So I taught a workshop to a bunch of trainers last night (...all of them averaging about 2 years in the field). My 3 hour workshop was on assisted stretching...actualy putting your hands on a client and performing some flexibility drills (static & PNF). I noticed alot of trainers are not comfortable stretching out their clients --even with proper cueing, hand placement, and professional composure.
What do you think is the reason why alot of new trainers are uncomfortable stretching their clinets? Lack of confidence? Liability issues? Injury fear?
When we did assisted stretching on people at TKD I was initially slightly wary about doing them any harm or pushing them too far. I guess for a trainer all the reasons you mentioned would be applicable but especially the liability/injury fears.
Now I wouldn't be worried about doing it at all, they're going to yelp long before you do them any major harm.
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Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.
I would say it is from lack of experience, plain and simple. Like everything else, unless you do it everyday, you are not going to become better at it and never comfortable. A lot of trainers have a hands off approach when it comes to clients.
What good is "assisted stretching" for a healthy individual. If you are using an outside force to provide the stretch, how would that improve the person's active range of motion? Just because a martial arts guy can touch his knee to his nose with assistance, does not mean that he can kick through that range of motion. Shouldn't the goal of stretching be, to have strength through the whole range of motion?
Body odour....that was a joke by the way....leastwise an attempt at humour.
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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. -- Sidney J. Harris
I perform assisted stretching on people all the time. Mostly PNF or AIS following the workout. I am very confident of my training style, so I generally make my clients feel comfortable with my being in their personal space. One thing that helps if you feel like they have space issues is to professionally explain to them that you need to perform certain stretches, which requires you to be in their personal space. They always say yes, but it puts the choice in their hands.
I perform assisted stretching on people all the time. Mostly PNF or AIS following the workout. I am very confident of my training style, so I generally make my clients feel comfortable with my being in their personal space. One thing that helps if you feel like they have space issues is to professionally explain to them that you need to perform certain stretches, which requires you to be in their personal space. They always say yes, but it puts the choice in their hands.
Assisted Stretching
Linear Mode
