Banff Coaches Conference Recap
I was invited out to Banff to speak at the Banff Coaches Conference. It was such a treat to have the opportunity to spread the injury prevention knowledge to the top coaches in Canada. Chris Neve, who is the organizer of the event and the head coach of the Canadian Youth National Climbing Team was an amazing host. He picked two Americans to present at the conference, myself and Mike Anderson, the developer of the Rock Prodigy Training Method. I was honored to be a part of the event. The conference is timed perfectly to match the opening of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. I stayed at the Banff Center and had the treat to witness sunny days and snowfall in the same trip. Fresh mountain air, good food, great people and an excellent trip. I would for sure go back.
Day 1: Dynamic Warm-up and Daily Prevention
I taught a dynamic warm-up that mirrors climbing positions on the wall. Participants were introduced to activation exercises and taught how to incorporate their use into your warm-up routines. They will learned to use a variety of equipment such as resistance bands to strengthen antagonist muscles that oppose the most common movements during climbing. They learned a highly effective injury prevention program that can be performed in under 10 minutes a day. They were also introduced to common movement pattern mistakes that climbers make and you will problem solve positons on the wall to decrease the stress on the body.
Teaching the large group a dynamic warm-up
Coordinating the movement pattern of a rose move with Mike Anderson by showing how thoracic mobility can limit range of motion.
Party Time
Day 2: Prevent the 10 Most Common Climbing Injuries
Coaches learned to how to identify and prevent the ten most common climbing injuries. These included but were not limited to belayer’s neck, shoulder impingement, rotator cuff strain, lateral elbow pain, medial elbow pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, triceps tendonitis, biceps tendonitis, pulley sprain and collateral ligament sprain. Coaches built upon your knowledge of movement patterns from the first session and learned how to change how you move to prevent these injuries. They learned youth specific considerations for climbing including warning signs of overuse injuries, weight training vs body weight vs band exercises, growth plate fractures and how to prevent common youth injuries based on gender and age.
Preparing the room for lecture
Mike Anderson presenting youth considerations for climbing
With Mike Anderson, developer of the Rock Prodigy Method.
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In the end, it was an excellent trip. I gained a deeper insight into the realm of indoor climbing and competition climbing and was able to develop great bonds with a new group of people. As climbers, we are all bonded by our common passion. Everyone was psyched after the seminar and I am glad that I was able to make an impact.
- Disclaimer – The content here is designed for information & education purposes only and the content is not intended for medical advice.
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