We have been hearing so much lately about core fitness yet do we really know why we should do it?

Let me give some light on the situation.

I am a former pro triathlete from Australia who went on to study exercise kinesiology 12 years ago. I was introduced to that big round ball that people use to just look at and never use. No one knew really what to do with them and when they would see me and my client doing these obscure exercises on them that thought we were crazy. Twelve years later it has become accepted and well known and more and more people are becoming educated about them. However I feel that swiss balls are still under-used, as it is such and important tool for anyone participating in any kind of sport.

I have personally seen pro careers enhanced, reinvented and restored. Michellie Jones, Kate Major & Katya Schumacher are a few that have done my core training, along with many other pros in other sports.

So let me explain in detail the benefits of core training.

Read on…

See, see.  We’re not making this stuff up!

Vertical Kick (VK): in deep water with your legs straight down kick flutter kick (freestyle kick). Focus on long legs, narrow kicking from the hip, minimal knee bend, pointed toes, straight body (no bend at waist), and kicking both directions. Make sure your kick has no bicycle peddling motion to it (no circles, kick back and forth). You can keep your hands sculling gently in the water or challenge yourself more with your hands out of the water.

Sculling (Scull): This drill is to focus on the feel of the water on your hand and forearm. You are face forward and up for this drill with a slight gentle kick. Slide your hand forward under the surface of the water trying to minimize resistance. As your hand becomes fully extended in front, point the fingers down, keep the elbow high and pull the water back with your hand and forearm. Concentrate on finding the pressure on the water to pull yourself forward.

Catch Up (CU): basically one hand catches up to the other. You will be isolating one stroke at a time which allows you to work on every aspect of your stroke, balance, rotation, and the 4 phases of the pull (catch,pull,transition,push). This drill keeps you long in the water with a hand out in front at all times.

½ Catch Up (1/2 CU): this is the same as catch up except you begin to pull with the front arm when the recovering arm passes your head. This is really the way I would like to see you swim. It is also referred to as front quadrant swimming which means that you always have an arm in the front quadrant of your body space. This should be a long, relaxed, balanced stroke

Slow Arm Recovery: Slow the recovery (when your arm is out of the water) so you can think about your elbow being high and your fingertips hanging down to the surface of the water. Your hand should be close to your body with the thumb practically dragging up your side. Extend the hand in front of your head before allowing it to slide into the water. Good rotation is essential in this drill.

1 Arm Swim Opposite Side Breath (1ASOSB): you need to over emphasize the rotation from hip to hip in this drill. Remember the rotation begins and is powered from the hips. Make sure you are rotating completely to both sides.

When you breathe, keep the arm extended in front (in the position you were in for side kicking) and begin the pull when your face is back in the water.

Try to pull with the fingers pointed down towards the bottom of the pool and the elbow high (do not allow your hand and arm to cross over the mid line of your body).

3 Switches (3SW): this is basically a side kick with 3 strokes in 25 yards. Begin on one side and when you are balanced, pull with your extended arm, doing a regular stroke, switching to the other side. Repeat this 3 times. When you breathe, keep the arm extended in front. Make sure you are in good balanced position before pulling through to the other side.