Taking Concussion Prevention a Step Further

Even though concussions have been under scientific scrutiny since 1870, very little is understood about concussion prevention. Most of the research related to concussions has been on improving diagnoses and treatment, leaving a large gap of knowledge that I believe to be critical for the progress of combat sports and other contact sports. Any cursory search for concussion prevention strategies will lead you to topics like protective gear and policy change but almost nothing on training strategies to decrease your likelihood of concussion. If you are interested in becoming more concussion-proof, read on and get ready to implement some fun new drills and concepts into your arsenal.

So far, the most clinically understood form of concussion prevention training is visual training, so I will spend most of my time in this area. According to the studies I found on visual training and concussions, individuals with greater visual perception receive fewer and less severe head injuries. However, this finding has only been significant in collegiate football player populations and similar studies have not yielded the same results in other sports or levels of play. That being said, as more studies are performed on different populations I am sure that people with greater visual abilities will prove to be safer than someone with lesser vision. The common understanding for how higher visual perception decreases concussion is due to a players ability to evade a collision or brace for impact. Obviously, if you can see a collision coming, and get out of its way, you'll be safer. What's less obvious is that shaving a few milliseconds between the time you perceive an impact and brace for it could be the difference between a concussion and a strong thump to the head that your system can manage.

So how do you train the visual system to be better at perceiving impact? You improve your reaction time and do your best to understand what you are reacting to and which reactions will yield the best results.

Reaction Time:

I am sure you can think of some sports specific drills for this but I'll provide some broader concepts so that you can apply them outside the box and a few examples in my chosen arena of combat sports (particularly striking).

ARTT vs VRTT (Audio Vs Visual Reaction Time Training):

The difference between these training methods is probably pretty obvious just by reading the names. One style uses audio queues to alert the trainee to perform whereas the other uses visual queues. In combat sports, audio queueing can be useful but perhaps not as much as visual queueing. The only applicable situations I can think of would be receiving a command from your corner that needs to be enacted quickly, or responding to a grunt or kiai from your opponent. Either way, using auditory queues for training is just another way to quicken an individuals response to external stimuli, which is what reaction training is all about. Next time you are training for speed try this drill:

Stand in front of a heavy bag or partner holding mitts. When your partner gives you an auditory queue (like "go" or "strike" etc.) snap out a strike as fast you can. Your aim is to decrease the amount of time between the sound and the strike. This drill can be done completely still if you are just looking to isolate your speed but I would recommend moving as if you were in a fight. Since I am reporting on concussion prevention, its also important to add that this drill can be done for defensive techniques as well. Upon hearing your queue from your partner you can duck, lift up your guard, parry, step back or do whatever defensive maneuver your wanting to work on with as much speed as possible.

A VRTT drill will look similar to an ARTT drill with the one difference of using visual stimuli to provoke the trainee to react. A common examples of this in boxing is the use of foam pool noodles. The noodles are swung at the trainee and they respond with the appropriate techniques. This drill is one of my favorites because it can be trained at a live speed with limited danger. Many gyms also utilize colors on a board or a thrown object to increase the variety of the drills. For example, a coach could shout colors to a trainee that has to touch a colored circle on a board as fast as possible, or a trainee has to dodge red balls but catch blue ones that are being thrown at them. Personally, I think that using color queues wont apply as well as using positional or movement based queues (like an opponent moving or exposing a vital area) but in the end, speed is speed and you should do what you can to decrease your reaction time. If you are looking for a more specific drill to improve reaction time in striking, give these two a try:

First, its very important to find a neutral place to focus your eyes. Attempting to focus on different moving parts of an opponent can lead to slower reaction times if you are not looking where you need to be looking at the critical moment. To remove this obstacle, I tend to focus my eyes between an opponents collar bones to see a cross made up of their collar bones and center line (think spine). I do this so that everything I want to see is within my peripheral vision and no movement goes unnoticed. Next, clarify one to three strikes (you can do more if you want) that you intend to practice and the corresponding visual queue needed to alert the trainee to strike. One example I like to train is to teep an approaching opponent before they fully shift their weight forward to strike. So, what I am looking for is my opponent to step closer, any backwards or side to side motion will be ignored unless I am practicing other techniques that use those motions as queues. I used this an example because it provides offensive and defensive benefit to train. If you are looking to train something more specifically defensive, perhaps learning to duck or pull-back when a round punch (haymaker or hook) comes sounds better. For this drill I recommend practicing slowly in the pocket and gradually increasing the speed until you feel comfortable training at live speeds. If you are using the focal point I described earlier, then the only queue you need to see is the horizontal part of the cross (the collar bones) starting to rotate towards you. You don't have to see the hand or any specific structure of the arm, the earliest sign the strike is coming will be closer to the center line. As soon as the collar bone breaks the frontal plane, assume the strike is coming and perform your desired reaction.

There are many other examples of reaction time training that involve computers and other machinery but don't let that discourage you from attempting to train your reaction time. As long as you have a willing partner, you can accomplish similar if not the same results.

Please note that no form of training will completely eliminate the possibility of head trauma. All you can do is decrease the likelihood of it happening and improve your ability to heal. Stay tuned for more information and discussion surrounding concussions.