We move in 3 major planes of motion. These planes include the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes. The frontal plane divides the body into front and back and includes lateral movements. The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right and includes flexion and extension movements. The transverse plane divides the body into top and bottom halves and includes rotational movements. A lot of the time, training includes frontal and sagittal plane movements, (squats, deadlifts, lateral lunges) but neglects the transverse plane.
Training in the transverse plane is crucial for the lacrosse athlete as rotational power and mobility are required in order to shoot and pass. These athletes can display imbalances between their left and right sides including decreased rotational mobility and power. Here are 4 exercises to help address rotational mobility and power in order to decrease these imbalances.
- Half kneeling thoracic rotation at wall
- Start in half kneeling position at wall with your outside leg up and other leg against the wall
- Place arms straight in front of you parallel to the floor
- Rotate your upper body and outside arm towards your outside leg and reach to the wall behind you.
- World’s greatest stretch
- Start in low lunge position
- Place both hands on ground next to front foot
- Rotate upper body and arm towards your front leg
- Diagonal chops
- Start half kneeling next to resistance band with leg up that is closest to the band
- Grab band with both hands with an overhand grip
- Pull band across body towards opposite hip making sure not to rotate trunk
- Rotational medicine ball throws
- Start perpendicular to wall
- Assume mini squat position and brace abdominals
- With medicine ball in both hands, move medicine ball away from wall towards your outside hip
- Use abdominals and hips to pivot off of foot closest to wall and rotate towards the wall to throw ball
