Exercising the core of the body is important in many sports, including whitewater slalom racing. However, it is just one of many important variables. A strength training program that only uses core training is unlikely to result in optimum performance. In the research, core strength is weakly related or in some studies, unrelated to sports performance. See this study:
There may be other benefits to core training, such as injury prevention however. So, I still believe core training is important. However, it should not be the only form of resistance training you perform. If you are spending all of your gym time sitting on balls, you might be missing some important components of training.
Be sure to include some quick movements in your training, some isometric movements, some power movements, some eccentric training, and involve various muscles groups, not only the core. There is a current fad to only do core training. This is helpful in terms of preventing injury and may have some benefit but if you exclude other important exercises, it is lacking in some areas.
The research on swimming performance and core training is that there is no benefit. Some other studies show some link, but not a strong one. Here is a link to some research on core training and sports performance.
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