Medicine balls are essentially round free weights. They are very popular among athletes and coaches for improving functional strength, dynamic flexibility, and whole body coordination.
Medicine balls are ideal for core and upper body strengthening. Just holding a medicine ball with outstretched arms requires some level of trunk and upper body isometric strength. Varying the ball’s distance from the body changes the difficulty of exercises.
Medicine balls are also excellent training tools for teaching athletes common large motor (movement) skills that are key to success in certain sports. The transfer of training is high due to the similarity of movements in terms of the muscles used, the sequence of movements in the kinetic chain, and the accelerating/decelerating actions.
For the throwing events in track and field, batting, and golfing, as examples, athletes can often learn or re-pattern correct lower body movements by using a medicine ball rather than exclusively training with a shot put, bat, or golf club.
Using medicine balls of various weights helps athletes focus on learning key movement patterns. Driving from the ground first, transferring the body weight from back to front, leading with the hips, and blocking with the non-power leg are examples of common sport skill movements that can be reinforced using medicine balls rather than practicing with sport implements only.
Training with medicine balls to develop skills changes the “mental set”, as well as strengthens specific muscle groups in concert. But it is important to continue to practice with sport implements while training with medicine balls.
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What toys and activities do you use to improve children's gross and fine motor?I especially want to hear from preschool and kindergarten teachers. My 6 year old first grader is homeschooled and is clumsy at sports (this soccer season is his first exposure to organized sports). He also writes his letters from the bottom up, a habit that makes for messy letters and is VERY difficult to break.
I also have a four year old who will be five in November, is in part time nursery school and will be in kindergarten next fall. He spends lots of time playing with tiny cars, crayons, and blocks, also tinker toys, lincoln logs and wooden train tracks are his favourites. Nevertheless, his writing is so big and scrawling that I'm concerned it will be "passable for kindergarten" by next fall! He can write a few letters, his own name, can copy shapes and cut with scissors OK.
Any toys or FUN activities I can expose him to to get him ready for kindergarten? I guess I'm a little skittish since his big brother had some serious fine motor and gross motor difficulties.
About Author
Denise K. Wood, Ed.D. -
About the Author:
Dr. Denise K. Wood is a sports training consultant from Knoxville, TN and creator of www.womens-weight-training-programs.com and www.sports-training-adviser.com She has trained a wide range of clients from beginners to Olympians. Dr. Wood is a former national track and field champion with years of international experience. She has been recognized as an outstanding professor in exercise science and research/statistics.
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