Movement Is not ‘Fitness’

By Allistair McCaw

Movement Is not ‘Fitness’. Movement is a separately taught and specialized skill. Getting ‘fitter’ doesn’t always translate to moving better

Movement is a skill. Very different to ‘fitness’ or making someone fitter or faster. Teaching game specific movements is a learned skill. You need to understand the game, the mechanics, the way the athlete moves with a bat, racquet, stick, etc..

It’s a big part of the reason why I have taken courses and qualifications in coaching the actual sport, to better understand the whole picture, the strokes, the movements, the complete unit.

One thing movement/fitness coaches must understand and respect, is that when you try to start changing an athletes footwork/movement patterns, you are inadvertently changing stroke mechanics. The body works as a unit, it’s not segregated. Drills don’t make a better athlete, correct skill execution does.

Understandingly, players (and their coaches) get nervous the minute a fitness/movement coach starts trying to change movement patterns when it’s so closely linked to the stroke mechanics.

I have seen many a trainer lose his/her job by trying to change movement patterns. Tread lightly trainers, you’ve been warned.

A big area that still is not understood well enough in athlete performance training, is that to move better you need to hire someone who has the skills and know-how to help you move better.

Know your place. Don’t try to change things unless you understand the whole picture, not just your area of expertise (be it fitness etc..).

It’s taken me years and years to learn and to respect what you should/can do and what you leave to the experts.