29 Dec Ab exercises and more: A Day With Indi Cowie – Freestyle Soccer – videos
A Day With Indi Cowie – Freestyle Soccer
“Kicking it with Indi Cowie is no understatement!” and we were on a mission to learn Indi Cowie freestyle soccer tricks! Have you ever heard of Indi Cowie? If not, you need to know about her! I recently had the opportunity to spend the day with her and I can’t tell you how talented she is. Not only is she a freestyle soccer genius, but she is open and willing to try new things. A day with Indi Cowie not only means that she taught me her freestyle soccer tricks, but we did some of MY tricks 😉 and she was coached by 8 year old TOUGH coach…aka my daughter.
Ab Exercises for Soccer Freestylers
I shared some of my favorite core exercises with Indi Cowie. As we know, our core is important for ANY workout. Including freestyle soccer. So although I’m FAR FROM a soccer expert, I wanted to walk through some important CORE exercises and different variations of them. The best part about these core ab exercises is that there is no magic number, there is no required time…it’s all about what is intense for YOU.
Plank
A lot of people don’t do planks the correct way. Many of us hold it too low and create a big curve in our backs, which is NOT good for our lower backs. To properly do a plank you wan to take it up and really exaggerate the crunch of your abs while tucking in and squeezing your glutes.
Plank Variation One
From the plank position, walk up to one hand at a time, and then walk back down to your forearms while engaging your core. You will notice that this really activates your core. Do a couple on one side, and then reverse to lead with the other side.
Plank Variation Two
From the pushup plank position, rock back and forth on your toes while keeping your core engaged. It will burn in no time.
Side Plank
When you are doing a side plank you are working your back and obliques, too! Either start with both feet parallel to the floor, one on top of the other, or if that’s too hard you can bend one knee for a modified version. Lift on one forearm, with the other hand on your hip.
Side Plank Variation One
From the standard side plank, raise your top arm and your top leg. Hold it for as long as you can and feel the burn!
Side Plank Variation Two
From the side plank variation one, take that top arm that is extended up in the air and instead of bringing it back to your side, tuck it under your body like you’re threading a needle.
Once you do these on one side, make sure to switch to the other!
Ab Shimmies
Laying flat on your back, bend your knees with your feet flat on the ground. Raise your glutes, and while keeping them engaged, contract your core and shimmy side to side. It’s like you’re reaching toward your toes one side at a time in a semi-quick motion. If you don’t like your glutes up, you can do it with your glutes down on the floor.
Pushup Plank Knee Tucks
From the pushup plank position, engage your core and bring one knee up to the opposite wrist. Slowly and controlled. Then switch sides. You will feel this in your whole body. If you want, you can take it down to your forearms and try the same motion from there.
Indi Cowie Freestyle Soccer Tricks
Watch (and learn) a few of Indi Cowie’s freestyle soccer tricks here!
Indi’s Freestyle Soccer Trick: Neck Stall
Start with feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees, and lean all the way over so your back is parallel to the ground. Look straight ahead and lift your arms up like chicken wings. First start by learning how it feels to balance the ball in this position. From here you can progress to trying to catch it on your back like Indi. Trust me, it’s way harder than it looks.
Natalie’s Stability Ball Trick: Stability Ball Sit
Use your core to balance on a stability ball. Kneel on the ball and try to maintain your balance by squeezing your core AND your glutes. If that’s too easy for you, try to move around while keeping your balance! This is harder than it looks, too!
8 year old Tough Coach trains Soccer Freestyle Pro Indi Cowie
During her visit, Indi Cowie was trained on some soccer drills (passing, dribbling, shooting goals, and one on one by my 8 year old daughter who just so happens to want to be the “best soccer player in the world”. She is one TOUGH coach no matter who she is training! But today she offers a few tips for those other soccer players out there!
Who is Indi Cowie?
Indi Cowie is a professional soccer freestyler. She has been performing for about nine years now and has experienced more than she ever thought possible. She has been able to travel the world, most recently to Brazil, where she competed in the 2015 Red Bull Street Style Championships. She has also traveled to China to compete in a national TV Game Show and to Canada for The Women’s World Cup! Pretty amazing, right?!
Although some of her greatest memories are freestyling with TV celebrities Ellen Degeneres and George Stephanopoulos and showcasing her skills on TV for many years, today she feels more in sync with her fans than ever before. Her next goal is to show young athletes that no matter what struggles they face, they should stay positive and continue to be the unique individuals they were created to be.
What Does Freestyle Soccer mean?
Freestyle Soccer is a combination of sport and art. According to Indi, “Freestyle soccer can be anything you want it to be! No boundaries, no limits.” If you ask me, well, I say it takes talent and extreme flexibility! But most importantly, it’s all about being creative with a soccer ball and having fun! And that’s what Indi does – she has fun!
Indi had a passion for sports starting at the age of twelve, and with hard work and dedication, she began living her dream! You can too!
“Be Happy…Be Healthy…Be Fit!”
Natalie Jill
