Beyond Fascia – Biotensegrity in Sport

by Lisa Babiuk

There is nothing more awe inspiring than to see a human perform a feat that defies anything anyone has done before.  We could all share a story of something that we saw, something someone has done that was amazing, that made us feel an emotion that quite probably inspired us to move in some way.  Moment by moment we are all humans doing a great many things in an infinite number of ways that motivate each of us every day.

For this conversation, the focus will be about sports and athletes, the things accomplished through practice, trial and error or defeat, all to conquer a moment in time and then to challenge it all again as we aspire higher.  Typically the person who most exemplifies the sport, has the most success or overcomes all odds is analysed; every angle, degree or force that created the outcome is measured so that others may have the same or even better results. There are two significant problems with this process – there are no two humans the same and we never move the same way twice.  With so many variables at play, it is impossible to replicate an outcome.

Based on biomechanics, sports conditioning and training is limited by a dated and reductionist view based on linearity and predictability.  The body, as a whole, functions as a dynamic and complex system influenced by the forces of tension and compression intrinsically, while responding to external forces.  These two different perspectives, biomechanics and biotensegrity, when applied can produce very different results, not only in performance but also when addressing causes of dysfunction and pain. (1)  

What does this mean in application?  By observing the efficiency in movement and response to external forces rather than focusing on alignment which is usually determined by a preconceived ideal, an athlete’s skill development is more refined. For example, in baseball, a common complaint with a hitter’s form would be “dropped hands”.  My first question: where was the ball when the batter swung the bat?  Is the batter dropping his hip and not the hands?  Does the batter roll out on the edge of the back foot?  Where is the integrity lost throughout the system that this is the resulting motion which creates a less successful outcome for the batter? The variables change with every experience; if we create the structural integrity, the system responds more efficiently.

When we consider the type of training athletes engage in to increase performance and decrease injury there is cause for great consideration.  Most of these practices are based on the linear biomechanical system and may dampen force transmission through the body making movement less efficient, inhibit an athlete’s ability to adapt and over time create repetitive movement strain leading to chronic injury.  There is a rise in rate of injury in athletes with the believed issue to be overuse and over training. If the training supports an athlete more appropriately, these issues will be reduced while performance and ability increase, enabling the handling of any challenge, regardless of the variables. (2)

To be clear, rotation/counter-rotation is happening within the body’s very own nature; it is not something that exercises are going to create, but rather is an approach that supports and promotes these natural rotations/counter-rotations, inspires expansion and recoil, and gives integrity to movement that gives rise to continuous motion supporting apparently effortless skill.  If we consider that baseball player in the previous example, a lack of pronation in the ankle can impair the movement all the way to the opposite shoulder or even the wrist, changing the outcome of the swing completely.  This may be difficult to conceptualize in our minds because how can that small rotation create such a big problem?  

We do not have to be performing at a high level in sport to apply these principles to everyday movement, and by understanding refined movement for an athlete we can take their response and feedback to support anyone in movement practices regardless of their station in life.  When we as movement professionals develop the skill of observation in movement, individualized approaches are simply integrated into practices that support performance and longevity.  Move well, feel inspired.

References:

1. Moving beyond Vesalius: Why anatomy needs a mapping update – Graham Scarr, Leonid Blyum, Stephen M Levin, Susan Lowell de Solórzano
2. Biotensegrity Is Needed in Athletic Training Professional Education – David Tomchuk, DAT, ATC, LAT, CSCS; Barton E. Anderson, DHSc, ATC

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