What does a shoulder injury have to do with sprint performance?

Danny Foley examines how a shoulder injury can influence trunk rotation, coordination, and overall sprint performance.

What does a shoulder injury have to do with sprint performance? Potentially, quite a lot. In this extract from the Team Speed Coach Certification, Danny Foley examines a fascinating case study involving an exceptionally fast and powerful athlete preparing for the NFL Combine while managing a significant shoulder injury. What initially appeared to be an isolated upper-body problem revealed a much more complex picture. Reduced right arm movement was influencing trunk rotation and coordination, contributing to altered mechanics at the left hip and increased loading through the right ankle. The challenge was understanding how these relationships affected the athlete's ability to express speed — and determining where to intervene. In the full lesson, Danny takes you through the athlete's assessment, the mechanical constraints identified, and the performance therapy strategies used to support his preparation. The central takeaway? When we assess an individual body segment, we also need to understand how it interacts with the rest of the system. A critical reminder that effective speed development requires us to look beyond the obvious, particularly when working with athletes managing injury. ------ 🎓 This is one example of the many applied case studies explored in the Team Speed Coach Certification, developed by ALTIS in partnership with Stuart McMillan, Les Spellman, and Danny Foley. Across six months, we bring together three complementary perspectives: how to think about speed, how to develop it on the field, and how to support the health and readiness required to sustain it. ⏳ Level I Cohort 2 begins October 19. Just 3 days to go. Join us for the next intake. 🔗 loom.ly/u1Uvkgg