While most weight room movements lie in the sagittal plane, numerous sports rely on a wide variety of motion across every plane. Rotational movements are a major part of team and individual sports. Taking a shot in ice hockey, swinging a bat in baseball, practically any approach in golf, etc. The list goes on. Therefore, it is important to train power in multiple planes for athletics. The medball becomes a tremendous tool for maximizing this quality. Max effort, high velocity movements are the goal. Below is an easy to implement progression that can immediately help you build rotational power.
Split Stance Side Toss
This is usually a good entry point for athletes. You could even regress this to a half kneeling position where you are on the ground. If you watch the feet, they stay stationary here despite rotation from the trunk up.
Shotput Throw
Hand placement switches to overhand here, but I consider this a progression due to rotation through the hips. This should be easy to spot by looking at the feet. In split stance side toss they stayed pointed straight ahead, but now with the follow through they end up point at the wall.
Crossunder Side Toss
Now we are full on moving. You can adjust this movement based on sport or even position. Example: For hockey goalies I am more likely to have them do a lateral push-off/shuffle instead of a crossunder, as it is more applicable to the movements they perform on the ice.
Rotational Toss with Follow Through
If you have access to large space or an outdoor area you feel comfortable letting go of the ball, this is a great finishing progression. I am extending everything here: ankle, knee, hip and releasing the ball as hard as possible. Make sure your lower body is doing most of the work, a common mistake is twisting only from the waist up. You won’t produce as much power if you don’t make it a total body movement.
Bonus: Push + Shuffle + Toss
Almost everyone can find a benefit from this one, but I think it is especially pertinent to hockey athletes. Think of being in a puck battle in the corner, having to release quick from the boards, then tapping into your explosiveness again (reacting to whatever comes next). Put force into the wall with the ball and really push hard before quickly shuffling away. If you have a partner, they could even have you push into wall and react/release on their cue.
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