FEATURE ARTICLE
However, when looking at training those movements, are those movements incorporated in training? Integrated movement is the key. Sports performance coaches should provide athletes the ability to train with integrated movements and have the option to train using a combination of these movements. Training athletes in only one plane of motion robs them of their ability to perform at their highest level; as well as puts them at a greater risk for injury, due to the underdevelopment of less utilized muscles in the body. Training the core musculature in the various planes, stances, and force lines to match the demands of a given sport may help improve overall performance when utilized in addition to traditional training methods. Many of the traditional training methods that are seen today do not utilize multiplanar movements. The most popular training methods (i.e., power lifting, Olympic lifting, CrossFit training, bodybuilding, etc.) tend to work primarily in the sagittal plane. Very few, if any, movements work in the transverse or frontal planes. A majority of the exercises in these training methods fail to incorporate multiplanar movement, which is a combination of frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes of motion. It does not mean that it is wrong to utilize these popular training methods to train athletes, though. The question coaches should ask themselves is whether there are better ways to incorporate sport-specific movements that athletes will perform on the field of play. Sport-specific movements are performed from a combination of unilateral and bilateral stances. For simplicity, a unilateral stance can be defined as a stance in which only one foot is in contact with the ground, and a bilateral stance is one that both feet are in contact with the ground. From the basketball player trying to make a layup (unilateral jump) to a football lineman resisting and pushing back against the drive of a defensive tackle (bilateral push), these movements are commonplace across all sports. When training athletes with traditional methods, a majority of the movements will work in a bilateral stance, with little or no unilateral stance. It would benefit the athlete to work in both stances to help improve their core and performance on the field. It would also benefit the athlete to perform an exercise where they move the weight to the ball of the foot versus a square stance, which occurs more in traditional training. Research has shown that unilateral snatch lifts are just as effective as bilateral snatch lifts (1). Olympic lifting (bilateral stances) can provide muscular activation on a large scale, but that form of training may not develop general athletic power optimally. Once again, this does not mean that it is wrong to use this form of training to train athletes, but it raises the question, “are there better ways to incorporate sport-specific movements in training so that the athletes will see improved core development and performance on the field?”
HOW TO TRAIN THE CORE: SPECIFIC TO SPORTS MOVEMENTS
The core can be broken down into several categories (2): • The Superficial Front Line core muscles and fascia are primarily in the frontal line of the body. They can be challenged by pushing, squatting, and locomotion. Most of these exercises are generally performed in the prone position. An example is the Bilateral Prone Push-Up (Figures 20 and 21). The Spiral Line core muscles and fascia perform transverse plane movements. They can be worked using rotational types of exercises. A great example is the Bilateral Rotational Push-Up (Figures 22 and 23). The Superficial Back Line core muscles and fascia are primarily muscles that work in the sagittal plane. They can be challenged using a supine position. An example would be the Single-Arm Alternating Overhead Press (Figures 14 and 15). The Lateral Line core muscles and fascia are the muscles that are frontal plane dominant. They can be stressed by using side lying and staggered stance exercises. One specific example would be the Bow and Arrow (Figures 24 and 25).
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The key component to incorporating these various muscle and fascia lines into a training regimen is to remember that muscles are interconnected with multiple connective tissue sheaths, which act as elastic bands. This amplifies the force that is produced through muscle contractions. A great example of th ???????????????????????????????9????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????9??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%?????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????9???????????????????????????????????????????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????()9M
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