Picture courtesy of Perfecto Insecto on Flickr.com
Netball is a high-impact sport and can be very physical at times so playing it regularly, whilst good for your fitness, is not so kind on the joints. The knees and ankles bear the brunt of all that running and jumping about and stiff, aching or swollen joints after a match are common among netball players. Does this sound familiar? Do you have trouble getting out of bed, never mind walking, the day after a match? The following is a quick list of some useful exercises for helping to keep things in working order. Please feel free to share any exercises you find beneficial.
1. Ankle rotations
Lie on your back with both legs out straight and toes pointed upwards. Bend your right knee towards your chest and hold around the back of your leg to keep it steady. Gently rotate your foot in a clockwise direction 30 times, keeping the knee still. Keeping your leg up, rotate in the opposite direction 30 times. Lower your leg and repeat on the left side.
2. Hamstrings
Sit on the floor (or edge of a bed) with the right leg out straight and bend the other knee out to the side (or rest the other leg on the floor if you’re using a bed). Keeping your knee straight, bend forwards from the hips placing your hands around your right foot until you feel a gentle stretch in your hamstrings, i.e. the back of your thigh. If you can’t reach your foot, rest your hands on your leg, wherever is most comfortable. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
3. Quadriceps
Lie on your left side with legs straight. Bend your right knee and take hold of your right ankle. Pull your foot back towards your buttocks until you feel a gentle stretch in your quads, i.e. the front of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds. For an increased stretch, bring your bent knee backwards to be in line with the straight knee. Repeat on the other side.
4. Calves
Stand close to and facing a wall. Step one leg back about 3 feet (0.9m) and bend front knee. Lean on your forearms against the wall for support. Slowly, move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the calf muscle of your bent leg. Heel of straight leg should be flat on the floor so bring the leg closer to the wall if necessary. Toes of both feet should be pointing forwards. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
5. Groin
Sit on the floor or a bed and put the soles of your feet together, slide your heels towards your body and hold your toes. Gently pull yourself forward bending from the hips, not from the head and shoulders, until you feel a stretch in the groin. Hold for about 20 seconds. Start with your feet further away from your body to make the stretch easier if necessary or closer to the body to increase the stretch.
6. Lunges
Standing with feet together and hands on hips, take a big step forward into a lunge position. Your front knee should be bent and directly above your ankle to form a 90 degree bend of your knee. Your back knee should be bent towards the floor and you should be resting on the ball of your back foot. Try to push hips downwards whilst keeping torso upright. Hold for around 10-15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
7. Balance
Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Repeat the whole exercise but this time with your eyes closed. Notice the difference? You may find that your arms start flailing around as soon as you close your eyes. Try to keep your balance but don’t worry if you put your foot down every now and then.
The best exercises in the world will be of no use if you don’t actually do them so to get the most benefit try to
* practise the above exercises on a regular basis, ideally every day or every weekday
* do the exercises first thing in the morning so you get the benefit for the whole day
* do these exercise when your joints are feeling good, not just when they ache or feel stiff after a game
There are many alternatives to the above but I picked these as they can be done easily at home or at training – some of them can even be done whilst lying in bed! You may want to use versions that don’t involve lying down if you want to use some of these exercises as part of a pre-match warm-up, especially if you play outdoors. If you can’t manage to do 30 rotations or hold any position for 30 seconds, do what you can manage at first and build up slowly over time.
Try the exercises for awhile and let me know if you notice any difference in how your joints feel. Notice also if there is any improvement in your performance on court or post-match recovery. Do you have any exercises that you want to add to the above list?
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