I saw in the DVD where it said that an athlete can pull off from 1000-1500 movements with the med ball. I can find that hard to do, seeing that there is only five really ones I’m using, and each is done 30-50x2. That would equal out to 500 movements. Do you all number up to that many movements in the med ball throws?
Three sets of 500 throws is 1500. There are literally hundreds of different med ball drills you can do. The sit up drills with med ball being thrown to you would also count so including these that is like 10 different throws right there.
You don’t need to start at the high numbers but this is what the fittest high-level sprinters are doing at the maximum point in training. Normally, this would be towards the end of the first (and longest) GPP in the fall.
Anyone wish to post a circuit?
EXAMPLE CIRCUITS:
6 powerful squats with ball going over right shoulder
6 powerful squats with ball going over left shoulder
6 squats to right shoulder as you toss ball to client
6 squats to left shoulder as you toss ball to client
6 tosses while client stands/squats on left leg
6 tosses while client stands/squats on right leg
10 overhead throws in staggered position
15 seconds of holding single leg position on left leg
15 seconds of holding single leg position on right leg
6 reps of tosses while client stands and decelerates catch
6 reps to each side of supine trunk rotations on stability ball
6 reps to each side of tosses: seated trunk rotations
15 reps of crunches while squeezing med ball; feet on floor
Intermediate
- Increase number of repetitions of the sequence above or increase speed of movement or increase weight of med ball.
- Have your client stand with feet hip-width apart instead of stagger stance while doing overhead throws.
- Have your client do the crunches with the feet off the floor
Advanced - Increase number of repetitions and increase speed of movement and increase weight of med ball.
- Sequence movements such as: combining overhead catches with reverse lunges.
- Sequence holding postures with single leg squats
while we’re on the med ball what is the recomended weight and diameter of the ball? and where can you get one online?
I was using a basketball filled with water and it weighed 5kg but unfortunately it burst. the only balls i can buy in ireland are much smaller in diameter than a basketball. the ones in the dvd were of basketball sizes?
is it possible to make a diy one??
thanks
It doesn’t really matter what diameter the ball is but I have heard that 3kg balls are recommended for most athletes while the 4 kg balls are more for the larger athletes. Theres a great book by Mike Boyle called Functional Training for Sports that has a lot of great information about GPP type stuff and it has so many great strength drills in there(It’s a bloody goldmine, everyone should have it). Thats where i got my medball measurements from anyway. Hartsport.com.au has medballs, make sure you get the rubber ones that bounce. I use the 4kg one and i’m 6 foot.
Medball Pointers…
When looking at medball work you must consider the nature of the movements and worry about the following:
(1) Overuse injuries- Remember to rotate the exercises to prevent wrist issues. Also shoulder issues become a problem when the elbow drops.
(2) Effectiveness- If an athlete isn’t soaked after the training unit the density of rest periods were not short and the volumes were not high. Also the movements should incorporate great amplitudes and many muscle systems.
(3) Throwing medballs require a partner or wall. One problem with partner work is that accuracy is an issue. Plus walls can be used to play with distances. The closer to the wall the less rest between rep throws. This can be minipulated for precribed conditioning.
(4) Technique- You must go from legs-torso-arm to drive the ball off the toe (like a boxer punching). The great thing is that medball work doesn’t breakdown the legs during the gpp unless they are used with plyo hops throws (a jump to a medball throw).
(5) Skill carryover- many movements from medballs can be used for pool workouts and warm-ups for olympic lifting. Teaching someone to use a powerball for snatch throws helps cue the bar/hip/back speed for the movement inititation.
I filled up a basketball with rocks and gravel then duct taped it shut. The downside is that dust and dirt still flys out the sides when I throw it against a fence… And I don’t like breathing in dust and dirt.
Maybe if you fill it up with only a few really big rocks the problem will be solved. That’s what I’m gonna do when I have some time on my hands.
get a real medball that is durable and bounces…spend the money.
If it can’t bounce, you’re in for a world of trouble doing certain workouts. They’re cheap and effective, do it.
when Gerrard Mach came to Canada in 1973, he was appalled to discover that we had no medicine balls and he had us use concrete construction blocks cracked in half for our MB throws.
You’d wreck a decent grass field but, hey, we didn’t have that either!
You do whatever you have to do to get the job done!
Throwing concrete, that’s cool! And I though it was rather unusual to build a “calf-activator” from two metal chains (hanging from the ceiling, till 1m above floor level) and a bicycle inner tube attached in-between, in order to get neural activation back after an achilles rupture.
I can do such a variety of throws that a bouceable med ball won’t make much of a difference.
They aren’t very cheap and they are tough to find when it comes to the bigger medicine balls(15 lbs+). I want a 20 pounder and the shipping on that alone will be a bit rediculous. If you know of any sites that ship to Canada with reasonable prices, then I’m all ears… but I really don’t feel like spending $150 on a ball. I have a good 8 pounder and it’s alright for low intensity stuff. My home-made 20 pounder is pretty decent for higher intensities.
If you are doing a high number of throws and you can throw it a good distance, you will have a lot of walking to do, which can be extremely tiring depending on what you are doing (I am talking over 500 throws here). If you are throwing against a wall, it is also much easier to get a bouncing on that will come right back to you. Of course, you can get by, but your life is going to be a LOT easier if you get a nice rubberized bouncing one that you can get cheaply.
Clemson, Can you explain this in more detail i can’t quite picture what you mean.
Cheers,
TC
Did Charlie ever do this many “throws” or was it that many movements in a core workout
Haha… there’s no chance I would throw a ball on a field and then walk to it, I’m lazy as hell. I do my throws against a fence and the ball springs right back to me. Like those tennis court fences, same idea as a rubberized ball.
TC0710,
I like to use snatch throws with powerballs since they teach fast bar speed and velocity to kids. When doing all of the movements athletes are doing very general movements that can be mastered and later used for heavy lifting or other aspects.
For example shotput throws against a wall (guys like blinky should post their medball training for reveiw since I know it’s not getting the necessary elements) can teach the joints to connect or even teach summation of forces.
I teach the clean by focusing on the jumping and throwing needs. True OLY lifts are not jumps but pulling from a bent position can be improved with medball throws.
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_3540_A_CategoryID_E_166
I do:
Snatch throws
Chest throws
2-handed side arm throws from the shoulder
1-handed shotput throws
Overhead forward throws
Sitting/kneeling throws