The Crawl and Reach
The crawl and reach is a great dynamic core exercise with many variations. In sports most movements are dynamic, and a strong core is important in controlling these movements. To perform this exercise, begin in a pushup position with a cone about 6 inches in front of your hands. One at a time bring the knees so they sit just beneath the hips. Once in this position, reach forward and touch the cone with one hand, then the other. Return to a normal pushup position and reach with each hand again. With each reach, make sure the hips remain level with each other. By reaching out with one hand, we are putting the body in an uneven position which forces the core to activate in order to prevent it from falling. This translates well to sports because the body is constantly placed in unnatural positions. If we do not have a strong reactive core, we are limiting our ability to perform well in these positions.