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Archive for “Functional Movements” Tag

Young Athletes: Flexibility versus Mobility

 

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Young Athletes Priorities

by Mike Robertson

 

What is the difference between Flexibility and Mobility?

I’ve always used the Bill Hartman definitions; they go something like this:

 

Mobility – Range of motion under specific circumstances (specific)

 

Flexibility – Range of motion about a joint (non-specific)

 

So mobility is specific to a certain movement – i.e. you need a certain amount of hip mobility to squat, lunge, etc.

 

In contrast, flexibility is non-specific – i.e. you lay someone on their back and stretch their hamstrings.  This gives you an idea of their flexibility, but it’s not specific.  Just because they have great hamstring length doesn’t mean they’ll be able to perform functional movements properly or without compensation.

 

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