If you follow us on Instagram, you will have seen our Thursday series on cross training. Over the past 7 weeks we have been posting ideas and notes on different ways you can cross train in order to develop different skills and movement proficiencies to increase the performance level in your primary sport.
Cross Training is defined as training in two or more sports in order to improve fitness and performance, especially in a main sport. Here are the ideas we came up with, of course there are hundreds, thousands…maybe more… ways to cross train.
What is your favourite way to cross train? Let us know in the comments!
Tennis:
Tennis is a great way to cross train, it is an excellent way to build anaerobic fitness by offering short, intense bursts of activity during a point followed by rest and it is amazing for developing movement skills like ability to accelerate quickly, jumping and lunging, lateral movement, stops and starts, agility, dynamic balance and hand eye coordination.
Cycling:
Cycling is a great low-impact activity that you can do to give your body a break from other high impact sports. Cycling is great for aerobic endurance, leg and core strength.
Swimming
Basketball
Skiing
Yoga
Yoga is an amazing cross training activity, it can help you gain strength, flexibility and stamina that can help you improve your performance in any other sport. With yoga you do controlled movement patterns that work muscles that you may have never used before. Yoga can help you understand and listen to your body which can help prevent injury, and is also a great way to practice breathing, meditation, and connecting your mind and body which helps with stress management.
Strength and Conditioning
Kate Perry, Sport Scientist and Strength + Conditioning coach at the Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence shared with us the top 3 reasons why strength training is important for youth athletes.