Did you read Monday’s How We Move email?
I put it up on the ALTIS site, in case you missed it. I wrote about movement patterns – and what I believe is the one true “fundamental” one – the “knee behind butt” pattern [coined by my friend Kelly Starrett], which of course is the hip extension pattern.
In today's post, I’m going to dive into this crucial pattern a little further.
Hope you enjoy it.
First – the ability to execute an effective hip extension pattern is a requirement if you want to move well. The reality is you cannot run well if you cannot get your “knee behind your butt” well – regardless of the speed in which you are trying to run.
But what do we mean by “well”?
How can we quantify what makes a “better hip extension pattern”?
These are crucial questions, as the default response when we see someone struggling with hip extension is often to assume it's a range of motion [ROM] issue. However, it’s often not about ROM at all. In fact, increasing ROM can sometimes make the pattern worse—and even slow the athlete down!
So, what else contributes to the quality and effectiveness of the hip extension pattern?
For me, a better movement pattern comes down to whether it’s executed with the force, velocity, range, control, and repeatability required by the task. A strong hip extension pattern supports performance across each of these dimensions:
- Force: Is the athlete applying enough force through hip extension to project their centers of mass forward? This is often where younger athletes struggle. Many can’t accelerate well simply because they lack the force-producing capacity to project their hips horizontally—that is, they can't get their knees behind their butts with sufficient force. This is why there’s a strong link between strength and speed in younger athletes, a link that diminishes in faster, more mature athletes, where higher force adaptations reach diminishing returns.
- Velocity: Is the pattern performed at the required speed to match the task or sport demands?
- Range: Does the athlete achieve the range required for maximal propulsion? While this is rarely an issue for sprinters, many team sport players struggle here, lacking the range to fully exploit hip extension [and often falling into excessive anterior pelvic tilt, and the potential associated dangers with this].
- Control: Can the athlete maintain stability and alignment throughout the pattern? Younger athletes often have the range but lack control, unable to stabilize their limbs through the full motion effectively.
- Repeatability: How consistently can they replicate this pattern under the physical demands of a game? Even if an athlete excels in the abilities above, they need the endurance to execute the pattern throughout the entire task or game. Those who can still perform effectively later in the performance often set themselves apart.
These five components provide coaches with a framework for organizing training. The first step is to identify which relevant movement pattern may be underperforming. Remember, in sprinting, there are three key patterns: hip extension, hip flexion, and foot-ground interaction.
Once the problematic pattern is identified, the next step is to determine the specific issue: is it force, velocity, range, control, or repeatability?
From there, we can develop an effective training prescription.
What do you think?
Do you have athletes who struggle with hip extension? Do you typically focus on range as the solution, or have you considered these other components?
Thanks for reading.
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