Creating a Home Field Advantage
In over 10,000 NCAA 1-A Football games, the home team won 59.97% of the time. From body paint to crude taunts, teams and fan bases will go a long way to create any sort of edge to increase their probability of success. In 1979, the head coach of Iowa football, Hayden Fry went as far as painting the visiting locker room pink in an attempt to create a psychological hindrance to the opposing team.
Are we providing a home field advantage for our clients?
In our client interactions, there is an internal and external component to home field advantage. These less considered factors live outside of the xâs and oâs but can have a strong impact on whether you and your client achieve your collective goals or if no showâs, decreased adherence, or frustration derail a process. They ultimately can determine the client’s readiness for the interventions you are throwing at them.
Gruden grimmace + Red Scare= Powerful home field advantage
External âHome Field Advantageâ
This is the environment that the client finds themself in. Do they feel welcomed, secure, and safe to learn? Does the environment create an impression of where the process intends to take them? Do they enjoy being here for 30-90 min 1-3x/week? â Picture a geriatric client walking in for a first training session with no weight training experience. They are nervous and unsure if this is going to be appropriate for them. They have been goaded into giving it a shot by their kids but are very concerned about the potential for injury. Imagine them walking into a musty gym with death metal and dropping barbells shaking the walls. Is this person inclined to double down on their fears or jump in to the experience with both feet? This environment will likely create an extreme âaway gameâ experience. This is not to say it cannot eventually become a home game, however, the initial resistance will likely be high.
Of course, a home field advantage for some is an away game for others. We must curate our experience as best we can to fit the clientele we serve. Home field advantage is more than the color of the walls or music playing. Itâs a timely reply to a phone call. Itâs the tone of voice and a smile. Itâs allowing the person to feel heard. And ideally, making this a place they look forward to coming to. Our initial encounter should be centered around optimizing this environmental perception for the client. It will set the stage for the process to come, and just like with a sporting event, increase your probability of success.
Internal âHome Field Advantageâ â â
This is the person’s physical and mental state. Is the body ready to spare resources for adaptation? If the kitchen is on fire, this may not be the best time to build that new back porch addition. For many pain problems in our clients, the rate limiting step may be general levels of fitness. We may be unable to create the adaptations needed because they simply cannot yet tolerate the work it will take to do so. Their internal environment is always an âaway gameâ any time the stimulus is applied. The threatened body rejects it like a gas station hot dog. We need to first create an internal environment that is ready to handle adaptation. We need to produce a âhome field advantageâ.
From the perspective of motor learning, we can prime a home field advantage through aerobic training. It has been shown that as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise before or after a learning stimulus increases the amount of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain. BDNF is like fertilizer for sprouting new neural connections. BDNF thus increases the potential for motor learning in an individual, increasing your probability of success. Now howâs that for a home field advantage?
BDNF is a primer for motor learning
Addressing these variables as needed and modifying or even stepping away from the rehab or training process temporarily to create an internal and external home field advantage can sometimes be the best call. â We must adapt the environment to the person in front of us and be their biggest fan. No body paint required.â â
– Dr. Anthony Iannarino; Site Director, Rehab 2 Perform – Bethesda
FUEL UP
Book: Strength Training Manual: The Agile Periodization Approach by Mladen JovanoviÄ
- This book is a critical thinker’s field guide to programming. It addresses the short falls of classic periodization methods and recommends an updated adaptable approach. In this thorough and enjoyable read, JovanoviÄ will challenge the way you develop training or treatment plans.
Article:Criteria Based Return to Sprinting Progression Following Lower Extremity Injury Lorenz D, Domzalski S. Criteria-based return to sprinting progression following lower extremity injury. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2020;15(2):326-332.
- This meta-analysis looks at overall physical activity levels as it applied to relative injury risk. The populations discussed were highly heterogenous, but the overall findings suggest that physical activity effectively reduced sports related injuries across all populations. This effect was proposed to be greatest with strength training, while stretching showed no positive effects.
Social Media Follow: Alvin Dike @robtrainsystems
- Alvin provides practical exercise options for athletes and adults as well as on-court rehab progressions for basketball players. Alvin does a phenomenal job of providing the why and the how behind his chosen tactics.
Podcast: E3 Rehab Podcast Episode 29: Financial Advise for Healthcare Professionals with Will Butler
- The E3 crew interviews âthe financial physioâ Will Butler. Will is a PT turned financial advisor who specialized in helping healthcare professionals feel more comfortable with money and develop a financial âplan of careâ. Willâs understanding of the PT world allows for many useful analogies to help healthcare students and professionals better understand financial health. This is a great listen for students and new grads looking to form a plan to tackle student debt and maximize savings.
OK, now is your time to register and check out the Strength in Knowledge Summit, available through February 21st!
