Medicine ball drills can be a great way to train for the shot put. Med ball drills not only strengthen the upper body but also reinforce movement patterns specific the the shot.
In the video clip below nationally recognized throwing coach Larry Judge shows you variations of medicine ball drills that he used to train throwers.
Medicine Ball Push Drill
The athlete holds a medicine ball with both hands. The ball should be held near the top of the chest just below the chin. The elbows should be up and the thumbs should be pointing down. To throw the ball, the athlete should use and inside out movement. The palms will face in to begin the throw and will face outward upon completion of the throw.
Sets of 10 are recommended. The mass of the ball can vary. In this video he is using a 4 kilo ball. More advanced throwers could use 6 kilo and you could go as low as 1 kilo depending on the strength of the throwers.
This drill will build strength and help condition the chest, while also working on the inside out motion that is important for throwing the shot.
Medicine Ball Drop.
The athlete will lay on a bench and a med ball will be dropped to him. Upon catching the ball the athlete will quickly extend his arms (similar to the previous drill) and throw the ball as high as possible.
This drill will develop upper body speed and also reinforce the arm movement specific to throwing the shot.
Medicine Ball Wall Strike
This is a single arm movement that helps to solidify the inside out motion necessary to throwing the shot. In this drill the athlete will hold the ball just off the neck. The elbow should be up and the hands over the deltoid.
The athlete will use and inside out motion and throw the ball against a wall or fence.
These drills are just a sample from a complete shot put training DVD. Coach Judge’s instructional DVD focuses on taking the beginning coach/athlete through all of the steps needed to succeed in learning to throw the shot. Included are 20 lessons designed to teach the shot put. In the video you will see over 100 drills used to complete the lessons. For more information about this DVD click the link Curriculum Guide to the Shot Put.
The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Some schools block access to the site.