Core Stability Exercises

Static Floor Exercises

Plank

Hold a straight body position, supported on elbows and toes. Brace the abdominals and maintain a straight body line through feet, hips and head.

Side plank

Lie on one side, ensuring the top hip is above the bottom hip. Push up until there is a straight body line through feet, hips and head. Keep the elbow under the shoulder. Lower under control and repeat on opposite side.

Bridge

Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your gluteals and then push your hips up until there is a straight line through knee and hip to upper body and shoulders remain on the floor.

Superman

Kneel on the floor and place your hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips. Extend right leg back and the left arm forward. Maintain a straight body line through extended leg, body and extended arm. Repeat with opposite limbs

Dynamic Floor Exercises

Side lying hip abduction

Lie on your side with your top hip above the lower hip. Brace the abdominals and lift the top leg slowly up and down.

Oblique crunch

Lie on your back with your right ankle resting on your left knee. Right arm is placed on the floor out to the side. Keeping the right shoulder down, curl the left shoulder up to the right knee. Repeat with opposite limbs.

Straight leg raise

Lie on your back with knees bent. Brace your abdominals and lift your legs up straight in the air to an angle of 45 degrees keeping you back on the ground. Keeping one leg in the air, slowly lower the other down to the floor. Only go as far as you can until you feel the lumbar spine start to move. Keep bracing the abdominals and then lift the leg slowly back up. Repeat with the other leg.

Lying windscreen wipers

Lie on your back with arms out to the sides. Lift your legs straight up in the air until the hips are at 90 degrees. Keeping your legs straight and maintaining the hip angle, rotate the legs to one side. Go as far as you can keeping your upper back and shoulders on the floor. Bring the legs to a halt, pull them back up to the start position and then over to the other side.

Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine Balls

Medicine balls are a great multi-purpose training tool that can be used alone or with a partner to improve core strength, functional movements, reaction time, and coordination.

Select this link to order your "Medicine Balls".

Sit-up and throw

You either need a partner to receive and pass the ball, or perform the exercise in front of a wall and use a medicine ball that will bounce back. Start in the sit-up position (knees bent) with hands up ready to receive the ball. Catch the ball and begin to lower back down. Control the movement with the abdominals and keep your hands above your head as you lower down. Once the shoulders are touching the floor sit back up and throw the ball forward at the same time.

Sit and twist pass

Start in the sit-up position, knees bent feet flat on the floor. Your feet, knees and hips should remain reasonably still throughout this exercise, the rotation coming from your waist and not your hips. Hold your hands to one side ready to receive the ball. Catch the ball to that side and absorb the catch by turning your shoulders further to that side. Reverse the rotation turning back to the middle and release the ball. Continue rotating to the other side; receive the ball on the other side and continue.

45-degree sit, catch and pass

Start in the sit up position with knees bent and lean back at 45 degrees. Raise your hands in front of your face and receive a pass from a partner, around face height. As you catch the ball you must maintain your body position and gently throw the ball back.

One leg catch and pass

Stand on one leg with your hips square to the front. Hold your hands up ready to catch the ball which should be varied in their placement Catch the ball and throw it back. Aim to move arms and/or turn your shoulders only.

One leg twist pass

Stand on one leg with hips facing square to the front. Hold medicine ball in one hand slightly out in front. Slowly twist from side to side. The rotation comes from the waist only (not the hips), head turning with the shoulders.

Side touch downs

Start by sitting on the ground with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and holding the ball in both hands. Raise your feet off the ground and balance on your bottom. Rotate at the waist to your right and touch the ground by your right hip with the ball, lift the ball up, rotate to the left side and touch the ground by your left hip with the ball, lift the ball up and continue keeping your feet up off the ground.

Kneeling twist pass

Kneel upright with good posture. Twist the shoulders, arms and head round as far as you can to the right (start position). Partner passes you the ball. Twist round to the left side as far as possible and hand the ball to a partner. Turn back to the start position, receive the ball and continue.

The Stretching Handbook

Here is a simple, effective, and fool-proof way to do away with stiff, aching muscles & joints with just a few easy stretches.

The Stretching Handbook is one of the only books available on the market today to contain photographs (not diagrams, cartoons or illustrations) of over 100 unique, individual stretches. Each stretch targets a specific muscle group, and comes with clear, high quality photographs, as well as a step-by-step description of exactly how the stretch is performed.

Select this link for more information on "The Stretching Handbook".

Training for Core Stability

Training for Core Stability brings together the conclusions of recent evidence-based research into the building of core stability for sports-people - how best to build core body strength and stamina, then how to maintain and use it to best effect.

Some of the scientific findings are sure to surprise you - if only because they go against some firmly held training beliefs.

Select this link for more information on "Training for Core Stability".

The Power of Pilates

You can learn Pilates at home in as little as three weeks, and actually enjoy doing what it takes to get into shape and lose weight.

Professional Pilates instructor Shannon Beaty shows you how with step by step instructions and hundreds of color photographs.

Select this link for more information on "The Power of Pilates".

The Stretching DVD

The Stretching DVD contains crucial stretching information like the benefits of flexibility, the rules for safe stretching, and how to stretch properly. Plus, complete visual, step-by-step demonstrations of more than 40 different stretching exercises!

Select this link for more information on "The Stretching DVD".

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

Mobility Training, N. Brook, ISBN 0 85134 079 2
Strength and Conditioning for Games Players, C. Brewer, ISBN 1 902523 85 7
Circuit Training for all sports, M. Scholich, ISBN 0 920905 04 8
Medicine Ball Training, Z. Tenke et al., ISBN 0 92095 40 4
Strength Conditioning with Medicine Balls, M. Jones, ISBN 0 851 34097 0
Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2