Are primitive reflexes hindering your sport performance?

Do you often feel unbalanced or uncoordinated when playing certain sports? Have you ever struggled with throwing and catching a ball? Maybe even the swing of a tennis racket feels uncomfortable.

If this is the case, your sport performance may be hindered as a result of retained primitive reflexes. 

Excelling in sports involves a myriad of factors, from dedicated training to mental resilience. However, retained primitive reflexes are an often overlooked factor that may be affecting performance. In particular, the persistence of the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) can pose challenges to achieving peak performance. Let’s delve into how these primitive reflexes might be holding you back from achieving your full athletic potential.

What are primitive reflexes?

Primitive reflexes are involuntary movements present after birth in early child development that facilitate survival. They provide the foundation for all motor coordination skills and are essential during infancy to develop head control, muscle tone, sensory integration, and visual development. The primitive reflexes, however, should have a limited lifespan and be inhibited within the first year of a baby's life. This integration permits the development of more sophisticated neural pathways involved in the control of voluntary action and response.

What is the ATNR? 

The ATNR is a primitive reflex that is responsible for automatic limb movements in response to head turning. This reflex facilitates early motor exploration in infancy and contributes to muscle tone development. The ATNR is often called the ‘fencing reflex’ due to the fact when a baby is lying on their back, and their head is turned to one side, the arm on that side will extend while the opposite arm will flex in towards the body – it looks like they’re challenging their opponent!

The continued presence of the ATNR can interfere with the unilaterality of brain function. This manifests in homolateral (one-sided) patterns of movement and challenges in doing movements that cross the centre of the body, like reaching across with hands, looking to the opposite side with eyes, or crossing one foot over the other. It means there might be difficulty in smoothly performing actions that involve crossing over the middle of the body.

Persistence of the ATNR into childhood and adolescence may indicate potential motor challenges. For a child engaged in various sporting activities, this could pose great difficulties and hinder their performance in the following ways: 

1.     Impaired coordination: the persistent ATNR reflex may interfere with the ability to smoothly coordinate movements. In tennis, players often need to quickly turn the head to track the ball whilst coordinating movement with their arms and legs. A retained ATNR reflex can disrupt this smooth coordination and hinder the execution of precise movements. 

2.     Difficulty with cross-pattern movements: many sports often require coordinated movements that involve crossing the midline of the body. The golf swing involves a complex sequence of movements, including rotation of the torso, coordinated arms and hand motions and weight transfer. The ATNR, if not properly integrated, can interfere with these cross-body movements, impacting the ability to generate power and fluidity. As well as this, golf requires a stable head position during the swing to ensure accurate alignment and focus on the ball. A retained ATNR might lead to involuntary head movement during the swing, making it challenging to consistently maintain the correct head position.

3.     Visual tracking challenges: the ATNR reflex is linked to changes in eye movements as the head turns. Accurate visual tracking is paramount in sports, whether it’s following the trajectory of a football, or gauging the speed of a tennis serve. A persistent ATNR may lead to difficulties in maintaining focus and tracking moving objects smoothly.

4.     Balance and posture issues: the ATNR’s influence on muscle tone may lead to challenges in maintaining optimal balance and posture during dynamic movements. This can hinder performance, especially in activities such as skiing or snowboarding that require changes in direction or quick shifts in weight distribution. An individual with a retained ATNR may struggle to maintain stability on the slopes, especially during turns. 

5.     Reduced agility: A retained ATNR may impede an athlete’s ability to make swift adjustments in stance or positioning, making it harder for individuals to respond rapidly to changing situations on a sports field. Agility in gymnastics relies heavily on maintaining balance, especially during dynamic movements and landings. The ATNR, if retained, could affect a gymnast's ability to make quick adjustments in body position, thus, having knock-on effects on the fluidity of movements as the reflex-induced movements can interfere with the gymnast's ability to smoothly connect different skills. 

Conversely, elite athletes may access the ATNR to enhance performance of specific skills, such as fencers when they adopt the en-garde position. The elite athletes who adeptly harness these early reflexes deploy them momentarily and expertly to enhance specific skills, whereas for individuals with a retained ATNR, it interferes with the smooth acquisition of a range of skills.

So, if you’ve ever felt a bit off-balance on the sports field, struggled with your swing, or found coordination a constant challenge, those lingering primitive reflexes could be the hidden hurdle in your athletic journey. Book in for an initial neurodevlopmental-assessment with a member of our friendly team to begin your NeuroMature therapy.

Uncovering and addressing these reflexes might just be the game-changer you need to unlock your full athletic potential!

Author: Annabel Thomson

Sources:

Goddard, Sally B., Reflexes, Movement, Learning and Behaviour, (Hawthorn Press, 2023)