How are your coordination and sensorimotor skills?
Foto: iStock.com/dusanpetkovic
Specific exercises make your movements more economical, ensure fewer injuries, and improve your technique.
Stand upright with both feet on the floor, and let your arms hang loosely beside your body. Then please close your eyes. Don't cheat! Are you swaying already? Try to balance yourself by breathing calmly. Keep your eyes closed, lift your arms over your head and stand on your toes. Count to twenty. Now lower your heels back to the ground and lift your left leg, keeping your eyes closed. Count to twenty again before lowering your leg and changing sides.
This is not only a simple test, but also good coordination training. If you have trouble with these exercises, it is worth investing 10 minutes a day for 3-4 weeks. You will make significant progress within a short time. If you find the exercises too easy, then roll two bath towels together, or use two large cushions as a base to increase the level of difficulty.
What does coordination training do?
What is coordination training really good for? If neglected, your movements suddenly look unpractised and uncoordinated. If you go back to a dance or aerobics class after a long break, you’ll know what I mean. It feels like you have two left feet. The reason for this is that the individual muscles no longer work together properly. This can be compared to an orchestra. For a symphony to ring out in its full glory, it needs a conductor to coordinate the interplay between the musicians. The “conductor” of our muscles is the brain, which controls their interaction via the nerve tracts.
Exercises as described in the introduction train the interactions of the muscles, your so-called intermuscular coordination and sensorimotor skills. This essentially has a positive effect on the following factors:
- Motion sequences: you use less power and energy. Everything becomes more economical.
- Injury prevention: the muscle sensors work better, even in unexpected situations.
- Technique: your intramuscular coordination and sensorimotor skills facilitate safer movements with a stable posture, which promotes the sport-specific technique and protects the joints.
A final tip: start with simple exercises before you increase the level of difficulty. Challenge yourself, but don't overdo it.
This article was written by Andreas Lanz, speaker and book author, as well as founder and owner of the company TATKRAFT-werk GmbH. More info about TATKRAFT Creative Training and the different offers can be found here: www.tatkraft-training.ch
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