If, by this point in our internetdom, you haven’t heard the term “core strength” tossed about when talking about athletes and their training, I, so sincerely, congratulate you on your ability to lead a peaceful, media-free lifestyle! The idea that ‘strengthening your core’ is an important part of physical health is perhaps the type of training that’s most entered the public consciousness: from physical therapy to general fitness (Pilates, Yoga, etc.) to sports performance training, my field has done a great job getting the word out that better health and performance outcomes begin with a strong core.
From a sports performance perspective, the phrase we put to the importance of core strength is this: “proximal stability leads to distal mobility”. This means that, as a soccer player, if you are stable and strong in your core (anatomically speaking, ‘proximally’), then you can be athletic and dynamic in athletic movements (aka, the ‘distal’ parts of your body – your legs and arms). For many players, one of the first steps to improving on-field speed and power, and reducing injury potential, is building a stronger, more stable lumbopelvichip complex.
And there’s just mounds and mounds of data that back this concept up. From the academy level in Europe to the professional ranks, across both men’s and women’s and women’s players, research shows that improving core strength leads to better on-field agility, decreases the rate of hamstring injuries, reduces risk factors of ACL injuries, and even improves “skill-related” fitness on the soccer field. At the end of the day, if we’re focused on being the best players we can be, whatever we do for your Physical training HAS to transfer to actual benefits on the field – if not, we’re just wasting time and energy. Improving core strength unequivocally does!
One of the tricky things when it comes to training core strength in soccer players, however, is that many of the activities that come to mind when thinking about “abs work”, aren’t particularly effective at improving sports performance. Exercises like crunches and ‘Russian twists’ and sit-up variations have surprisingly little benefit of them to improving real-world movement capabilities. Very briefly, the core is designed to transfer forces, stabilizing the center of the body for explosive movements that are generated in the lower body and upper body to effectively produce movement. It’s this function of the core that we need to train to help you move better on the field.
At ATSC, we divide core training into five fundamental domains: Anti Lumbar Extension, Anti Lateral Flexion, Anti Rotation, Anti Lumbar Flexion, and Hip Flexion. When athletes build great strength in these domains, their on-field speed, power, and injury resistance improve significantly. Here are three activities you can do to address your core stability and improve your on-field movement potential!
The Single Arm Front Pillar is a great progression from the basic plank exercises, challenging you to stay stable in multiple planes of motion, particularly fighting to keep your hips from turning and shifting (aka, movement in the Transverse Plane). Try these for 2-4 sets of 10-30 seconds each side.
While it takes a little bit of equipment, if you have a band or a cable pulley, the Pallof Press is a great exercise for building the type of multi-planar strength that can improve physical skills while creating the platform to more optimally express your technical skills. Try these for 2-4 sets of 5-20 repetitions each side, holding for a good pause at the start and end of each rep.
Another activity that takes a small bit of equipment, the Weighted Hip Flexion can be particularly beneficial for creating great balance and organization around the core, leading to both better speed and greater injury resistance potential. Try these for 2-4 sets of 5-20 repetitions each side, really ‘owning’ the movement by holding each rep at the beginning and end of the movement.
And there you have it! Three exercises that can take an idea that you’ve heard of before – improving your Core Strength – and help maximize the transfer to your soccer game. These types of activities are so critically important that, even during our busiest competition schedule for our professional teams and players, we find time in the week to keep their core strength up.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us through our Contact page here and, for more general and sport-specific training information, visit our Instagram at: atsc_solutions. We also have a vault of proven, effective programs that we implemented at the Division I and professional sports levels for purchase on our Products page here. And if you’re looking to take your game to your highest levels, click here and let’s work together either in-person if you’re in the Cape Fear area or here if you’re interested in our individually-specific online training!
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