Watching the highlights of the French open in May, reignited my interest in fascia, which I looked into a decade ago, but failed to grasp it’s significance in human movement. Fascia is the connective tissue found in all parts of the body that enables movement and is a major part of the body’s sensory capacity, The way that these two top athletes move, brings into question the training methodology for our sport as few of us move like them no matter how much we train. Is there something missing in our understanding of Chain Reaction Biomechanics in all three planes of motion ,as the way we are designed to move in upright function? There is, it’s the role of Fascia, which I will explain in layman’s terms, Part 1 what it is, Part 2 what it does in human movement and Part 3 the benefits of adding fascia specific training to boost your exercise regime.
Fascia
It’s the collagen and water based connective tissue that runs throughout our entire body giving it shape and structure and comes in many forms serving different functions in the body.
Our focus is on movement and therefore muscle fascia in the musculoskeletal system. It’s made up of protein and water with it’s exact structure determined by it’s function and location in the body.
All of these fascia forms are the building blocks of the body and are made of the same material. Think of a mesh of connective tissue like an internal wetsuit which can be stretchy or dense and resistant to tension and tearing in some places and soft and loose in others, but all made of the same material, protein and water, but in different proportions.
Collagen and Elastin are the proteins as they have the properties of structure through densely packed fibres and elasticity through fibres that stretch and return to original shape.
To simplify the complexity of Fascia, in it’s various forms in the body, I will focus initially on it’s properties in the musculoskeletal system but those properties also apply to fascia in other parts of the body performing various other functions.
I’m working my way through “Fascial Fitness” by Robert Schleip who seems to be near the top in a collective of therapists, medical practitioners, movement professionals and coaches who have come to see the vital role fascia plays in movement and have developed training methods that focus on that role.
The Four Basic Functions of Fascia.
The best way to think about the four basic functions of Fascia is to see them as continuum with four dimensions or a closed circle with four segments as each segment is connected and mutually dependant.
The segments are:
Shape: to encase, cushion, protect and give structure, it’s how your body holds together under your skin.
Movement: to transfer and store energy, maintain tension and stretch, it’s the body in function
Supply: to metabolise energy, transport fluid and carry nutrients, to maintain structure for function
Communication: to receive and transmit stimuli and information, there are more than twice the number of receptors, that feed information, in the fascia than other parts of the body like muscles and skin. It’s an integral part of the proprioceptive system.
Please see this clip of the most beautiful stroke in tennis that demonstrates the chain reaction in human movement. In Part 2 I will discuss the role Fascia plays in producing such seemingly effortless fluid movement
The back foot in the groundstroke
https://youtu.be/FGgNwP-mxXE?si=K_iebr34lKquZLYP
So much of online tuition is concerned with particular parts of a stroke with little understanding of, or emphasis on, the chain reaction design of the body in upright motion, in all three planes of motion.
Vaughan Ebrahim
LTA Level 4 Senior club Coach
Gray Institute, Movement Specialist, CAFS2013, 3DMAPS 2017, FGS, FT 2023