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Sports Conditioning for the Knee

This program has been developed to provide a comprehensive guide to the conditioning of the knee for sports participation.  Following a specific program of exercises for the knee, on a year round basis, will help to reduce the risk of injury to the knee joint.
 
Since 2/3 of knee injuries in sports are non-contact in nature, most knee injuries occur as a result of situations where there is a sudden knee imbalance caused by cutting, turning, twisting, stopping, jumping, landing from a jump or other high-speed, high-force athletic maneuver.
 
An effective knee-conditioning program should be focused on providing exercises and drills to develop coordination, balance, strength, speed, power and quick reactions in the knee and knee joint muscles.  In addition to the development of strength in the knee muscles, drills to enhance and train controlled knee joint actions at high speed and force need to be specifically trained for the mechanics of cutting, turning and stopping, as well as jumping, landing and run/jump transitions.
 
Five components of the knee training program:
1. Warm-up
2. Flexibility and stretching
3. Strength training
4. Speed/ Agility training
5. Jump/ Plyometric training
 
Keys to success in training:
1. Focused effort and concentration when training
2. Always use proper form and technique
3. Quality workouts on a consistent basis
4. Avoid over-training

 

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