Mastering the Top 10 Athletic Movements
THROW
There are numerous benefits to throwing. These include building explosive strength, reactive strength, coordination, and torso strength / stability. While throwing is commonly viewed as an upper body movement, in reality it develops full body power; effectively linking the hips with an upper body effort. The most common throwing exercises are performed with a medicine ball. However, you can use sandbags, kettlebells, and weights. A balanced throwing regimen should include push, rotational, hip hinge, and overhead variations. Here is an example of each:
• Kneeling Hip Extension to Chest Pass: Take a stance on two knees. Have the ball loaded to your chest. Hinge your hips back to your heels. Explode the hips forward, and chest pass the ball simultaneously. The hips should reach full extension, with the glutes engaged and the body in a tall posture, low back not hyper extended.
• Shot Put Toss: Take a stance just outside hip width. Your body will be perpendicular to the wall, or the intended path of the ball. The ball will be loaded to the back shoulder, with the back elbow up, and back hand opened directly behind the ball. The front hand will be placed lightly on the front of the ball to keep it up. Forcefully throw the back side hip forward, rotate the torso to bring the rib cage relatively square to the wall or intended ball path. Simultaneously push the back hand through the ball.
• Shovel Toss: Take a stance slightly wider than hip width. With straight arms bring the med between your legs and back towards your butt, not so much down. Hinge the hips, maintaining as vertical a shin angle as possible. Release the ball by exploding the hips into extension and underhand tossing the ball forward with straight arms. The movement is similar to a KB Swing.
• Overhead Slam: Take a jump stance. Bring the ball overhead while achieving extension of the hips, knees and ankle joints. You should be on the balls of your feet at the top portion. With straight arms forcefully slam the ball down just in front of your feet, while pushing the hips back and allowing the arms to swing past your legs and back toward your butt. Do not try and keep your arms in front of the legs to minimize any deceleration.
