Factors That Limit Movement and Why They Matter

Something that many dancers as well as athletes run into in their daily practice is not knowing "why" a movement isn't working for them.

When we get spotted on a trick in a studio environment, we try a move, they watch, and they tell you what they think. But sometimes something isn't working and you, along with the person spotting, has no idea why it isn't working.

Well luckily for us, there is some science out there that may be helpful for us to know first and then as simply as possible, I will try to explain what the options are, and what you can do about it yourself.

There are a few pillars that are the foundation of proper body mechanics and movement quality. They are the following:

Strength

Mobility

Flexibility

Motor Control

So when a dancer cannot get into a position properly, it is most likely down to one or a combination of these things.

How do we know which one is the culprit?

A little bit more difficult than one might think but with a little bit of help. We can deduce what may be the issue and then determine the appropriate course of action.

Motor Control

The first thing I would address first with any client is cueing to see if the corrections already significantly improve the function of a movement. For example, if you cue a client to "try and break the bar with your hands as you pull up" for a traditional pull-up and the scapular rhythm has already significantly improved along with lat activation, then it would be safe to say that motor control would be the first step I would take to get a person a stronger pull-up. So cueing along with some drills to lock in that cue would be my first course of action.

Now I want to say right here that the goal is not immediate success or results - this is about improving whatever is bothering us inch by inch. A couple inches higher in a pull-up is improvement, even if you don't make it to full range of motion. This is very important to consider because motor control is something that takes usually 2 months to lock in. Mainly because our brain likes to be efficient. So in order to do that, it only keeps movement patterns we do a lot - good or bad. So when trying to correct something and do it properly, these patterns have to be drilled many, MANY times in order to get it to stick long term.

The easy way to think about it is if you can cue it to correction or major improvement, then it is probably just practicing the movement enough times with the correct cues to fix the movement pattern dysfunction overtime. That's the good news! Getting a trained professional to look at you and cue you for what you need may very well be all it takes to get you to your goal.

But what if it's more then motor control that needs addressing?

Now here is where it gets interesting. A lot of times, especially dancers, we like to blame our flexibility for things that are not working. Fair assumption because some moves it can be easy to tell if that is what needs improvement. But it isn't always the case.

Strength

So when it is a strength problem rather than a flexibility problem? Here are some things to consider in your practice.

If you can passively stretch into a position, but then are unable to get into or out of a position without assistance (meaning gravity or another form of resistance getting you into that position), then strength may be the culprit.

Your muscles need to fire correctly and in the right order first (AGAIN, why motor control is the first place you start), and then if everything there is great, but you're not getting the distance as far as you can with regular stretching, then it would be strength that is required to improve the movement.

Let's think about it this way with a single-joint like an elbow. If a person can fully flex and extend the elbow by itself. But then is unable to do it in a handstand, side plank, push up, dip, etc. Then it is probably strength of the surrounding muscles as well as distal muscles that is preventing the person from fully extending the elbow for that movement.

But let's say you can't even fully extend your elbow or flex your elbow by itself without anything helping you? What about then?

Well are the muscles firing? Yes. --- Then it's either flexibility or mobility.

Flexibility/Mobility

Now there is a distinction between flexibility and mobility. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle, ligament, or tendon to stretch passively. Mobility is the body's ability to move through it's full range of motion actively.

Why is this important?

This is important because the human body needs to have joints not stiff in order function properly and move through range of motion actively. Muscles activate to move bones at a joint. If the joint isn't moving, guess what also is appearing to not be moving, the part you're trying to move.

So when is it flexibility that is the problem and not the mobility of the joint?

If you get drills on active flexibility along with passive flexibility drills and those drills have given you any progress, then it's flexibility that is likely limiting you. Until the moment there is a stall in that progress. If the progress stops improving, then it's time to consider the mobility of the joint itself.

I would say if you've tried working on a particular skill 3-4 times a week for at least 3 months and not seeing any improvement in active flexibility, passive flexibility, strength training, etc. Then you may have found a mobility issue at a joint you need to address.

If the joint itself is unable to move, then no amount of passive stretching is going to get that joint to move, no amount of cueing is going to get it to move, and no amount of strength training the muscles around the joint will get it to move. If you find this description relatable, then it's likely the mobility of the joint that is the problem, and this requires some collaboration between yourself and a licensed professional.

There are many ways this can be done, but a common technique I see all the time and things I use in my own practice is using resistance bands to attach to a joint and use the pressure applied to the joint to move through the joint as much as you can. This assistance is similar to a myofascial release technique. It is encouraging the joint to relax with applied pressure, thus getting it to move further than before. This can significantly improve joint range of motion over a long period of time. Key word --- LONG! Meaning it takes months to get a joint to move better.

But why does this work?

The resistance band provides feedback to the joint to help activate surrounding muscles, especially stabilizing muscles, in order to help improve stability of the new range the joint is moving with the applied pressure. It allows a deeper range of motion that you can't get on your own and get the mind and body comfortable moving in these hard to get positions. This also reduces stress on the specific joint, especially a painful one. This can help you work on the mobility and doing exercises involving the specific joint in a way that can lessen the strain on the joint. Similar to how compression sleeves work.

Why is this important?

The body stiffens joints to protect itself so you don't get injured, it's not going to let up unless you mentally allow it to and you help it along with resistance or careful instruction from a certified professional. And if you're lucky to have an athletic trainer or a physical therapist with you, they can manually move your joint for you to encourage mobility.

Do not attempt manual movement of your joint with your hands on your own!!!!!!!! Use a resistance band with a coach there to carefully watch the movement taking place.

So what does this mean for you?

It means this.

1. Try seeing if muscles are/are not firing correctly first and in the right order. If not then find the right cues and drills to help you do this to improve the movement you are trying to achieve.

2. Try strengthening the muscles around a movement you are trying to achieve along with flexibility training to see if that improves the movement (active AND passive flexibility first).

3. If the first two don't work, then try mobility drills for the joint itself and see if that will help you improve overtime.

Movement quality is a long-term process that takes dedication to improvement and significant time. Like the saying goes, "if you don't use it you lose it."