...ift is associated with increased stride length and therefore considerable attention is given to exercising the hip flexors. However, they are usually not exercised against resistance and consequently there is unlikely to be any appreciable strength increase.

Hip flexor strength is directly relevant to a range of activities in football. Kicking a ball is a complex coordinated action involving simultaneous knee extension and hip flexion, so developing a more powerful kick requires exercises applicable to these muscle groups. Strong hip flexors can also be very advantageous in the tackle situation in American football and both rugby union and rugby league where a player is attempting to take further steps forward with an opposing player clinging to his legs.

In addition those players in American football and rugby who have massively developed quadriceps and gluteus muscles are often unable to generate rapid knee lift and hence tend to shuffle around the field. Having stronger flexors would significantly improve their mobility.

It is commonly asserted that marked strength disparity between hip extensors and hip flexors may be a contributing factor in hamstring injuries in footballers. It is interesting to speculate on whether hip extensor/flexor imbalance might also be associated with the relatively high incidence of groin injuries.

Other sports where increased iliopsoas strength would appear to offer benefits include cycling, rowing and mountain climbing, in particular when scaling rock faces.

The problem in developing hip flexor strength has been the lack of...more

Those Crazy Football Rules

...Those Crazy football Rules

While we wait the couple of weeks before the Super Bowl, we can chat about how Pittsburgh and Seattle taught everybody else how to play football.

Do you watch March Madness? The team that ends up with the trophy is the one that has the endurance. Some years ago, Utah was in the final game. They pooped out before the end of the first half to my utter disappointment having spent 8 years of my life at the University of Utah.

March Madness, of course is basketball. football is the more rugged game which would have been explained and described by Charles Darwin if it were invented in his day. However, American football came from Rugby. Thats the game where all the players have had their teeth knocked out but still love the game. Only the most fit survive.

I loved football when I was a kid. My mother would not let me put on the high school football uniform with all of the pads, helmet, and other protective devices. Because of that, those of us non-players went to the church grounds and played on the lawn without any uniforms with the safety gear. Our seaso...more

Soccer Team Positions and Strategies With 3-5-2 Set Up

... constantly communicative team.

The 2 inside players are usually defensive in their roles but will become part of the attack when their team has possession. They will generally use the central midfielder to create plays and control the tempo of the game.

The single central midfielder is usually the one who makes the play and communicartes to the team the attacking possibilities.

This individual can also be considered the captal of the team.

Forwards;

These are the main ggoooooooooooalll scoring machines. The ones who react to the ball quickly and...more

England? You Must Be Kidding

...

In the days that followed Englands qualification for Germany 2006, Sven Goran- Eriksson, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen all said that they think England can win the World Cup. But, in my humble opinion yet again, although they have some highly talented and gifted players, I doubt they have a good enough team to do it. Look back at England s overall performances throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and you can see just what the team lacks, and why England will not win the World Cup next year. A great team is built not just with technical ability (of which England have absolutely loads), fame and fortune but also passion, teamwork, commitment, tactics and personality, (all of which England desperat...more

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