If you’re playing shirts & skins this summer, you’ll need a basketball core workout to get you looking and performing your best.  Before you begin training, make sure the workout program is basketball-specific.  Keep reading to find out how the 3D Side Bridge will help you not only look strong, but play strong on the court.

If you go to any gym in America, you’ll see athletes training their abdominals in a variety of ways. The problem with most of these exercises is that they only train 1/6^th of the core.

Exercises like Front Planks, Crunches, Sit Ups, MB Slams, Pikes, Bicycles and Leg Lifts all train your core in flexion. This isn’t bad… but it’s only one of the movements that your core uses on the basketball court.

It would be like practicing jump shots only from the free throw line.  Great players need to shoot from all over the court, including the short corners, three-point line and elbows.

There are 6 movements that your core has to be strong in while you’re playing hoops: flexion, extension, left lateral flexion, right lateral flexion, left rotation and right rotation.

The 3D Side Bridge Progression works your core in all 6 directions so you’ll be strong in every situation on the court.

The first level of the 3D Side Bridge uses your hips to create motion in your core. This happens on the court when you’re blocking out.

As you get low and drive you hips into the opposition, your core will need to absorb force in all directions.

The second level of the 3D Side Bridge uses your arms as a driver in all 3 planes.

If you’re battling a defender in the post, you’ll have one elbow in their chest and the other hand ready to catch the ball wherever its thrown.

The third level uses your feet to drive motion through your core. This happens when you’re shuffling to stay in front of the offensive player.

Watch a game closely and you’ll see that a significant amount of time is spent on one leg running, cutting and jumping.

Here’s a video that shows how to include the 3D Side Bridge into your basketball core workout:

Do you want to learn more about training to improve your athleticism on the court? Read the blogpost, Get Quicker For Defense.

For more basketball-specific training videos, check out Hoop Commitment’s Youtube channel!