Plyometric and ballistic exercise
Medicine Ball Slam
Express maximal whole-body intent safely with almost no technical demand.
- Equipment
- Medicine ball
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- X0X0
Setup
A non-bouncing slam ball of 4 to 10kg on a hard floor.
How to do it
- Reach tall overhead, then drive the ball down into the floor through your hips with a full follow-through - the power comes from your hips and trunk, not from your arms.
- Do 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.
- Use a proper slam ball, because a bouncing medicine ball is genuinely dangerous for this.
Coaching cues
- Reach tall, drive down through the hips
- Full follow-through
- Hips and trunk, not arms
Common mistakes
- Slamming with the arms only
- Snapping the lower back rather than hinging
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 4 to 10 kg | 3 to 5 | 5 to 8 | 90 sec |
Tempo X0X0: Every rep is fast: no slow lowering and no pauses.
Related exercises
- Medicine Ball Rotational ThrowBuild rotational power for passing, fending and rotating in the tackle.
- Medicine Ball Chest PassBuild upper-body pushing power for the fend and initial contact.
- Heavy Sled PushBuild horizontal driving force in a position close to scrum and maul work.
- Box JumpExpress concentric jumping power with a low landing cost.
- Countermovement JumpTrain and test elastic jumping power.
- Broad JumpDevelop horizontal force production, which is what acceleration is made of.