Medicine Ball Drills

Medicine Ball Drills

Medicine balls are great tools for developing muscular strength that is specific to basketball, as they can be used to simulate the exact movements that are used in basketball. An effective workout with medicine balls can be achieved in about thirty-to-forty minutes. Each session should be made up of eight-to-ten exercises with the athlete performing two-to-three sets of each exercise. If the athlete is to develop strength and muscular endurance, then conduct six-to-twelve repetitions (reps) of each exercise. If the athlete is to develop muscular endurance rather than strength, then conduct twelve-to-thirty reps with a lighter ball.

With a medicine ball of a size and weight that a player can handle, you can do:

1. Overhead Throws
2. Chest Passes
3. Figure 8 around your legs
4. Two-line pass-and-exchange
5. Pass with a partner down the floor and back
6. Squat to press: Start with medicine ball directly overhead with arms extended. Lower medicine ball to chest level while performing a parallel squat in a smooth and controlled manner.
7. Sit-ups: Sit facing a partner with knees in a bent position. Hold arms above head. Upon receiving the ball, perform a sit-up and forcefully throw ball back to your partner.
8. Seated side-throw-sit: Start with knees in a bent position and a partner sitting on either side. Partner passes ball to the outside hip. Upon receiving ball, athlete twists trunk, lightly tapping medicine ball behind hip and throwing medicine ball back to partner.
9. Diagonals: Place medicine ball slightly outside either hip. Raise medicine ball above shoulder, extending arms. Lower medicine ball in a diagonal pattern outside the opposite hip. Repeat motion.
10. Figure 8: Stand with back to partner (who should be one arm's length away) and extend medicine ball from chest. Keeping the feet and hips stationary, twist the torso and pass the ball to partner, who twists in the opposite direction. Pass should be executed with both partners turning in the opposite direction from one another.