As lacrosse players, we rely on our core’s ability to hold the spine in place as our limbs create force. This allows us to not only perform at a higher level, but remain resistant to injury.
Let me provide a few examples of core exercises that are perfect for lax players.
Ways to Up Your Core Training Game
First, and perhaps most obvious, is sprinting.
The hips move through a large range of motion, and create/absorb a lot of force. Our core must activate to stabilize our spine, otherwise we leak energy and speed goes down. Not to mention our vertebrae start smashing into each other, which, as you can imagine, is somewhat problematic.
The second example involves the upper body, and when we are shooting.
Coaches have lost their voices and minds repeatedly telling athletes to “get their hands back” to help increase shot accuracy and velocity. In this scenario, again, we must rely on activating our core and keeping our torso stable as the arms reach high and away.
See both exercises in action below.
Otherwise, and I know I’m repeating myself here, we leak energy, shot speed and accuracy drops, while simultaneously the likelihood of injury goes up as a result of those darn vertebrae grinding into each other again.
The take away here is that as lacrosse players, we must call upon our core to stabilize the spine as the hips and arms create motion.
You’ve Got a Good Core Strength Foundation – What’s Next?
The two exercises above are a great way to start developing a core that provides us with exactly what we need. In the first exercise, the abs stabilize as the hips extend, similar to what happens in sprinting. In the second exercise, the abs stabilize as the shoulders extend, similar to what happens in shooting.
2-3 Sets of each for 10-12 reps is a great starting point.