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Now that we have established how vital spinal rotation is in hockey, here are some essential moves that should be a key part in the players work out regimen. For this core routine you will need a medicine ball, stability ball, Bosu, and set of medium weights. The medicine ball, hand weights and stability ball need to be appropriate size and weight according to the athletes height and strength.

The first exercise is a lunge with medicine ball rotation. Standing with your core contracted and medicine ball in hand arms bent holding the ball at your chest step forward with your right foot placing yourself in a deep lunge. This movement should be slow and controlled, if you can not control the movement as well shorten the length of the lunge or depth. As you complete your lunge rotate your torso taking the ball over your right leg, the med ball should be parallel to your right hip. Return the ball straight forward and then back to standing position. As you lunge down and back upwards it is very important to keep all your weight in the heel of your foot. Transferring the weight from your heel to your toes works different muscles be sure to focus and push off with the heel in your lunge. Continue exercise on the left leg, doing equal sets on both left and right sides. 

The Second core exercise is a Bosu wood chops. It is a great exercise for balance and coordination along with core strength. Take a bosu round side up and kneel on top of it shoulder width apart in the center and find your balance. Then grab a hand weigh appropriate size for the athlete’s strength and hold it vertically in both hands over the right shoulder. Contract the core BEFORE you move the weight diagonally from the right shoulder across to the left knee in an axe swinging motion. As the weight is pulled down and core is contracted, the rib cage is drawn in and down towards the hip bones. Return the weight back up the right shoulder, do one set on the right before continuing on the left side. It is so imperative that you contract your core and draw in your rib cage on both pieces of the movement with your arms, if your core is not contracted you are not doing the exercise correctly, simply going through the motions will not serve the same purpose- a very common misconception in core training! 

The next exercise is the Russian twist on the ball; you will need the stability ball and a hand weight. Sitting on the stability ball walk your feet out so your body lowers down onto the ball. Stop once your shoulders have reached the ball, your body should be in a bridge on the stability ball keeping your pelvis up with the glutes contracted. Maintain a straight line from your knees up to your head. Hold one hand weight horizontally arms straight in front of your body taking the weight and rotating on the ball out to the right shoulder. Rotate the weight back to the center and then follow through over to the left shoulder. Draw the rib cage in and contract the core the entire time, again just rotating the weight over the right and left shoulder will not fully work the core, it is important to focus on contracting your core and keeping your pelvis drawn up through out the exercise. Keeping the pelvis up and body straight helps contract the core because you are supporting your spine. Repeat the motion counting one full movement from the right side rotation over to the left side and back forward as one rep. 

The last exercise is a standing medicine ball wall tap. Stand about two feet from a wall, facing outward (back to the wall) holding a medicine ball in both hands arms extended forward in front of you. Contract the core and rotate your torso with the arms continually straight extending the ball back so it touches the wall. Bring the ball back to center and then continue over to the left side tapping the ball on the ball once again. One entire rotation from right to left wall, ball tapped on both sides counts as one set. Maintain straight arms through out the exercise, if you aren’t able the size med ball you chose is either to heavy for the exercise or your core is not staying contracted. Adjusting the weight of the ball and focusing on core contraction will perfect the exercise.

In any core routine if you do not continually contract your core muscles the exercises you are doing will not do what they were designed to do, you need to focus on the muscles you are working and hold the correct posture for maximal results.

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