Improve Your Fight Gone Bad Score – Wall Ball efficiency tips

Wall balls are coach Tom’s favourite!  He has been known to punish late arrivals to class with 50 wall balls just for a warm-up…  Who better to ask for wall ball advice than the Master of Wall Ball Punishment himself?

Tom’s Top 6 Wall Ball Tips: 

1. Stand as close to the target as you can, making sure you can still comfortably hit the correct range of motion (hips below knees) in the squat.  This will also allow you to throw the ball straight up and down; the shortest possible distance between two points.

2. Place your feet slightly wider apart than you normal squat stance; this this will allow you to maintain a more upright torso position. If your torso is upright you will have less distance to travel in the movement and your squatting mechanics will be far more efficient.  Be careful that your stance is not too wide as you will not be able to get your hips below your knees in the bottom of the squat; the last thing you want is a “NO REP.”

3. Place your hands under the ball, as gravity will keep the ball firmly on your hands.  Screw your hands into the ball to create a stable shoulder position.  Placing your hands on either side of the ball increases the chance of the ball slipping through your hands.

4. Always hold the ball in front of your eyes and try to maintain a neutral head position.  As you come out of the bottom of the squat you should shift your gaze to the target.  Again, you should not need to throw your head back to do this.

5. Allow your hips to do all the hard work then use your arms to direct the ball towards the target. From the bottom of the squat you want to think about jumping as fast as you can.  The violent leg/hip drive can be used to accelerate the ball towards the target and save your poor little arms from doing all the work!

6. As you stand tall, extend your arms and follow through to the target. Keep your hands up and wait for the ball to return, then you can quickly drop back to the bottom of the squat position to start the cycle again.  Be sure to squeeze your glutes as you stand tall to help establish a strong upright position before receiving the ball.

Fight Gone Bad Tips continue: Once you finish the 60 seconds of wall balls you are going to be moving onto the deadlift high pulls.  Stay tuned for this post tomorrow.