Juliet Baker, a women’s lacrosse official and high school athletic trainer in Portland, Ore., takes pride in her expertise in injury prevention and rehabilitation. At the 2016 US Lacrosse Convention, Baker, who played lacrosse at Virginia, presented to fellow officials a program called IPrep, which identifies weaknesses and targets those areas for improvement, such as poor training habits from the past.

Symmetry is a common theme in her training, which includes single-leg balance drills to strengthen her knees after having ACL surgery years ago.

Star Excursion Test

Helps With: Single-leg balance and dynamic stability.

I Do: Twice each week with three reps per leg, following a proper warm-up.

Step 1: Create a square or star-like pattern on the floor with tape or cones.

Step 2: Stand on one foot, with your hands on your hips. While maintaining balance, reach toward the front cone with your toes pointed, tapping your toes on the floor. 

Step 3: Slowly return your leg to the starting position.

Step 4: Reach toward each cone on the floor, laterally and diagonally, repeating the tap and resetting. The cone behind you may be the most challenging. Excessive tilting of the hips may indicate weakness of your hip-stabilizing muscles.