You're not thread jacking by any means. Your comments are helpful and exactly why I started the thread to discuss .
Yes, I think you are right on discussing muscle imbalances. Right side / left side are one form of imbalances that could lead to issues. Also a single leg by itself can have it's own imbalances (quad dominant, tight/weak hip flexors, weak hamstrings, weak glutes, etc). These type of issues are very hard to isolate (this is where DD is right now). It is not easy to target glutes since most prescribed exercises still allow the dominant muscles to do most of the work thus widening the imbalance.
In what I've read, the posterior drive chain is a fickle beast. Either you have it working (could be weak or strong), or you could be broken (maybe from a history of ankle injuries). If it's working, continued sport specific training improves all the muscle groups correctly (for the most part). If however yours is broken (for whatever reason), continued sport specific training could likely lead to even larger muscle imbalances thus making it even harder to recover from.
For athletes, every year is a filter. Every year more low performers drop out. Every year kids who haven't kept up in strength development face a tough decision to quit or to keep working, even though they might be stuck on the bench.... The athletic nature of sports continues to filter out people with posterior strength issues. Because of this, I don't think that many kids ever recover from major glute activation issues... No one knows to look for it. Even if they do, it is very hard to diagnose, isolate, and correct. Furthermore continued sport specific training with the issue makes it even less likely to get fixed.
These kids still improve but at a handicapped pace compared to the rest of the field... IMO these kids eventually quit and take up a new hobby and go through life none the wiser...
Would you say an imbalance of the muscles also contributes?
Yes, I think you are right on discussing muscle imbalances. Right side / left side are one form of imbalances that could lead to issues. Also a single leg by itself can have it's own imbalances (quad dominant, tight/weak hip flexors, weak hamstrings, weak glutes, etc). These type of issues are very hard to isolate (this is where DD is right now). It is not easy to target glutes since most prescribed exercises still allow the dominant muscles to do most of the work thus widening the imbalance.
In what I've read, the posterior drive chain is a fickle beast. Either you have it working (could be weak or strong), or you could be broken (maybe from a history of ankle injuries). If it's working, continued sport specific training improves all the muscle groups correctly (for the most part). If however yours is broken (for whatever reason), continued sport specific training could likely lead to even larger muscle imbalances thus making it even harder to recover from.
For athletes, every year is a filter. Every year more low performers drop out. Every year kids who haven't kept up in strength development face a tough decision to quit or to keep working, even though they might be stuck on the bench.... The athletic nature of sports continues to filter out people with posterior strength issues. Because of this, I don't think that many kids ever recover from major glute activation issues... No one knows to look for it. Even if they do, it is very hard to diagnose, isolate, and correct. Furthermore continued sport specific training with the issue makes it even less likely to get fixed.
These kids still improve but at a handicapped pace compared to the rest of the field... IMO these kids eventually quit and take up a new hobby and go through life none the wiser...