Flanking Fitness Part 1

Flanking has been used throughout history in wars, political campaigns, and economic depressions.  The United States was founded on flanking with the Boston Tea Party, the Green Mountain Boys (C'mon I'm a Vermonter), and our militia.  Flanking is an indirect solution in order to achieve a direct result.  If we went head on with the Red Coats during the Revolutionary War, we would have most definitely lost.  Instead, we had farmers ambush from the woods and use unique tactics in order to achieve the same result.  Flanking is the essence of thinking creatively and "outside the box."

If Mel Gibson can't do it..... Chuck Norris can.

So how do we do this in performance training, fitness and youth sports?

Speed

RFESS or Bulgarian Split Squats

Facing it head on: Practice sprint mechanics and doing more sprints. 
Flanking: Power and strength work in the weight room. Single leg work, deadlifts, core work, mobility and motor control will all improve speed on the field.  If a kid has weak hips, all the sprint mechanic drills won't fix that, but doing the right things in the weight room will lead to tremendous gains. 

FMS (Functional Movement Screen)
Facing it head on:  Improve movement by practicing the "big 3" screens.
Flanking: Use correctives on the "little 4" that will indirectly improve the big 3 and movement in general.  Soft tissue work, stretches, mobility and RNT/motor control are all flanking the direct issue.  The entire Joint by Joint approach is based on a flanking idea.  Where ever the pain is, look above and below the joint.

90 seconds gets twice the results

6 Pack Abs or "Getting Lean or Toned"
Facing it head on: Do situps and crunches or buy a bull$*&T product from an infomercial. 
Flanking: Delete the negatives from your diet (grains, sugar, and processed food), eat more veggies and lean meats, do full body strength exercises, and add some high intensity intervals.



Eliminating Joint Pain
Facing it head on: Surgery, pain killers, and braces.
Flanking: DNS, SFMA, ART, Graston, chiropractic work and the dozens of other therapies that address soft tissue, the neurological response and treating the body as a whole unit.  The therapy and clinical world is completely founded on flanking pain.


Youth Fitness (obesity, participation, and physical culture)
Part 2.........