How can I engage my core?
Lift something above your head and either: walk, lunge or squat with it above your head.
“Engaging core” “Setting scaps” “Tower of power” these are meaningless coaching cues that create confusion.
They are usually gleaned from a course that a well meaning coach has attended. But if could be a case of overcomplicating simple issues.
Your core is “engaged” every time you sit, walk, lunge, run, jump, throw, dive, tackle, or forget to eat enough fibre.
Lying on the floor doing planks and side planks and trying to isolate your multifidus (A: good luck. B: Why?) or transversus abdominus is not helping you win the Olympics.
Thanks for the comment: anonymous.
My point is that like anything else it just gets bandied about, with little understanding by the players concerned. or even the coaches about what is actually involved.
By RFU definition the ‘tower of power’ refers to ‘the safest and strongest possible position to deliver a force’. In a dynamic situation i.e hitting a ruck all coaching points under t.o.p would be hard to incorporate, however at set piece for example a line out or scrum yelling t.o.p can be a good q for players to adopt a posture that will allow them to deliver greater force.
From a core engagement point of view you are correct however I don’t see how using this phrase might overcomplicate things?
[…] never once mentioned “engage your core“ or “fire your glutes and hip flexors“ but these classics came up in delivery: […]