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Player Intro
It was a normal evening pickup basketball game during my junior year of college. I was playing defense. My man attempted to get by me. I stuck my left leg out, planting to slide over in front of him. As he continued to move, his leg and mine collided, buckling my planted knee inward. Falling on the floor, I could only hope that it wasn't a serious injury. I tried to keep playing on the next possession, but had to take myself out of the game. I just couldn't put weight on that left leg to jump or move laterally. I never got it diagnosed, but now I realize that I had injured my MCL.
In the next few days, I tested what movement was still available to me. My hallmates were in the middle of going through Insanity workouts, but I couldn't do any of the jumping moves without feeling like my knee was caving in when I landed. Sand volleyball was out; the unstable surface didn't even allow me to move pain-free. I wasn't even ready to test the basketball courts yet.
What a discouraging next few months. Movement and stability that I took for granted were assessed gingerly, not knowing whether the next impact would land me on the ground in pain, or with my knee repeating the same twist as that initial injury. I wore a brace on my knee for the first time, and I needed it during any physical activity just in case.
Gameplan
As I began to recover and test what my new physical limits had become, my goals adjusted accordingly. Previously, I had set out to jump high enough to dunk. Now I couldn't even jump without risking pain. Keeping to my original goal would have just been discouraging and driven me to give up on recovery.
Dan John, strength and fitness coach and author, explains goal-setting in this way: instead of setting A-Z goals ("the mother of three who wants to look like the cover of a fitness magazine in six weeks"), we can focus on A to "Not A." He states that when we strictly focus on A-Z goals, "little steps are going to feel like failure."
Focus on A to Not A
Instead of setting lofty goals immediately and feeling like a failure when I don't attain those goals right away, I was unconsciously mimicking John's model of seeing where I was in the moment, and knowing "I don't want to be here." When I evaluate myself that way, any progress is good progress, because I'm moving away from my current state.
Eventually, I began to be able to play any sport comfortably with the knee brace on. I could lift again, and go about my life pretty normally, albeit carrying a new accessory with me everywhere.
At one point, I became used to this new normal of wearing a knee brace any time I geared up for any physical activity. The next step then became weaning my knee away from the support of the brace. It was a scary process because I knew the pain that re-injury risk that came with not wearing the brace when I was making explosive or athletic movements. Again, though, if I had just focused on not wearing the brace, I would have been scared away from the process of getting rid of it.
I focused on training my lower body, strengthening my entire posterior chain through kettlebell work and increasing flexibility by focusing on stretching and increasing range of motion. This was a months-long process of breaking up with the knee brace: 6am workouts before work that felt agonizingly slow because I had to learn new exercises with a new piece of equipment.
At times, there didn't seem to be a purpose to all of this; couldn't I just resign myself to wearing this brace forever? It wasn't a major investment, and would make me feel safer when exercising. I discovered that I'm not willing to settle for the limits that it placed on me. I felt unable to use my body the way I wanted because the brace was always reminding me of my physical boundaries and weaknesses. So I continued with the process of learning, re-training, and growing.
I'm not willing to settle for the limits
As strength and stability slowly increased, comfort level grew as well. I don't remember the first time I went to the basketball courts without even bothering to pack my knee brace, but I know the feeling of liberation as I found I could move freely again without it. By sticking with the steps to recover, I not only broke away from this injury that had nagged at me for years, but found greater athleticism and physical abilities that I hadn't even dreamed of when I started the process. It required focusing on the next step in front of me each day, though, not looking at the mountain of goals looming over me.
Transformation does not happen overnight, and it's been a long process getting to this point. By placing value on the intermediate steps, I discovered a passion for the day to day process of improving. Lifting sessions became enjoyable and a place of peace amidst challenge. Each game of basketball is a celebration of that success and that process. Patience, and taking both the long and short views, have made this all possible for me, in sport and in life.
Those who know me have probably realize that I have a lot of ideas. It seems that each year leads to new ideas and ambitious projects. I've tried changing and documenting dietary habits, recording from a home studio, initiating community athletic groups, becoming a kettlebell coach and supplementing my counseling practice this way, and numerous attempts at writing a consistent blog. Some of these have fallen by the wayside, some are still in process. What has been true of all of these, however, is that as soon as I've started, I've realized that there are always more barriers and steps than I had initially envisioned.
Recording required more equipment, time, and know-how that I just did not have, changing my diet required more willpower and time for prep, and working to build a community athletic group is still in process, but has hit a bit of a standstill in regards to becoming self-sustaining. All of these can be looked at as excuses, but they are real barriers that can be overcome. What it takes is moving step by step.
Instead of focusing on the fact that I have to complete 10 modules of 30-40 minute lectures, record videos of myself completing the moves described, learn anatomical features and knowledge that I have zero background in short of having a body, and completing a final exam in order to become a certified kettlebell coach, I focused on one module at a time. By finding an hour here and there, I was able to consistently take notes, watch videos, record, and write until I now have my certification. It still took some serious work over two or three months, but focusing on each little bit of progress sped up the process more so than agonizing over how much there was still left to do.
Likewise, I could look at parenting and despair that I still have 18+ years to go of being responsible for a child (some argue that it goes longer than that), or I can focus on what I can do today to be a better parent; how can I show love and patience today, how can I teach today, how can I engage today? That becomes much less daunting to approach, even when tantrums are thrown, reason gets tossed out the window, and there seem to be no good options left.
Focus on the next step in front of me
The principle remains the same; focus on the next step in front of me so that I can keep moving forward. I have a big picture destination in mind, but I don't need to stare at it and hope I will one day magically appear there. Each day is a move towards that goal, and I will eventually make it, savoring the process along the way.
Execution Today's video lesson revolves around the functional movement of the squat. The athletic stance that is required for so many sports derives from the squat, and squatting well leads to many benefits for athletes of all levels.
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