Inner Athlete

🚨 Helmets don't stop concussions.

It's one of the biggest myths in youth sport.

While helmets are excellent at preventing skull fractures and serious head injuries, they can't stop the brain moving inside the skull - which is what causes a concussion.

If you're a youth athlete, parent or coach, understanding the facts could make all the difference.

🎙️ In Episode 148, we break down the latest concussion technology, what it can (and can't) do, and what every family should know to help keep young athletes safer.

Listen now and share with someone involved in youth sport.

𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝘀 𝗬𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 💪
Isometrics are muscle contractions where the muscle produces force without changing length or creating movement. They're a valuable training method for athletes of all ages, helping improve strength, tendon health, joint stability, pain management, and force production while exposing the body to very little movement-related stress.
Although both are isometric contractions, overcoming and yielding isometrics have different purposes and can be programmed to target different performance outcomes.

📋 Overcoming Isometrics
Push or pull as hard as possible against an immovable object.
• Improves maximal strength and neural drive.
• Increases force production at specific joint angles.
• Best held for 2–10 seconds with maximal effort.
• Great before heavy lifts or explosive training to prime the nervous system.

📋 Yielding Isometrics
Hold a fixed position under load while resisting movement.
• Builds tendon strength, joint stability, and positional control.
• Improves strength in deep ranges of motion.
• Typically held for 20–60+ seconds depending on the goal.
• Ideal for rehabilitation, injury prevention, warm-ups, and accessory strength work.

👉Incorporating both into your program is a simple and effective way to build stronger muscles, healthier tendons, more resilient joints, and better athletic performance.

How do we make youth sport safer without changing the game beyond recognition?

Concussion is one of the biggest challenges facing sport today. Parents, coaches, and sporting organisations all want to protect young athletes, but where is the balance between reducing contact and preserving the skills, competition, and enjoyment that make sport so valuable?

In this clip, Prof. Alan Pearce discusses the challenge of finding that middle ground — improving athlete safety while maintaining the integrity of the game.

The goal isn't to eliminate sport. It's to create environments where young athletes can develop, compete, and thrive while reducing unnecessary risk.

For parents of young athletes, this conversation is an important reminder that athlete safety isn't about one rule change, one piece of equipment, or one protocol. It's about making informed decisions that support both performance and long-term health.

𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🦶
As athletes, we often focus on training the big muscle groups, but performance starts from the ground up. Improving foot and ankle function can lead to better movement efficiency, improved force transfer, reduced injury risk, and enhanced athletic performance.

💡 Regular foot care can help reduce the impact of tight muscles, stiff ligaments, and restricted ankle mobility, while improving overall foot function. This is especially important for athletes dealing with issues such as plantar fasciitis, previous ligament injuries, ankle stiffness, or those constantly wearing narrow boots and shoes during their sporting season, which can limit the foot's natural movement and strength.

🔑 Focus Areas:
• Improve ankle mobility and range of motion.
• Reduce stiffness through the foot and lower leg.
• Strengthen the muscles that support the arch and ankle.
• Improve balance, stability, and proprioception.
• Enhance force absorption and force production.

📋 Exercises Featured:
• PVC Pipe & Lacrosse Ball Release – Helps reduce stiffness through the plantar fascia, calves, and surrounding soft tissues while improving foot awareness.
• 1KB Ankle Dorsiflexion Mobilisation – Improves ankle range of motion, allowing athletes to achieve better squat depth, landing positions, and acceleration mechanics.
• Heel-Toe Walks (Dorsi Fx, Plantar Fx, Inversion + Eversion Focus) - These variations strengthen the muscles surrounding the ankle while improving control through multiple movement planes.
• Single-Leg Slackboard Balance – Increases stability demands, challenging the foot, ankle, and hip to work together to maintain balance and proprioception.
• Squat Hold on PVC Pipes – Encourages greater stability demands through the feet, ankles, and hips to maintain balance

👉 This routine can be used as part of a warm-up, recovery session, or alongside your regular training

🚨 Concussion isn't just an elite men's sport problem.

It happens every weekend in local footy, netball, soccer, basketball and community sport. It affects boys and girls, men and women, professionals and first-time athletes alike.

Yet many parents still aren't sure what concussion looks like, how it should be managed, or when it's safe to return to sport.

We sat down with Professor Alan Pearce, one of Australia's leading concussion researchers, to discuss what every sports parent needs to know about concussion, brain health, and why proper management matters.

Whether your child plays representative sport or local weekend competitions, this conversation could change the way you think about concussion.