Re: SWIS Symposium and Swiss Balls

[Guest guest]

Just to play devil's advocate Dr Siff, what evidence is there that overhead

squats require greater core stability than ball balancing exercises?

Although ball balancing adepts may get buried with a light overhead squat,

isn't it also true that athletes adept in overhead squatting would find ball

balancing equally as challenging?

[You, of course, are referring to what Chad Ikei stated at the recent SWIS

symposium - and the point that he was making is that ball evangelists are

missing one important fact, namely that the ability to balance on a ball does

not necessarily enable one to balance more competently in any other

situation. In all of my presentations on this subject, I always stress that

stability

training tends to be situation and context specific, which is exactly what you

are

focusing on. If you would care to read more on this topic, I have discussed it

in much

greater detail in my book, " Facts & Fallacies of Fitness " 2002, pp287-289.

One reason why exercises such as overhead squats tend to offer superior " core

strength " and stabilising ability during strength and impact sports is that the

exercise is much more heavily loaded and the athlete is free to involve the

stepping

reflex and many changes of direction to facilitate change of base. Mel Siff]

Shanahan,

Melbourne

Australia.

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