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I think one of the hidden secrets to great court and field quickness is having a functionally strong core. In this article I want to share a few key components to core development which allows greater multidirectional speed and quickness.
Too often, we train in ways that do not have great carryover to sport participation. This happens in general strength training and core training. What do I mean by carryover? When an athlete moves quickly, changes direction, decelerates, or lands from a jump, they have to apply strength and stability to properly absorb and dissipate the forces. If not, we witness a collapsing action which is often seen as a slow movement, when a fast movement should have been used. If the training we perform does not help reinforce the body’s ability to absorb forces and use the new strength in sport participation, it has no carryover.
The primary supporting area responsible for creating a solid foundation for quickness is the core. I consider the core to be the abdominals, hips, and low back regions. This doesn’t mean there are not other areas that are needed for strength and stability.
Let’s look at three basic situations where the core plays a huge roll in athletic speed:
1. Reaccelerating forward from a backpedal. When an athlete puts the brakes on in a backpedal only to have to quickly accelerate forward, there is a tremendous amount of force being applied to the core of the body. The hips must quickly go from resisting over flexion to aggressively extending so accelerate can begin. The abdominals (rectus and obliques) must decelerate the extension of the spine and slightly flex it so the shoulders can get out in front of the body to create a positive acceleration line. The adductors, abductors, and Quadratus lumborum (plus a host of other muscles) must help stabilize the pelvis so there is not over tilting or rotation. The pelvis needs to be in a neutral to slightly anteriorly rotated to help get into a driving phase.
2. Changing directions shuffling right to left. Here we have frontal plane forces being applied to the body. When an athlete stops quickly in a shuffling pattern the hips must be stable to protect the knee and foot. If the hip doesn’t control the femur, the knee joint can be compromised as well as the feet and ankle. The quadratus, abductors, and adductors must stabilize the pelvis so force can be applied by proper length tension of the muscles. If the pelvis isn’t stable the core musculature doesn’t have a good foundation to create force from. The Quadratus lumborum and obliques will be highly activated during the initial stopping action in order to control the spine and pelvis. Ones again, if the spine and pelvis are stable, the core musculature has a good foundation in which to do its job.
3. Opening up to turn and run. More often than not, the athlete will have to open the hips or cross the leg to turn the body and run in a new direction. If this occurs there are rotational forces being applied to the core that must be controlled. Any time there is turning and running, there is usually one leg generating force to move the body and the other leg moving to a new direction and preparing to take over the momentum of the body. If the rotation is done with a pivot point (the foot was planted and the body rotated around the foot), the external and internal rotators of the hip are going to be highly active. If the athlete is opening the hips, the external rotators are more active, and if crossing over, the internal rotators are more active. When the athlete uses what I call the “hip turn,” the feet will reposition and find a better push-off angle, therefore generate quicker more forceful take-offs. In any case, the obliques will become highly involved in rotating the upper and lower torso. If the hip turn is used, the lower body is rotated under the upper body via the hip rotators and the obliques. If the athlete turns and runs while the foot is planted, the upper body will rotate sooner, also via the obliques.
In all of the examples I used, the main focus has been on the importance of the core strength and stability to handle quick deceleration and acceleration moves. As I mentioned earlier, do not think I am dismissing the importance of the other joints, muscles, and co-contractions of the body. For example, if the ankle joint and feet are not functioning properly the rest of the body will be affected.
My main point of emphasis is to realize core training, to improve functionally application to sport, must be multifaceted and not isolated. Athletes body parts move in many directions at the same time in some cases. We must train to accentuate this rather than cover it up.
The next time you watch a game live or on TV, notice how the core is supporting the arms and legs. That is one of my secrets to becoming a specialist in multidirectional speed. I watch how the body moves in all situations, and you should,
too.
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