Sport Parents Flexibility: 7 Ways to Avoid Emotional & Physical Damage

Mar 15 / Stacey Nemour Flexibility Master /Martial Artist © Protected material for not reuse without direct permission

During my flexibility session with ballet dancer

 




Sport parents, here are  7 ways to avoid emotional and physical damage for all child athletes and performers.  . This applies to children participating in any sport or performing arts.


As an International flexibility master/martial artist specializing for 3 decades in mobility, injury prevention/recovery, mental coach, and sports performance. I am passionate about shedding light on solutions that sports parents may avoid unnecessary  physical and emotional pain.  

 7 Ways to Avoid Emotional & Physical Damage:

1. Balance- Allow downtime for processing, rest and recovery.

2. Passion-Make sure this is your Childs desire not the parents’ projection of unfulfilled dreams.


3. Flexibility Training-Is the key to performing at highest capacity, injury prevention and recovery.

Before and after flexibility results with rhythmic gymnast elbow stand in splits in after pic she has massively improved splits and back arch

Results after my flexibility session via Skype with Rhythmic gymnast Anna. Her Mother was relieved to see these pain free results after seeing her daughter go through painful outdated methods with her previous coaching center

4. Sleep-Nine to ten hours of continuous sleep helps with muscle memory. Without it, the sport-specific muscle techniques athletes spend hours training for won't stick as well. Increased sleep results in better reaction times, coordination, and split-second decision-making.


5. Let go- Give your child time and space to get into their body and connect with their inner senses to learn how to improve performance by not aggressively coaching from the sidelines.

6. Good Sportsmanship- Winning is performing better than your former self. Only offering rewards when the child or team wins sets everyone up for disappointment.

7. Choice of Coach- Is the coach a terrifying monster. But, highly regarded in some way? Many parents allow emotional and physical abuse by ignoring the signs.

 Delving deeper into 7 ways to support your child athlete:

1. Balance: Do not put your child in every after-school activity out there. To avoid burn-out, children have downtime to play and repair in between practice.

2. Passion: Encourage your child to choose the sport that they are passionate about. It should not be out of duty to make the parent happy. It helps to look within and ask yourself am I living vicariously through my child to fill the voids in my life. Is this to impress others?

3. Flexibility: The bar has been raised Flexibility, Mobility training is one of the most overlooked critical pieces of sports performance, injury prevention and being able to perform without pain.

If your child is suffering from being to tight it is impossible to perform with clean alignment and full range of motion with out strain and discomfort.  See 7 Best Stretches to Improve Flexibility Now

This is not the coaches fault they were never taught about the right way to increase flexibility. It is a specialty within itself.  The solution is to hire or purchase outside help to get a custom program. I offer private flexibility  in person via Skype or pre-filmed online course options.
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Results during my flexibility intensive session with national champion in Tae Kwon Do Aryan.

4. Sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential for growth and allows the body to recover and repair from the day's activities. These functions of sleep are especially important for young, developing athletes, who are exerting themselves physically on a daily basis – and a good night's rest can make all the difference in their athletic success. Children need more sleep than adults. A child athlete needs even more sleep for the body to process and repair with today’s demanding schedules sleep deprivation

5. Letting go: I don’t allow parents to watch my masterclasses & privates. I have learned from three decades’ experience by not having any energy leaks in the room yields the highest results possible and the parents receive everything they paid for and more!

6. Good Sportsmanship: Take all the pressure off by taking away by only giving value to winning. The more relaxed a child is the better they focus if approval and happiness are completely connected to outcome.

7. Choice of coach: Not all coaches are equal. Find a coach that is aligned with the students’ wellbeing. Even if the coach/instructor is the most sought after, do not ignore clear signs of abuse in any way that harms or terrifies your child.


More about the author Stacey's work: Flexibility coach to top athletes: Olympians, professional dancers, Cirque Du Soleil performers, established actors, pro soccer, NBA players, gymnasts, track & field, figure skaters, hockey players, UFC champion Victor Belfort and Carlson Gracie Team and more! As a professional martial artist she used her understanding of how to maximize range of motion with perfect alignment performing as an action actress: including a guest lead on “Power Rangers”  and  in video games. Stacey has contributed over 30+ articles to the Huffington Post and has been featured in many publications.

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  Stacey Stretch Strap, Stacey Posture Strap & Yoga Blocks

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From my flexibility session via Skype with elite gymnast Isa

Get the full program to transform your flexibility!
What's your level? Flexibility Master Class Series

Remarkable changes after 1 flexibility session figure skater on ice holding skate with leg up behind her. ballerina splits leap & 3 other dancers increased range of motion

Flexibility tools for top performance 

Matt:

The back doesn’t like a hard floor. Area with some clear wall space (walls and chair provide support)

Yoga Blocks:

There’s no reason to skip out on a deeper stretch or the perfect yoga pose just because your flexibility isn’t quite there yet. Yoga blocks are one of the most useful accessories for beginners, but even advanced yogis love using yoga blocks for support in poses where it's needed. 

                                                  Stacey Posture Strap:
The Posture Strap can be used by anyone. The benefits include better posture, decreased stress and tension, less joint and muscle pain, greater energy, increased breathing capacity, great for frozen shoulder and torn rotator cuff. All you need to do is slip it on, cross the straps in back, pull it up and feel your body begin to straighten as you control the tightness with the Velcro. With regular use your shoulders will shift back giving you a taller, straighter appearance. Good posture is the body language of confidence and health.

 

Stacey Stretch Strap:

I cannot stress enough what an effective tool the strap is to increase flexibility, range of motion, and improves recovery of the muscles. Efficient way to stretch your upper and lower body with clean alignment to create new muscle memory. When I researched the market, I found the straps to be lacking in the essential elements of the correct level of resistance, tension. It also needed to be soft yet strong enough material to not painfully dig into skin and with the correct length and number of loops to suits all ages & heights. So, I created it myself! 

 Calf Master Stretcher:

The Bob will increase speed, strength, ankle mobility, and vertical jump. It strengthens and stretches muscles, tendons, ligaments, helps treat plantar fasciitis, and is the ultimate lower leg solution. This simple, yet effective, device will relieve your pain in no time. It also strengthens and tones the calves, as well as trains your core.

No matter how much you stretch, sore muscles and Achilles’s tendons can hold you back.

But there’s an innovative way to stretch every muscle in your lower body with this Calf Stretcher. Whatever the fitness levels, the calf stretcher can be used by anyone. You can target your calf muscles at both ends of their stretch range and Achilles tendon as well as the back of the knee to aid post workout recovery.  

What is differentiates this calf master is that rocks back and forth to also work your core while delivering an excellent stretch to your calf muscles. It also improves vertical jump height, clears shin splits, and helps clear tender Achilles, foot, and lower leg pain.

Stretch before or after workout?

Despite the claims that stretching before a workout is not recommended, after working with athletes for thirty years and myself as a professional martial artist I have experienced otherwise.

 If you are performing a sport, martial arts or dance that requires an extreme range of motion stretching beforehand will allow better performance with good alignment and help prevent serious tears and injuries. If using elliptical or stationary bike or a less demanding workout as far as requiring a lot of flexibility stretching after while body is warm is highly beneficial.

My flexibility training programs are a workout within themselves it is good to take days just training with my intensive courses are their own

Young dancer holding leg out to side above hip in before pic. After pic she's able to hold leg up by her ear

Get unstuck

If you go to dance class, soccer practice, martial arts class any practices with no solid flexibility training routine offered, progress may be limited,

Many times, coaches tell the student they will never be flexible, leaving them devastated. Only because the coach truly does not know how to help the student safely increase flexibility.

Before young girl not able to do splits 6 inches away. After she's past the splits over-split with yoga block under her front footFlexibility for all levels. kickboxer kicking bag, break dancer on toes & soccer player in air kicking ball
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