"The more boring the exercise is, the more effective it must be. "

"Games and drills are for recreational use only, not for real athletes. "

"Focused athletes do not have fun while training for serious goals."

"No laughing!"

Really?

We would use these reactive and task-specific bean bag exercises after...

1. Dynamic Flexibility

2. Muscle Activation/Stability

3. Movement Skill Practice (For example overhead squat, lunge, single leg squat or hand stance)

Have fun!

Tommi

PS: "The only way a kid is going to practice is if it's total fun for him... and it was for me."
Wayne Gretzky 

The concept of joint-by-joint training that Mike Boyle and Gray Cook introduced a few years back is a great systematic way to prepare the body for movement. It is an approach that simplifies the function of the body by dividing the body in 5 (6) different stations.

Here is the general idea and the main attribute of each station based on the joint by joint concept:

1. Ankle/foot: Mobility

2. Knee: Stability

3. Hip: Mobility

4. Lumbar spine: Stability

5. Thoracic spine: Mobility

This is a demonstration of a basic dynamic warm up sequence based on five station -concept.

Each station has its role that supports the neighbor above or below. If the neighbor does not do its job, the outcome is either a poor movement performance or even an injury. A great example is the station 2, the knee, which is totally dependent on the function of the ankle and the hip.

So, let's not always blame the knee for being weak or sore as the source of the problem could be one or all of the neighbors.

Tommi

PS:"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. (1 Cor 12:12)

Today's WEEKLY WARM-UP is a 2-minute clip from a program called Ski Exercise Training System S.E.T.S.S.E.T.S. is a body-weight training system that consists of 4 different phases. It was originally made in 2007 for downhill skiers but works for anyone looking for a total body workout that challenges and develops balance, coordination, core strength, power and muscular endurance.

This clip is from the phase 1 called Adaptation Optimizer that aims at improving dynamic flexibility and core stability.