This is a core exercise I’ve used for years to help reinforce proper centering/alignment of the rib cage over the pelvis, and breathing through a braced core.
The goal here is to rotate as a unit, so the knees, hips, and shoulders all move together. Another way to think of it is that the nose, sternum, and sacrum should all rotate together.
It’s common to see people initiate the rotation with their knees to generate momentum, and to extend/arch through their low back as a result.
Set up with the ball between your forearms and inside/top of your knees. We’ll sometimes cue to “reach your hands away from your shoulder and knees away from your hips” at this stage.
Lightly push all 4 limbs into the ball just hard enough to feel your core engage.
Start with small rotations (think 6” to the side, then back to center) and extend out from rep to rep as far as you can control.
This is teaching basic qualities (rib/pelvis stacking, breathing), but is an extremely challenging exercise.
Typically performed for 3 sets of 5-8 reps/side.
Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com
P.S. If you’re interested in how core training fits into a hockey-specific training program, check out Ultimate Hockey Transformation.
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