If  your trying to improve your performance on the field, regardless of your sport,  there are some things you should know.  All sports require strength, balance,  flexibility, and mental acuity to  get the kind of results your looking for , so here are a few things that will help you along the way.. in your quest for better performance and lesser injuries. Later I will go into detail.

• Good Nutrition- A diet that contains” high quality” Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates.  By Quality I mean Organic. Also,  your nutrition ought come from plant sources  mostly. Meats and dairy contain higher concentrations of pesticides, herbicides, etc., that damage the organs, and get stored in body tissues. Most athletes have higher protein needs,  there are a variety of plant based proteins available.  Incidentally, eating from a variety of foods is a good idea, this helps make sure your getting most of what you need, also, changing foods helps reduce food allergies.
• Sleep- The body just does not do well without it. Get your 6-8 hours. If you wake up feeling tired, your probably not getting enough sleep. The body regenerates itself while you rest, that helps you to recover faster.
• Strength, Balance, and  flexibility are all related. Your balance will be effected directly by the strength of your muscles. Your muscles work in pairs. For example, your bicep and triceps,  for one muscle in the group  to “work” (contract) the other muscle must relax or stretch, this allows for free and graceful movements to occur. When this mechanism  is not working right you may experience a muscle cramp or spasm, or perhaps a loss or Range of motion (the amount of movement in a joint).  Say your playing football, wide receiver running a pattern,  your triceps muscle are too tight in relation to your bicep, so you may not be able to straighten your arm fully and you drop the intended pass as it airs out just beyond your reach. Perhaps you have full range of motion but because the muscles are unbalanced your movement is slower, less graceful, you drop the ball. The answer…..balance all muscle groups of the body. See muscle balancing Post (coming soon)

In the 21st century man’s best friend may no longer be the dog,  it may turn out being the Tennis ball. While the dog may still provide love and affection, the Tennis ball may provide for needed  muscular relief.  In the absence of, or as a supplement to getting a Massage,  the ball used correctly, can reach out of the way muscles with ease.  Proper use of this round little helper makes this fuzzy friend most efficient.  When I say “proper” I mean that you let gravity do the work. Essentially, in one form or another,  sit on it! Let your body weight provide the needed pressure.

I would suggest we start by putting three tennis balls in an old sock, tie the end of the sock so that the meany greenies are tightly compacted. From time to time you may have to tighten the sock up again, and or replace balls that have gone flat from use.

You can start with your feet.  Let me walk you through it…..