The Athlete's Ball: Developing the Athlete's Power Core

by Rick Jemmett

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0968871550
• ISBN13: 9780968871553
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Novont Health Publishing
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Power Core - Oh Yeah!

I don't often rave about stuff but this book is pretty cool. I had the opportunity to go to the Athens games last year (rowing). I saw athletes from everywhere dong all this crazy ball and buozu (?) training. When I got home I went looking for a book that had that kind of focus. This is the book I picked and its been amazing about the increase in power I get now. We're just back on the water and I've never felt stronger at the start of the season. If you want a cutting edge source of core training, I'd say this is the book to get.

for the true athlete

This is a review by an average person, so be warned, since the other three reviews are by a doctor, a top 500 reviewer, and a personal fitness trainer. The two chapters on intermediate and advanced exercises utilize *only* one large exercise ball (swiss ball) which is easily found at any sports shop and can be used at home. The exercises in the intermediate and advanced chapters are do-able for the average person like me. The chapter on elite exercises shows exercises for the athlete who has access to a gym, 2 half-balls (which I have never seen before), and a Bongo Board (I think that is the name of it - it looks like a skate-board that can turn 360 degrees - I also have never seen one of those). The elite chapter is for extremely agile, strong, and well-balanced athletes, and is great for real athletes who want a very challenging workout. Normal people like me might benefit from the intermediate and advanced chapters, although other books might better address the needs of the get-in-shape and stay-in-shape at-home exercisers. This is a great book, but like the title states, it is really for athletes.

The Core of a Total Body Workout

I held off on reviewing this book until I had time to both do the exercises and assess my response to them. The concepts seemed sound, and the writing was immediately engaging. But a fitness book with workouts that are impossible, ineffectual, or simply boring is a waste of time, no matter how enjoyable it is to read. As with a cookbook, the proof is in the pudding. I was happy to find that while some of the exercises were simple enough to execute, others presented considerable challenge: more so than the models in the photographs seemed to indicate. So there were routines I could practice immediately, and others on which I would have to work (and some on which I am still working). The exercises take little space, little money, and little expertise--just some practice and determination--to perform. And the program provides both a reasonable difficulty level at which to begin as well as ample room to improve. Perfect. The core strengthening principles should be "central" to any beginning or off-season conditioning program. I would only differ somewhat with the idea of the core as a tower on which platforms are suspended, since the principles of biotensegrity, or tension/compression, suggest that the spokes of a bicycle wheel--or icosahedral structures--offer better models. However, in such models, the importance of balance only gains emphasis; these theories in no way diminish the effectiveness or utility of this excellent book. I congratulate the author on another fine contribution to the fitness literature. James D. Chlovechok, M.D.--Medical Director, The Ohio Sports Medicine Institute "www.plussportsmed.com"

A must-have for anyone serious about exercise ball training

Rick Jemmett's work "The Athlete's Ball" is a must-have purchase for anyone that currently works out (or, *ought* to work out) with an exercise ball (aka, fitness ball, Swiss ball, etc.). I've got a couple of books on this subject already on my shelf - "Bounce Your Body Beautiful" is nutritionist's take; "Get on the Ball" is from a fitness instructor. Now comes Jemmett's take as a licensed Physical Therapist. While I find all three books helpful in designing a workout, Jemmett's book stands alone as an impressive piece of scholarship, the source material from the book having been drawn from published research in anatomy, biomechanics, motor control, orthopedics, sports medicine and exercise physiology. Jemmett credits no less than 70 works in his bibliography. The challenge here is to synthesize that wide body of work and boil it down into a presentation that doesn't perplex or put off the lay reader. Jemmett is up to the challenge and you see that right away as he explains the concept of core muscles in the opening pages of the book. Other works, in defining "the core," either employ the term as a buzzword or give it some tautological definition like "the core is important in maintaining core stability." By contrast, Jemmett gives us a very readable six-page intro to core muscles, their three primary functions (fascinating) and an explanation of why the core's complexities call for what he calls the 'specifity principle of training.' That solid beginning sets the stage for Jemmett's introduction to Integrative Training, which is the main thrust of "The Athlete's Ball." A quick flip through the book at the photos gives you a clue as to what that training entails - doing exercises that are specific to one's chosen sport - so, we see hockey players doing hockey-oriented exercises, dancers doing dancing-related things, etc. But, what we *don't* see are the usual 'single muscle' exercises like crunches, oblique twists, etc. What the reader gets as a result is a book that is both a fresh take and an important complement to other books on the subject. In my mind, designing an exercise ball workout that meets your goals is all about synthesizing advice passed down from others who have been successful with making the ball a key part of their exercise regimens. From that perspective, "The Athlete's Ball" ought to be on your bookshelf today.

Tremendous!!

I have worked as a personal fitness consultant for over 12 years training a range of clients, including plenty of competitive athletes. With this background, I have seen a number of books on this topic, but The Athlete's Ball (neat title) is by far the most comprehensive so far. The author gives a wide range of exercises (with excellent technique descriptions) to challenge even the fittest athlete - there are several exercises here that even my highest functioning clients have some difficulty with. He also did a very good job discussing the rationale for this type of training. My only gripe is maybe the pictures could have been in colour? All in all, this is easily my favourite book on core conditioning. Awesome job.