The core, which is the abs and the lower back, is very important in the game of basketball and should definitely be implemented into your basketball training schedule. Think the core isn’t important during the game? Think again. You use your core every time you jump to block, jump to rebound, jump to shoot, when playing defense, when driving to the bucket with an explosive first step, etc. I know you get the idea.

Now, you might be thinking, “I already work on my abs.” That’s all fine but for basketball, defined abs doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to be able to do all the movements mentioned above to the best of your ability. When you’re working on your core, you need to focus on strength but also, mobility, flexibility and balance. All this can be done with the use of a stability ball or Swiss ball.

• The use of a Swiss ball incorporated into your workouts will allow you to:

• Develop strength and flexibility in the core.

• Decrease the likelihood of injuries by strengthening weakened muscles and improves posture.

• A variety of exercises can be performed with a pair of dumbbells and/or resistance bands.

An important advantage of strength ball training is that it allows strengthening of weak muscles that prevent injury. This is mainly because when your body has weak muscles and they are put through a rigorous test like an intense ball game, you are much more likely to get injured. Swiss ball exercises aid your weak muscles and prevent injuries.

In order to use Swiss balls to their potential, you need to educate yourself about the proper uses of the Swiss ball through an instructor or proper information from an authority such as Lorne Goldenberg. He explains the various exercises in depth.

Put It Into Action!

Here are a couple of exercises that you can do to start strengthening your core and sculpting your abs:

Superman

Start with laying your stomach on the ball and your body at a 45-degree angle. At this point, you can balance yourself with the tips of your toes. Lift your arms and stretch them out just like if you were flying and keep your arms straight while keeping your balance. This exercise works the whole back and the glutes.

Abdominal rolls

Start with lying on your back on the floor with the knees slightly bent and the feet flat on the floor. Take the Swiss ball and place it on your thighs and close to the knees. Lift your head and shoulder blades off the floor while rolling the ball away from your upper body with the hands moving laterally towards your knees, hold for 1 second, and come back to starting position.

Keep in mind that there are many exercises you can do to train your core. The Swiss ball is no the be all end all of core training. Did this help? Don’t understand the importance of the core? Let us know.