly can make a world of difference in your athletic pursuits.
The Athletic Performance Pyramid
After you have a solid foundation, you can build on that for growth. Hundley breaks down the Athletic Performance Pyramid to help us understand the progression of athletic development.
Movement:
At the pyramid’s base, we have movement, which begins from birth and encompasses flexibility, mobility, and motor coordination. “Movement is the foundation of everything in athletic performance. It starts from the day you’re born, developing flexibility, mobility, and motor coordination patterns,” says Hundley.
Performance:
You’ll find the performance tier above movement. This includes strength training, speed, agility, balance, and physical coordination. These elements enhance your athleticism, setting the stage for success in your chosen sport or physical activities.
Sport Performance:
Sport performance is the pinnacle of the pyramid. This is where you develop the skills required for your chosen sport, whether shooting a basketball or perfecting your hockey-skating technique. You must have a strong foundation and well-developed performance abilities to excel in these skills.
The Mental Game: Preparing for Success
Athletic performance isn’t just about physical aptitude but also mental preparation. Your mindset plays a pivotal role in your athletic journey.
- Mental Preparation: Athletes must learn to block out distractions, transition from daily life to game mode, and visualize success. Being coachable is another critical aspect.
- Adapting and Recovering: In sports and life, you’ll encounter adversity. Mistakes are part of the learning process, and athletes must embrace them as opportunities for growth. Managing stress through meditation or finding relaxation methods that work for you can significantly impact your performance.
Turn Mistakes into Stepping Stones
Remember that we learn by making mistakes, not by being perfect. Embrace the concept of using mistakes as stepping stones to improvement. “You learn by making mistakes”, says Harrison. “Sometimes those mistakes are how we get better. You must be willing to make those mistakes and learn how to overcome them.” This mindset shift can help reduce anxiety and pressure, particularly among youth athletes.
Be a Team Player
Lastly, in sports, where competitions can be intense and mistakes are inevitable, fostering a supportive team environment is crucial. When you make mistakes, your teammates can provide support and encouragement, and you can do the same for them. Success in sports often relies on teamwork.
Hundley shares, “Being a good teammate and having good teammates is crucial. When you make a mistake, having someone else pick you up is important. It’s not one person’s fault; we all make mistakes.”
Nutrition and Recovery: The Unsung Heroes of Athletic Potential
So far, we’ve discussed the importance of understanding what athleticism truly means and the foundational elements necessary for success. Now, it’s time to dive into two often underestimated but crucial aspects: nutrition and recovery.
The Role of Nutrition
Nutrition isn’t just about what you eat; it’s about fueling your body for peak performance and recovery. While the food world can be overwhelming, especially for those new to the concept, we’re here to simplify it.
- Balanced Diet: Start by making small, sustainable changes. Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as you can into your daily meals. Aim for at least five servings daily, gradually increasing that number for better results. Variety is vital – don’t stick to the same foods.
- Embrace Carbs: Don’t be afraid of carbohydrates. Carbs are an athlete’s best friend, providing quick energy during exercise. Opt for healthier sources like whole grains over sugary snacks.
- Colorful Plate: Think of your plate as a canvas, and aim to fill it with a rainbow of colors. We’re not talking about Skittles here; we’re referring to the natural colors of fruits and vegetables. More colors usually mean a broader spectrum of nutrients.
- Timing Matters: Coordinate your meals with your workouts. A balanced combination of carbohydrates and proteins before and after exercise helps with energy levels and muscle recovery.
- Supplements: While supplements have their place, remember that they do not replace real food. Consult a sports dietitian before relying heavily on supplements to ensure you meet your nutritional needs.
- Hydration: Water is your body’s best friend. When you feel thirsty you are already becoming dehydrated. Athletes need to drink regularly, even before they are thirsty
The Importance of Recovery
Recovery is the often-neglected twin of training. It’s during the recovery phase that your body repairs and grows stronger. Neglecting recovery can lead to breakdowns, injuries, and burnout.
- Sleep: Sleep is your body’s natural recovery mechanism. Ensure you get enough quality sleep to allow your body to rebuild and recharge.
- Nutrition and Hydration: Refuel with carbs and protein to replenish energy stores and repair muscles after a strenuous workout. Hydrate well, especially if you’ve sweated profusely.
- Rest Days: Don’t underestimate the power of rest days. Overtraining can lead to performance deficits and injuries. Listen to your body and give it the rest it deserves.
- Mental Recovery: Recovery isn’t just physical; it’s mental. Learn to manage stress, visualize success, and embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth.
Injury Prevention and Longevity: Balancing Performance and Health
As we work toward unlocking your athletic potential, one of the most critical aspects to consider is injury prevention and longevity. Regardless of your age or athletic level, understanding how to protect your body from the rigors of sports is essential.
The foundation of injury prevention lies in understanding movement patterns. Whether you’re a thrower, a runner, or an athlete needing agility, your movement matters. Do you have the necessary flexibility, baseline strength, and stability? These factors play a pivotal role in how you perform on the field.
For example, consider baseball players. The ability to perform a basic lunge may seem unrelated to pitching velocity, but it’s not. As Hundley explains, “If you can’t do a great lunge, how do you expect to be able to be stable and strong when you’re pitching high velocities, you have to be able to stop your body momentum with your lower half.” Hundley continues to explain that if a player can’t execute a simple lunge correctly, it will lead to breakdowns in their lower and upper body, often resulting in injuries.
Injuries are rarely isolated events. They tend to ripple through your body’s interconnected systems. An issue in one area can cause compensations elsewhere. For example, shoulder or elbow injuries in baseball players often stem from core weaknesses or instability in the hips or shoulders. The body compensates, leading to overuse and breakdown in specific joints.
Lowering the Risk of Injuries
So, how can you lower the risk of injuries and ensure longevity in your athletic journey?
First and foremost, recognize that every athlete is unique. At OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinics, they utilize video analysis and personalized biomechanics screening to identify weaknesses and areas of tightness. Harrison shares, “that individual approach is important. We do video analysis and biomechanics screening to find where their weaknesses or tightness is and correct it.” Only by understanding the individual can you correct underlying issues effectively.
Second, athletes must prioritize strength and flexibility. Think of your muscles as rubber bands; they must be strong and flexible. This combination allows your body to adapt, recover, and resist injuries. Weak or inflexible muscles are more prone to snapping or breaking under stress.
Third, balance is a recurring theme. Athletes should train smarter, not harder. Avoid dramatic increases in training volume or intensity, as these often lead to breakdowns. Hundley explains the importance of paying attention to your body: “Listen to your body. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something needs attention. Address soreness before it turns into an injury.” If your body is signaling the need for a rest day or recovery, heed that call. It’s better to live to play another day.
Achieving peak performance and ensuring longevity aren’t mutually exclusive. You must prioritize health and recovery alongside your training efforts to excel over time. Remember, your best ability is your availability. The smarter you train, the longer you’ll enjoy the sport you love.
OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic: Unleash Your Full Potential
As we uncover the secrets of unlocking your athletic potential, we’ve covered a wide range of topics, from understanding the foundations of athleticism to the crucial role of nutrition and recovery and the strategies for injury prevention and longevity. Now, let’s look at a valuable resource that can help athletes of all levels optimize their performance while prioritizing their well-being: the OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic.
What Is the OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic?
The OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic is a haven for athletes seeking to enhance their skills, prevent injuries, and elevate their overall performance. These clinics offer various specialized services tailored to different sports, including golf, throwing, running, and cycling. These services cater to the unique needs of athletes in each of these disciplines.
Video Analysis: A Closer Look
One of the standout features of the OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic is its use of video analysis. This powerful tool provides invaluable insights into an athlete’s performance. For instance, in the Runner’s Clinic, athletes run on a treadmill while cameras record them from various angles, including the back and side. This detailed video analysis allows experts to examine closely how the body moves during exercise.
Biomechanical Screening: The “Why” Behind Movement
Video analysis tells us what an athlete is doing, but it’s equally important to understand why they’re doing it. Biomechanical screening is the key to unlocking the “why” behind an athlete’s movement patterns. It assesses factors like strength, flexibility, and side-to-side differences, influencing performance and injury risk.
Tailored Corrective Exercise Programs
Harrison explains what comes next: “The video gives us what they’re doing, and the biomechanical screening gives us why they’re doing it. We put together a corrective exercise program to reduce the risk of injury and enhance performance.”
Trainers design personalized corrective exercise programs to address any issues identified during the assessment. By correcting these problems, athletes can reduce their risk of injury and enhance their overall performance.
Beyond the Basics: Additional Services
The OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic offers a comprehensive range of services that go beyond video analysis and biomechanical screening. They have sports dietitians to provide nutritional guidance, helping athletes fuel their bodies for optimal performance. Additionally, a sports psychologist is available to work on the mental aspects of an athlete’s game, an often overlooked but critical component of success.
Bridging the Gap
“We bridge the gap between traditional rehab and performance training. Whether it’s a performance goal, feeling better, moving better, or getting back to sports, we cover everything”, says Hundley.
One unique aspect of these clinics is their ability to bridge the gap between rehabilitation and performance training. For athletes recovering from injuries, this can be invaluable. Once they’ve completed traditional physical therapy and returned to their daily routines, they may still need guidance to regain their peak performance. The OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic provides the necessary training and support to help athletes reach their goals.
Athletes of All Ages and Levels
It’s worth noting that the OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic caters to athletes of all ages and skill levels. Whether you’re a high school athlete aspiring to play in college, a dedicated runner, a seasoned golfer, or someone just looking to stay active and healthy, these clinics have something to offer. The OhioHealth Athletic Performance Clinic is an invaluable resource that can help you become the best athlete you can be.
If you’re eager to dive deeper into the fascinating world of unlocking your athletic potential, we invite you to join us on The Wellness Conversation podcast. In our episode titled “Peak Performance: Unleashing the Athlete Within,” Amy Harrison and Herm Hundley share even more insights, stories, and practical tips that can empower you on your athletic journey. So, grab your headphones and tune in for an inspiring conversation that could be the catalyst to unlock your full athletic potential.
Meet Our Experts
Amy Harrison: Combining Passion for Science and Sports
Amy Harrison has been a part of the OhioHealth team for about 17 years as an athletic trainer. Her journey into athletic training started with a passion for science and a love for sports. As Amy describes it, the beauty of athletic training lies in its unique blend of medicine and sports. She’s worked with athletes of all ages, from high schools to youth sports, and now, she’s at the Athletic Performance Clinics. Here, Amy gets to work with a wide variety of athletes, helping them not only with injury prevention and rehabilitation but also in their pursuit of performance improvement.
Herm Hundley: A Lifelong Sports Enthusiast
Herm Hundley is a central Ohio native who’s been immersed in sports his whole life. A fantastic high school athletic trainer inspired his journey into the world of athletic training. After graduating, Herm pursued his passion for athletics and sports performance. He transitioned from traditional athletic settings to sports performance and strength conditioning. He even gained valuable experience in pediatric athlete rehab, providing him with a well-rounded injury prevention and rehabilitation background. Today, Herm works with athletes of all ages, from youth athletes looking to build athleticism and coordination to older athletes seeking fall prevention, balance, and stability.
