Updated September 3, 2023
Looking to improve your wall ball shots, here are five tips to help maximize your skills:
1.) Keep your elbows in:
Flared out elbows can fatigue the shoulders quickly, so keep your elbows tight by engaging your triceps and lats. This helps to make your wall ball shots efficient and allows you to string together more reps.
2.) Use your hips:
Wall balls may seem easy at just 20 pounds to a 10-foot target, but those reps do add up quickly. To maximize your hip drive and save valuable energy, focus on driving out of the squat with powerful hips, similar to a thruster. Using your arms to throw the ball can cause fatigue faster.
3.) Focus on the target:
Aiming for the center of the target helps to hit it accurately and get a consistent rebound, allowing you to get into a rhythm. Strong hip drive will ensure that you throw the ball high enough to hit the target. During a successful wall ball shot, your arms are mainly used to control the ball.
4.) Hold the ball correctly:
Holding the ball in front of your chest or abs can cause your back to round, making it challenging to squat. To maintain a good squat position, keep the ball right in front of your face (the bottom of the ball should be at or above the top of your chest).
5.) Break it up:
While stringing together wall balls can help cut down time, few athletes can complete a whole workout such as Karen (150 wall balls for time) unbroken. Practice wall ball sets during your skill work to see how many reps you can handle in a row. Break up your reps before reaching the red line, where you can no longer string multiple repetitions together. Knowing when to break takes some practice and athlete self-awareness, but it can significantly improve your score on the leaderboard.
