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THROWING
MEDICINE BALLS
By Jim
Giroux, Perform Better
Many people never learn to throw properly! Movements that
require shifting, bending, rotating and balance are important
in athletics and in life. For example, by learning to transfer
momentum from rear to front a golfer reduces risk of injury
and improves performance. Due to poor movement skills, many
have not mastered patterns to complete these tasks in a
coordinated, efficient manner. Learning to throw helps
establish or reestablish these movement skills. Throwing
medicine balls which incorporates expressions of speed,
strength, flexibility and coordination, allows you to see
measurable improvement rather quickly.
What
equipment is appropriate? A medicine ball weighing 2-3 kilos
(4-7 lbs.) is appropriate for most people.
When
executing standing movements that involve rotation, the
backside foot should turn, allowing a wider range of motion
and a shifting of the center of mass over the front leg. By
doing this, the integrity of the low back is not compromised.
Cueing these actions from day 1 set up patterns that will be
used in future exercises. When bending and rotating, remind
your clients/athletes to use as many joints as possible. As
you can see, these exercises have a balance component.
Ultimately, throwing requires single leg balance.
Many
movements in life and sports involve acceleration while
shifting or moving weight from one side to the other to
complete a task. Work towards standing on one leg and
decelerating or blocking one side of the body.
This is a big
part of throwing. To properly finish throws, takeoffs and many
swinging movements, the body must fix one side to achieve
greater acceleration of the free or moving side.
Next we will
do a three-step teaching progression for rotational throws.
Remember, it may take a few weeks of work to get to modified
hammer throws. When progressing through the sequence, keep the
previous exercises in the program. You can reduce sets/reps in
Russian twists and side throws as you get to modified hammer
throws.
Using a few throws can add a skill-based component to your
workouts.
Sets and reps
can be anywhere from 1-3 sets of 6-12 reps. These exercises
fit well into a warm up and can be used to awaken the nervous
system. Throws are excellent when doing a speed/strength
session because they are a summation of forces activity. Let
throwing medicine balls help you develop better movement
skills.
3 - STEP
TEACHING PROGRESSION
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