Kevin Neeld — Hockey Training, Sports Performance, & Sports Science

Foam Rolling Science Made Simple

On Monday I mentioned that myofascial restrictions may prevent your stretching from being effective. If you missed the post, check it out here:

3 Reasons Not to Stretch Tight Muscles

Through my work at Endeavor, I’ve found that most people still aren’t familiar with foam rolling.


When they ask me what it does, I use the same explanation I’ve heard Michael Boyle use:

Your muscles have similar elastic properties as a rubber band. Think about tying a knot in a rubber band. What happens when you pull it from both sides (stretch it)? If you actually take a rubber band and do this, you’ll notice that the knot will get tighter and the areas on both sides of the knot will become thinner/weaker.  In other words, the whole thing will elongate, but the knot gets worse and the areas on both sides of the knot become damaged.

If you simply remove the knot (untie the band), the overall length of the band will increase and it will extend much more efficiently. This is a more desirable alternative, and the reason we foam roll.

Rolling out knots/myofascial restrictions will improve the length and extensibility of the muscle without stretching it in the traditional sense.  It will also cause you to respond better to stretching.

Seems like a win-win to me!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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Kevin Neeld

Kevin Neeld Knows Hockey

Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.