Exercise of the Month – Med Ball Rotational Throw

With the new “Blue Beast” finally finding a home at Elite Sports Performance and Physical Therapy in Stoughton, it may have you wondering what the excitement is all about! The Beast provides a ton of training versatility and every power movement associated with it can benefit athletes of any sport.

With both of our locations having a sturdy cement wall for med ball power work, one of the exercises we commonly incorporate into our sports performance programs is the Medicine Ball Rotational Throw. This is a very effective training exercise for athletes who play a swinging (rotational) sport such as baseball, softball, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, and lacrosse and want to improve their rotational power. Certain positions in other sports also benefit from high rotational power output, such as the goalie in soccer and quarterback in football.

By incorporating the Medicine Ball Rotational Throw, we are using similar movement patterns associated with these “swinging” sports or positions. The movement that is commonly used in their sport can now be performed at higher speeds and with greater force, which helps to improve the athlete’s rotational power. This leads to an improvement in sports performance as the athlete can then translate this increased explosive power directly into play (i.e. swinging a bat, shooting a puck or lacrosse ball, throwing a baseball/football, etc).  In addition to this, the exercise works to strengthen the rotational core and surrounding muscles, which can help decrease the risk of injury when competing.

KEYS TO A GREAT MEDICINE BALL ROTATIONAL THROW

• Choose a medicine ball weight that you can throw quickly with speed and power (i.e. 4-8  lbs works well for many athletes)
• Stand several feet away from the wall, having feet shoulder width apart
• Keep the arms “long” with elbows and knees slightly bent
• Turn the shoulders away from the wall while rotating at the hips
• Bring the ball to just above hip level and focus on leaning down into the back leg
• Rotate at the hips quickly towards the wall, while simultaneously turning the shoulders in the same direction
• Quickly release the ball just slightly below shoulder level, aiming for a target on the wall that is in line with the release point

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our Exercise of the Month! If you or an athlete in your family would like to join the Elite Sports Performance community, we offer Sports Performance and Athlete Training programs at both our Foxboro and Stoughton locations. To learn more about our programs for athletes of all ages and sports and how YOU can improve your acceleration, strength, power and performance in the process, click HERE or email us at EliteSPC@EliteFitCenter.com! See below for details about our upcoming Winter Training Special, which will run from January 3 – March 19 at both locations! Space is limited to secure your spot today!