tips for improving posture and balanced positioning?

[jkjenning]

Just finished with the first camp of the summer and have compiled a list of target areas (i.e. pick out the major areas of concern "I was told about") and am planning how to address each area. One major need is undoing 40+ years of walking with posture that is defined by a sagging head. I'm going to google this topic but thought this forum would be a good source of insight into how to address posture. I am moderately tall (a tad over 6'1", which means I look like one of the really short guys on an NBA court!).

The only back pain I've ever experienced is when I try to "stand tall" during games, which tells me I am probably 'standing tall' incorrectly, but figuring out how to correctly stand tall is a bit of a challenge [too old to join the military!]. I find it to be a bit disorienting to hold my head high because I am used to having the floor directly under me in my peripheral vision, but now that's gone!

The other piece that seems to go with posture is standing with balance. I have gotten much better at this, but still notice some tendency to lean rather than move my feet for the best angle. I think that if I work on a balanced stance then I will conquer any tendency to lean... I believe that working on posture is a good step towards standing with balance. I do feel a bit disoriented, which is distracting, and there is muscle tension, etc. which I take as a sign that I do not quite have it right yet. My search of threads on this forum did not turn up anything specifically useful.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.

[ChrisSportsFan]

Couple of ideas from someone who's 6'6". If you're a member of a healthclub that has huge mirrors, you can look at your posture there while walking/moving. As far as leaning, that's just a bad habit you've got to break. Take some games in a local summer tournament and tell youself that's what your going to work on today. After 2-4 games, you can take care of it if you focus.

[Junker]

I had to work on slouching early on myself. I never had any back pain as a result, so I'd hate to comment on that part. To fix my posture, I just concentrated on keeping my shoulders back while I ran. I agree with the other post that tournaments where you work 3 games or more in a day are a great time to work on this stuff. I find that when working a ton of games in a day, it helps build the habits. I often tell my partner or partners what little thing I'm working on and ask them to keep a bit of an eye out for it. Then during dead ball situations I'd ask if they've seen improvement. This worked will with my posture and my facial expressions (I'm a teacher and have a tendancy to look a little grumpy out there). This summer I'm working on calling violations and fouls with my courtside hand.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by Junker

This summer I'm working on calling violations and fouls with my courtside hand.

I wonder if everyone knows what you mean; I use different terminology, but the same thing.
This is a small thing, but something worth working on IMO. Out of 100 games, maybe 10 evaluators will notice it and only 3 will care, but it will not hurt.

[Junker]

I was at a camp over Easter Weekend and that was one of the few mechanics comments I got. It can't hurt to work on it. I'm getting more comfortable with it already already. I consider it a small thing that might set me apart from some other officials in some evaluator's and assignor's eyes.

[Snake~eyes]

Originally Posted by Junker

I was at a camp over Easter Weekend and that was one of the few mechanics comments I got. It can't hurt to work on it. I'm getting more comfortable with it already already. I consider it a small thing that might set me apart from some other officials in some evaluator's and assignor's eyes.

Agreed, I don't think it will hurt you but some evaluators will notice and it could help you out.

[tomegun]

To the OP, someone gave you a good suggestion to go to a gym and work in front of a mirror. If you have a gym with treadmills facing a mirror, use them! It sounds like you have to develop your "referee's" running style and posture. When standing think "taller" and never plant your feet. Constantly work to get open angles and work your primary like you are teetering on the brink of disaster. It will come, somewhat.

[AZ_REF]

I was told to put a lot of weight on the balls of my feet to improve my posture and give me a more athletic look.

[Raymond]

After seeing myself on tape last year I realized I had to change my running style and my stationary stance.

I established my new running style by stealing from Olandis Poole (we're about the same height) and one of my local guys who always looks like he's running faster than he really is.

I put my military training into when I'm stationary by keeping my shoulders back, chest out, and stomach in.

[ChuckElias]

Posture was one thing that a D1 ref mentioned to me last summer. I've made a concerted effort to improve in three specific areas.

1) When standing during play or during a TO, I just try to remind myself to stand with my shoulders back and head up. Even if I have my arms crossed (during a TO), I try to keep my shoulders back. During play, I have a tendancy to lower my head as I'm concentrating. So I've just had to remind myself to keep my chin up.

2) When reporting to the table, I used to put one foot in front of the other and sort of lean toward the table. It just looked stupid. So I just make sure that I stand squarely on both feet, straighten up and try to look bigger than I am. (And here's a pre-emptive "shut up" for Dan. . .) This is something that was pointed out to me and corrected several years ago, but I see lots of officials doing it.

3) When running, in order to maintain a more athletic posture, I've started running with my hands at shoulder level at all times. This looks a little like a sprinter in a track meet. They run straight up and they keep their hands up high. This is what I try to emulate.

I think I look a little better out there now. Do any college assignors actually care about that stuff? I don't know, but I think it's helped my presentation on the court.

[jkjenning]

Thanks for the replies - I've extracted these suggestions and will 'try them each out'. I think this is a good area for concentrated focus during the early summer. I'll work at videotaping officials who carry themselves well and use that to help me correct my own posture. I run with my fists closed, something recommended to me some months ago, but have never thought of running with them at shoulder height - interesting. I figure I'll make use of videotape off the court to lay the groundwork and then see how well it translates when on the court [more tape!].

One interesting quote from a Google hit:
"Balance your head like a basketball. Try to balance your head on top of your spine instead of using your neck muscles to hold your head up. Almost like you would balance a basketball on your finger."
...this sounds like good advice to keep in mind, since standing with good posture should not produce a stiff neck (mine is a bit stiff right now!).

There is also a good book reference "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue - he gives various exercises, many of which are designed to help you relax muscles that should not be used during certain movements, and has an insightful philosophy on how the wrong response to pain is to stop moving - you should learn to move correctly (some muscles may be in tension when they should be relaxed and this causes the joints to misalign and results in pain) and continue to move more.

[blindzebra]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Posture was one thing that a D1 ref mentioned to me last summer. I've made a concerted effort to improve in three specific areas.

1) When standing during play or during a TO, I just try to remind myself to stand with my shoulders back and head up. Even if I have my arms crossed (during a TO), I try to keep my shoulders back. During play, I have a tendancy to lower my head as I'm concentrating. So I've just had to remind myself to keep my chin up.

2) When reporting to the table, I used to put one foot in front of the other and sort of lean toward the table. It just looked stupid. So I just make sure that I stand squarely on both feet, straighten up and try to look bigger than I am. (And here's a pre-emptive "shut up" for Dan. . .) This is something that was pointed out to me and corrected several years ago, but I see lots of officials doing it.

3) When running, in order to maintain a more athletic posture, I've started running with my hands at shoulder level at all times. This looks a little like a sprinter in a track meet. They run straight up and they keep their hands up high. This is what I try to emulate.

I think I look a little better out there now. Do any college assignors actually care about that stuff? I don't know, but I think it's helped my presentation on the court.

Running with raptor arms.

Arms up but relaxed when you run.

Arms down when you aren't moving, with elbows slightly bent and with your weight on the balls of your feet.

One thing that helps me is that you run faster when you don't try to run faster. It's like swinging a golf club, the easier and more relaxed you swing it the faster the clubhead moves. If you really muscle up to kill the ball, you actually tense up and loose power. Running is the same way. Run tall and relaxed.

[rainmaker]

As to posture, here's how I have been working on mine. Instead of thinking about my shoulders or back, I think about my belly. If I pretend like I'm trying to make my back and my belly touch on the inside (this will never actually happen!! but it's how I imagine it), I find that everything pretty much everything falls into the right place. By pulling both belly and lower back in, I'm not artificially curving one or the other, and my spine seems to be much straighter, so my shoulders aren't dropped. To get my head in line I try to line up my eyebrows so that I"m not frowning, and not "questioning". If my head is in the middle of that, my chin's about right. Experiment in front of a mirror. That's the fastest way to get it right.

[ChrisSportsFan]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

As to posture, here's how I have been working on mine. Instead of thinking about my shoulders or back, I think about my belly. If I pretend like I'm trying to make my back and my belly touch on the inside (this will never actually happen!! but it's how I imagine it), I find that everything pretty much everything falls into the right place. By pulling both belly and lower back in, I'm not artificially curving one or the other, and my spine seems to be much straighter, so my shoulders aren't dropped. To get my head in line I try to line up my eyebrows so that I"m not frowning, and not "questioning". If my head is in the middle of that, my chin's about right. Experiment in front of a mirror. That's the fastest way to get it right.

"To get my head in line I try to line up my eyebrows so that I"m not frowning, and not "questioning". If my head is in the middle of that, my chin's about right."

Do what???????????

[jkjenning]

Originally posted by rainmaker
By pulling both belly and lower back in, I'm not artificially curving one or the other, and my spine seems to be much straighter, so my shoulders aren't dropped.

Practiced this all day today -> very good advice - thanks!
It will be important to make good posture a habit so that striving for good posture while on the court is not a distraction from the game. The same sort of distraction occurs when first learning 3-person because I'm focused somewhat equally on the court coverages and the action on the court.