DYNAMIC SHOULDERS
THE TEAM
A FAMILY RUN BUSINESS; THE HUSBAND AND WIFE DUO, TIM STEVENSON AND KAREN STEVENSON, JOINED FORCES TO UNITE THEIR COMPLIMENTARY EXPERIENCE AND SKILL SETS TO CREATE DYNAMIC SHOULDER CONDITIONING.
ABOUT TIM STEVENSON
As an Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach, Tim has a strong understanding of functional anatomy and corrective exercise and rehabilitation certifications. The commitment throughout his career to optimising the integration between physiotherapy and strength and conditioning training has meant he really grasps the link between practitioners roles. In his mind, it is all athletic preparation and rather than distinct disciplines, an interdisciplinary team of engaged and committed generalist-specialist practitioners is where real value can be found.
SHOULDER INJURIES + A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
As a rugby player and snowboarder, Tim has been the recipient of multiple shoulder dislocations and two reconstructive surgeries. Having been diligent in his rehabilitation he still experienced repeat dislocations and lacked confidence in his shoulder. Over time, this prevented him from enjoying his sport, career and active lifestyle.
In 2013, he decided to try a different approach and set about learning calisthenics, specifically the handstand. The thought experiment went like this:
'If I can balance on my hands then I can have some confidence that my shoulder is stable.'
Over the next 12 months, handstands turned to human flags and Tim had a set of shoulders that he could trust. This experience was echoed by other coaches who were using content Tim and David Jackson were sharing through their new business 'School of Calisthenics'.
The individual case studies started to add up and this prompted Tim to begin researching the potential mechanisms as to why closed kinetic chain training had shown to be a very successful training tool for the upper body.
In 2018, Tim and Jacko presented their work at the UK Strength and Conditioning Annual Conference. This sparked a number of other workshop and educational events with organisations such as Scottish Rugby Union, the Football Association, Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and ALTIS.
CREATING DYNAMIC SHOULDERS
Progressive bodyweight training opens up new opportunities to scale upper body performance and creates a highly effective bridge between physiotherapy and strength and conditioning.
However, a high performing shoulder requires a multi-faceted approach and there is no single magic bullet. Instead, what exists is a continuum of inter-related and inter-dependant elements that need to feature in a longer-term, progressive approach.
Tim is now very passionate about combining what he has learnt about closed kinetic chain training with the existing and emerging tools used to recondition and scale upper body performance by respecting design.
More about Tim's career and experience
ABOUT KAREN STEVENSON
Karen has a wealth of marketing communications and project management experience under her belt ranging from corporate level as a Campaign Manager at E.ON Energy Solutions Limited to the Head of Marketing Communications for The School of Calisthenics. Couple this with the knowledge she gained over three years as the previous Managing Director of Swim Skills GBR Ltd in partnership with world-class Olympic Swimming Coach Russ Barber, Karen works alongside Tim to manage the day-to-day running of the business and ensure a fantastic experience for our customers.