Multidirectional bear crawl

Crawl forward, backward and sideways while maintaining good bear crawl form:

• Neutral head/neck position throughout the exercise
• Shoulders engaged; look for a flat t-shirt sitting across the shoulder blades
• Flat, level back
• Move opposing arm & leg together in forward and backward directions
• When moving sideways, arms & legs can move together in opposition or from same side

• Head/neck moving out of neutral line. Watch for wrinkles near the base of the neck
  • Cue "Long, strong neck"
  • Cue "Imagine a string attached to the top of your head pulling it forward"
• Rounded upper-back
  • Cue "Pinch the shoulder blades down and back"
• Sagging lower-back
  • Cue "Pull belly-button up towards ribs"
  • Cue "Bring the hips higher"
• Knees too far back from hips
  • Cue "Step the feet forward"
• Hips dipping side-to-side
  • Cue “Hips square towards floor”

• Rugby-specific position (e.g. scrum)
• Reinforces safe, neutral neck position
• Activates trunk muscles
• Activates shoulder muscles
• Challenges trunk stability