Feb 17 2005, 07:36 PM
I noted with interest the lively discussion on this board regarding proper stretching exercises pre-match. I am a firm believer in stretching and find that good stretching leads to good flexibility which leads to good form. Typically I will stretch the morning of a match with my partner. We do a series of dynamic stretches which include lunges that often work us up into quite a lather. I realize that to some, stretching can be a dirty business and that�s why I�ll often spend the evening prior to vigorous stretching by baking gluten-free treats that I can use to reward my stretching partner for their dedication to both our psychic and physical well-being.
Post stretching my partner and I will do visualization training to help us prepare ourselves for the match�Now while there are five categories of visualization training; we will typically concentrate on motivational general arousal imagery because it seems to work best for our psyches�
We typically will top off our stretching and visualization with a vigorous preventative rubdown that really gets the blood flowing throughout the body. A house-keeping hint here folks: I like to lay down a section of painter�s tarp beneath us so as not to stain carpets or flooring with liniments or sweat�
Unfortunately all our precautions haven�t kept me from harm�s way: In fact, just last year I initially pulled a hamstring while helping to load a hutch we found at a delightful little shop in the Hamptons. While I had thought I had undertaken all the necessary precautions and proper physical therapy before returning to our fields of play, I subsequently suffered repeated trauma to the hamstring that I�m certain resulted in lost distance. I determined that the hamstring needed added support and I found that by wearing a pair of stockings. I use a pair of stockings with reinforced toe and heel as I will often switch back and forth between tennis shoes and sandals. I found that without the reinforcement, the stockings took quite a beating while wearing sandals. Obviously neither silk nor fishnets were appropriate to this particular athletic endeavor and while those have their place in any wardrobe, the typical disc golfer will likely find nylon to be more practical and sturdy over the long run.
After utilizing the stockings I noticed several positive side effects:
� My legs didn�t have that saggy or bloated feeling that they might have had otherwise late in a match.
� With the right color sheers my legs didn�t have that pale, pasty look in the fall, winter, and early spring months�
� Perhaps it was just me but I noticed the cellulite I was concerned with subsided, and I like the way my legs looked in the mirror. (My partners most hardily agreed!)
One downside that I�m still wrestling with: Between my stretch shorts and my stockings I feel very �constricted� when in my crouching �ready-to-launch� position: To that end I have been experimenting with a slight modification to my stockings that involves the use of a garter belt type of system wherein I can attach my stockings to a garter placed strategically beneath my stretch shorts. I�d like to open this up to the group now and I�d like to know what you folks suggest as ways to avoid what I call RHS or Repetitive Hamstring Strain?
Post stretching my partner and I will do visualization training to help us prepare ourselves for the match�Now while there are five categories of visualization training; we will typically concentrate on motivational general arousal imagery because it seems to work best for our psyches�
We typically will top off our stretching and visualization with a vigorous preventative rubdown that really gets the blood flowing throughout the body. A house-keeping hint here folks: I like to lay down a section of painter�s tarp beneath us so as not to stain carpets or flooring with liniments or sweat�
Unfortunately all our precautions haven�t kept me from harm�s way: In fact, just last year I initially pulled a hamstring while helping to load a hutch we found at a delightful little shop in the Hamptons. While I had thought I had undertaken all the necessary precautions and proper physical therapy before returning to our fields of play, I subsequently suffered repeated trauma to the hamstring that I�m certain resulted in lost distance. I determined that the hamstring needed added support and I found that by wearing a pair of stockings. I use a pair of stockings with reinforced toe and heel as I will often switch back and forth between tennis shoes and sandals. I found that without the reinforcement, the stockings took quite a beating while wearing sandals. Obviously neither silk nor fishnets were appropriate to this particular athletic endeavor and while those have their place in any wardrobe, the typical disc golfer will likely find nylon to be more practical and sturdy over the long run.
After utilizing the stockings I noticed several positive side effects:
� My legs didn�t have that saggy or bloated feeling that they might have had otherwise late in a match.
� With the right color sheers my legs didn�t have that pale, pasty look in the fall, winter, and early spring months�
� Perhaps it was just me but I noticed the cellulite I was concerned with subsided, and I like the way my legs looked in the mirror. (My partners most hardily agreed!)
One downside that I�m still wrestling with: Between my stretch shorts and my stockings I feel very �constricted� when in my crouching �ready-to-launch� position: To that end I have been experimenting with a slight modification to my stockings that involves the use of a garter belt type of system wherein I can attach my stockings to a garter placed strategically beneath my stretch shorts. I�d like to open this up to the group now and I�d like to know what you folks suggest as ways to avoid what I call RHS or Repetitive Hamstring Strain?