Functional Mobility Assessment

How:

Hands over your head, and reach

Purpose:

Upper-back and shoulder mobility for relaxed swimming and a clean recovery/entry.

Question:

Are you able to touch your hands on each side of your body? If not, are your hands the same distance apart, or is one side further apart than the other?

 

How:

Sit against a wall, knees at 90 degrees, push your butt into the wall and tuck your neck into your chest. Arms above your head with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, and hands towards the ceiling with palms facing out. Try to have elbows and back of hand touching the wall, and press your chin to your chest. Slide your arms and hands up the wall.

Purpose:

Shoulder rotation is critical for the early vertical forearm catch. The level of stress on the shoulder is determined by hand position, body rotation, width of catch and pull. But too many protections and compensations can lead to power loss. We need internal rotation to achieve the most dynamic positions and create the most powerful arm angles.

Question:

Can elbows and back of hands touch the wall and be pushed over your head?

 

How:

Get down on "all fours". Place one hand on the back of your head with your forearm parallel to the ground, using your mid-back and while keeping your hips "locked" in place, rotate in the direction of the arm that is on your head.

 

Purpose:

Thoracic spine mobility is an extremely important, and often times overlooked, component to a variety of dysfunctions. Poor thoracic mobility can affect the shoulder, neck, low-back, and hips.

 

Question:

Can you get your elbow vertical (relatively perpendicular to the floor)?

 

How:

Stand with your back against the wall and your feet approximately one foot out from the wall (measured at the heel). Ensure that your rear-end, shoulders, and head are all in contact with the surface of the wall. Ask a friend to place their palm against the wall and attempt to slide it between your back and the wall, just above the waistline. Make note of the size of the gap between your lower-back and the wall.

 

Purpose:

To measure the degree of rotation/tilt in the pelvis. A pelvis that is rotated anteriorally is indicative of tight hip flexors and a weakened abdominal wall.

  

Question:

Is the space between your lower-back and the wall greater than two inches? 

How:

With feet approximately shoulder-width apart, and while maintaining straight legs, bend at the waist, as far you can - without straining yourself - and attempt to touch your toes. Make note of how close you are able to come.

 

Purpose:

This test is designed to test the range of motion for your hamstrings. To see if the hamstrings are stopping you from the full range of motion, due to weakness or just lack of motion.

  

Question:

Are you able to come within one-inch of touching your toes? 

How:

Lift a foot off of the floor, such that the knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. With your knees still touching one another, squat down. Pay attention to the position of your standing- knee as you squat down.

  

Purpose:

This test is designed to assess the degree of rotation at the hip. The more severe the outward rotation of the feet, the higher the score given. There are a few problems that could be going on here but it is usually a combination of weak glutes (in particular the glute maximus) and tightness in the TFL (Tensor Fascia latae) and ITB (iliotibial band) on the outside of the thigh. When too tight, these two tissues work together to inhibit the glutes from preventing internal rotation of the femur (upper thigh).

 

Question:

Does your knee fall inward, outward, or remain stable?

How:

Sit on the floor with heels down and point your toes to try to touch the floor.

 

Purpose:

Ankle Flexibilty it critical to a propulsive kick while swimming

 

Question:

How close do toes get to floor? Are they greater than a 45-degree angle from heal-to-toe, versus floor?

How:

Place both arms above your head. Place your feet just outside of shoulder-width. Squat down as far as you can go, while trying to keep your arms overhead.

*Use of a bar or a ball is optional.

 

Purpose:

This test can actually be used to assess several different things all at once. First of all, you can assess your flexibility around the hips and ankles. It can also uncover potential strength imbalances between the muscles that act on the medial (inside) and lateral (outside) aspects of the knee. Finally, it can also be used to determine if you rely too heavily on your quads during squatting type movements.

 

Question:

Are you able to get your thighs horizontal with the floor, or even lower?