Medicine Ball Workouts Tips

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Can I use a medicine ball to jump higher?

Medicine Ball Work, Bump Lifts

Here's an exercise to strengthen your arms and legs, using the "bump" posture and your medicine ball.

1) Assume the bumping position, the medicine ball on the floor between your legs.

2) Reach down, pick up the ball and lift with your arms and legs, as if you were passing a serve receive.

3) Toss the ball to a partner, standing about 3 feet away.

4) 15 reps at the beginning of the season will give your arms and legs a good workout. Allow 2 minute rests in between once you begin to feel comfortable doing multiple sets.

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What´s a medicine ball "bump toss?"

Medicine Ball Work, Bump Toss

Here's a medicine ball workout that's great for strengthening arms and legs. We call it the "bump toss."

1) Assume a passing position, and face a partner, who holds the medicine ball, waiting for your signal.

2) Tell your partner you're ready, then have them toss the ball toward you in a gentle arc.

3) Move to where you can catch the ball in the exact position you would be passing a ball on a free ball.

4) Catch the ball with both hands at about zipper level, allowing your arms to catch the momentum of the ball.

5) Move the ball back forward, lifting it up to about zipper level again, and then let it fly back to your partner.

6) Repeat about 15 times, allowing 2 minutes between if you're doing multiple sets.

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How can I become a better setter?

Setter Standing Toss, Distance

This time, the setter stands, ball in hands, and tosses the ball in a perfect setting motion, using their entire body, as high and far as possible.

This strengths the entire body, and duplicates the motion to be used in game situations.

   
Other medicine ball workout tips?

Medicine Ball Work, Bump Jumps

Here's a good medicine ball workout for legs and arms, called a "bump jump."

1) Assume a bumping position, ball on the floor between your legs.

2) Reach down and pick up the ball, using arms and legs to lift.

3) Bring the ball up, exactly as if you were passing a serve receive.

4) Follow through, jumping off the ground and tossing the ball to a partner, standing about 6 feet away.

5) Repeat 15 times, allowing 2 minute rests between multiple sets.

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How can I become a better setter?

Setter Workouts, Part 1

Setters need strong arms to be able to get the ball high outside, so they need medicine ball work as much as everyone else.

Here's a basic drill to get started:

1) Two partners, about 3 feet apart, either on their knees or in cross-legged position, one holding ball.

2) Each player, in turn, passes the ball in a gentle arc to their partner, using perfect setting form, ball coming off finger tips.

3) 15 reps each will do to begin. Allow 2 minute rest between sets if doing multiples later on.

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Basic medicine ball workouts?

Medicine Ball Work, Part 2

Once you've got your ball, homemade or store-bought, here's a beginning exercise to get you started:

1) Hold the ball out in front of you, arms straight, elbows locked, at chest level.

2) Slowly move the ball, swiveling at the waist, to your right, arms still out straight. As you reach your maximum stretch, slow down ... don't bounce. You might strain something, and that's not the idea.

3) Hold the ball briefly, once you've come to a halt, in that position, and then begin returning to the original position, ball back in front of you.

4) Hold the ball in the original position for a moment, and then repeat the motion to your left.

5) 15 reps will give you a good workout to begin. If you decide to do more as the season progresses, give yourself a 2 minute rest between repetitions.

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How can I become a better setter?

Setter Movement Workouts

Once the basic techniques are mastered, it's time to make the workout more "game specific."

1) The partner with the ball tosses to their team mate, who moves into position to take the ball at forehead level, legs about should width apart.

2) The player who is returning the ball catches the ball with fingertips and takes the movement out of the ball, but instead of starting over, they return the ball back to their partner.

3) 15 reps is a good workout, with 2 minute rests for multiple sets.

Although it's not a true set, this drill helps get the setters to move into position and strengthen their setting muscles, throughout the body. Pushing the ball back up also helps add realism to the workout.

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How can I become a better setter?

Setter Workouts, Standing

Once setters have mastered the sitting technique, thus isolating the hand and arm muscles involved in setting, it's time to have them stand and get the whole body involved in the workout.

1) Partners, about 6 feet apart, one with medicine ball.

2) The player who has the ball adopts the setting position, knees bent, elbows out, fingers spread, ball cradled on the tips of the fingers.

3) That player now goes through the setting motion, lifting up with the knees, and sets to their partner.

4) Partner CATCHES the ball, assumes the position, and returns the set.

Usually, setters will encounter more injuries than benefit if they try to actually set the ball back and forth. It's best to just catch and start over each time.

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Are there team medicine ball workouts?

Medicine Ball, Circle Twist

Here's a team-oriented drill that works best in groups of at least three, but can be done with only two.

1) Have players stand in a close circle, facing outward. One player has medicine ball in their hand.

2) First player twists to their right, handing the ball off to the next player, who accepts the ball by twisting to the left.

3) The new player then twists, handing the ball off to the next team mate.

4) 15 reps around the circle will give everyone a good workout.

Of course, if you only have two players, the twisting will come much quicker than in a group, but the benefits will be the same.

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How do I get started with medicine ball?

Medicine Ball Work, Part 1

Here's a good beginning for your medicine ball work:

1) Begin with a ball that is similar in size to a volleyball. That will help condition the brain to size of the ball while you're conditioning your body.

2) If you know a person with a good, heavy-duty sewing machine, you can have them sew a medicine ball out of heavy fabric, such as canvas, using sand as the weight.

3) If you don't have access to a local seamstress, you can buy volleyball-sized medicine balls through nearly all the supply houses. (You're looking for a ball in the 9 to 15 lb. range.)

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