Developing total body strength and power is always a goal for athletes. More specifically, building rotational explosiveness is beneficial for athletes participating in sports such as tennis, soccer, baseball, and swimming to name a few. This exercise is done using a medicine ball.
Application: Work to rest ratios will depend on fitness level and the desired training effect. In the beginning, it may be best to start out with a slower and more controlled movement (less emphasis on speed and power) to ensure proper form and control of the body in order to avoid poor movement patterns or injury. This exercise offers a great way to build explosive strength and power throughout the entire kinetic chain. It engages the shoulders, torso and hips to produce a powerful movement that is both useful and needed in sports that involve throwing, hitting, serving, swimming, etc. The med ball rotational wall throw can serve as a standalone modality as part of a power training session or function as part of a circuit to elicit a metabolic training effect.
Precautions: For clients with existing shoulder, hip or back dysfunction, this exercise may place undue strain on the body if the client has limited join mobility or active inflammation in those areas. Specifically, precaution is advised in clientele with lumber disc pathology or hip impingement.
Execution: Choose a medicine ball in accordance with the client’s size, strength and functional capacity. Stand perpendicular to the wall with the feet shoulder-width apart. Next, squat down as you take the ball away from the wall and rotate the trunk to the right. Once at end range of motion, explosively rotate to the left throwing the ball into the wall. Catch the ball on the rebound with the arms out in front of the body and repeat this cycle for 10-15 repetitions or for a desired period of time. Switch sides and repeat.
