Incorporating Coordination and Fascia Training
In the world of strength and conditioning, it is easy to limit the scope to simply lifting weights and performing conditioning or speed training. However, as a strength and conditioning coach it is equally as important to incorporate a wide variety of training methods to mitigate injuries. An often controversial topic is “coordination or fascia training,” a style of training that has been popularized by Frans Bosch and many others. This style of training is indeed abstract, but can be extremely beneficial when paired with conventional training methodology.
Coordination training is often focused on decreasing muscle slack, improving length tension relationships between muscles and tendons, and maintaining optimal joint angles; this allows all connective tissue to work together to produce and absorb force effectivley. Once coaches understand the positions they want to achieve or train with an athlete, then they can manipulate the variables to achieve the desired result.
This style of training is often seen with athletes performing exercises using bars with bands and weights dangling, aqua bags or balls, or uneven and/or differing height surfaces. The goal of using all these different tools is to challenge the body’s system of finding coordination in movement. All of these tools add perturbation to the system, which in theory, forces the body to find proper positions and create proper tension coordinating force through all the different levels of connective tissue and fascia. Remember, it is important to determine what positions are important for your athletes and their position of sport. A needs analysis should be completed for your athletes to determine what is necessary and then apply these training techniques.
There are some issues with implementing this type of training. First, your athletes may feel goofy, uncoordinated, or unsure when performing movements with bands or aqua bags. But having a firm understanding of how this type of training works and how to implement it can aid in buy-in with these exercises. From my own past experiences, incorporating these exercises into activation drills or on non-lift days can be beneficial and may decrease injury occurrence.
Second, it can be time consuming and take up a lot of space to set up all the bands or organize boxes in a certain way. However, incorporating these before lifts or on non-lift days can clean up some of the organizational aspects that may be limiting.
Does it actually work? In my opinion, the answer is yes. I have been implementing this style of training for over 5 years, and, when combined with a solid conventional training program, the incidence of injury has been very low. This is due in part to the importance of finding ways to challenge athletes using a variety of different training strategies . Studies on this type of training are often inconclusive because it is very difficult to analyze this system in a controlled environment of testing. With that being said,I think the best way to see if it works is to try it for yourself and see what the experiment shows.
Overall, coordination based training in-season is a great way to mitigate soft-tissue injuries. It is important to do research on this topic and learn the underlying principles to ensure proper execution of these exercises. Understanding the demands of athletes in their sport and their specific positions can also aid in the implementation of this type of training. Test it out and let us know what you think of this style of training!
In Good Health,
Mark Jesse Jr., MS, CSCS-RSCC, USAW-2, PN, RPR
Books and Articles for Reference:
- Schleip, R., & Wilke, J. (2021). Fascia in sport and movement.
- Van Hooren, B., & Bosch, F. (2017). Is there really an eccentric action of the hamstrings during the swing phase of high-speed running? part I: A critical review of the literature. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(23), 2313–2321. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1266018
- O'Connor J. Can muscle co-contraction protect knee ligaments after injury or repair?. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1993;75-B(1):41-48. doi:10.1302/0301-620X.75B1.8421032
- Rutherford, O.M., Jones, D.A. The role of learning and coordination in strength training. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 55, 100–105 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422902
Clark, M. E., McEwan, K., & Christie, C. J. (2019). The effectiveness of constraints-led training on skill development in interceptive sports: A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 14(2), 229-240. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954118812461
