The medicine ball is one of the oldest and most basic pieces of exercise equipment. It can be used to challenge the body's strength, flexibility and balance. It can be used in unique patterns or movements that other equipment cannot, which makes it an ideal tool for sport-specific training.
Know your Sport
Understand the demands on your body while playing your sport. Some sports require quick explosive power, as is needed by the football player. Other sports require long repetitive actions that require more endurance, as is needed by the distance runner. Medicine ball training should mimic the demands of your sport. A football player may use a heavy medicine ball to perform powerful chest passes, while a distance runner may use a lightweight ball to complete a long series of lunges.
Know Your Position
Understand the demands of your specific position. Variations in the demands of different positions can mean that athletes of the same sport may require very different training techniques. A sport like soccer places different demands on different players. A midfielder is required to cover a lot of area on the field and be in nearly constant motion. A goalie covers a much smaller area of the field but must do so with great quickness and explosiveness. Thus a midfielder would use a lightweight medicine ball while performing low-level plyometrics, while a goalie would use a heavy ball to perform lateral explosiveness drills.
Periodization
Different sports require athletes to peak at different times of the year. Variations also occur in the athletic calendar depending on the level at which you play. Medicine balls are a great tool for developing power which should be of emphasis during your preseason development no matter what time of year that should occur.
Type of Ball
Select the proper type of medicine ball. Different activities call for different types of medicine balls. Medicine balls that are lightweight and small in diameter are best for single-hand activities such as rotator cuff development. Soft leather or fabric-covered medicine balls are best for tosses between individuals. Plyometric activities that call for the medicine ball to bounce off of the ground or a wall demand the use of rubber-encased medicine balls.
Weight of Ball
You have probably seen advertisements for all sorts of strength and speed building equipment but the only thing you really need to enhance your speed is yourself, the equipment for your sport and probably a good coach. When you are out on the field competing, you will not be running on a treadmill or have weights strapped to your body, so it's not necessary that you train with them. Practice your sport skills such as running down a fly ball in the outfield, but add a speed focus such as using big strides and pushing through the ground with force.
References
- "Strength Ball Training;" Lorne Goldenberg & Peter Twist; 2002
- ACSM-Medicine Balls
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