Feldman Physical Therapy & Performance + Kingston Stockade = Winning Team
Feldman Physical Therapy & Performance is honored to have been chosen to join the staff for the new Kingston Stockade Football Club soccer team, with me, John Nunez, as Director of Sport Performance and Rehab. I’ve been a lifelong soccer player, trainer and coach at many levels throughout my career and am thrilled to be given an opportunity to bring our clinic into the American Soccer Pyramid. Both Justin Feldman and I are eager to implement our progressive treatment approaches and performance models to set a new standard of care for competitive athletes.
After a few weeks of crossing t’s and dotting i’s we’ve kicked things off with new Stockade FC Polo shirts! I see the stylish new gear as just one of the many perks of working with a semi-professional sports team.
So what do we do besides sport our new “staff” badges? The main role of Director of Sports Performance and Rehab is to care for the physical well-being of the players. This means developing and implementing fitness, recovery, nutrition, rehab and self-care guidelines for the team both on the field and at home. We need to fill in the gaps between practice days so the players stay fit, healthy, and ready for game day, which is why I’ve taken an active role in providing treatment and management for the players at practices and games.
At practices it is important to implement effective recovery techniques following games and kick-start any necessary rehab for injuries. Training sessions are the best time to educate players on newer and more effective fitness protocols. Believe it or not, many people still think that static stretching is the best way loosen a tight muscle before playing. It’s a common practice but one we can help modify for better results.
Prior to games many players have found manual techniques beneficial to assisting warmups and improving performance. Sometimes there isn’t anything better than a good muscle-energy technique or joint mobilization to improve mobility and reduce pain or tightness. Tissue work, kinesio taping, rolling and mobilizing all are aimed at improving players’ performance at game time.
In addition to using physical techniques to improve performance, speed, post-injury recovery and minimize injuries, we will be using apps such as Coaches Eye and Edufii to manage fitness/injuries with strength and mobility. This allows us to upload video content and analyze it in real time, even when we are not with the players. They can have the peace of mind knowing their experts are only a click away. We have found huge success managing client’s home programs with this technology and are excited to bring this to the Stockade.
In the future we will be monitoring off-season training and utilizing pre-participation screening tools, such as the FMS or Y-Balance, to identify individual player’s risk of injury. This will allow us to give each player a personalized plan to mitigate risk of injury and maximize performance. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about!
The reality is many players have other jobs with odd hours and long commutes. They have no choice but to pack a lot of high-intensity work into only two weekly training sessions to be ready for game day. Sound familiar?
We want all of our clients to understand that every athlete—entry level, amateur or professional—can benefit from having a professional oversee the seemingly minute details of his activity. Many of the most important details are small and often overlooked. Why not catch training-related mistakes before they happen?
The health and fitness industries are very dynamic, which is why Feldman Physical Therapy and Performance is happy to be on board with another fantastic organization. We continue to lead the charge combining rehab and performance in the Hudson Valley and have found great success using our progressive treatment models. We are confident in taking the reins for the physical needs of the Kingston Stockade FC players to once again reinforce the new standard for rehab specialists.
The Kingston Stockade plays all home games at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Come support this awesome grassroots team and see us in action! #wearstockade #FeldmanPT&Performance