Power · Level 2
Rotational ball throw
Forehand/backhand motion with a medicine ball thrown against the wall.
- Suggested dose
- 3 × 6 rep per side · 60s rest
- Equipment
- Medicine ball + Clear wall · or · Medicine ball
- Works
- Obliques, Glutes, Abs, Deltoids
- Pattern
- Rotation, Plyometrics
How to do it
- Side-on to the wall, ball at hip height on the back side.
- Load the back leg and rotate your hips to throw the ball against the wall.
- Catch and repeat. Do both sides (forehand and backhand).
Key points
- Legs → hips → trunk → arms
- Finish facing the wall
Common mistakes
- Throwing with the arms only
- Flexing the back
Why it helps your tennis
Builds rotational power for groundstrokes. USTA test.
Source: Complete Conditioning for Tennis, ch. 4 and 9 (forehand/backhand toss)
Related exercises
- Carioca (crossover step)Lateral movement crossing one foot in front and then behind.
- Lunge with rotationForward lunge and trunk rotation toward the front leg.
- World’s greatest stretchDeep lunge, elbow toward the instep and arm opening to the sky.
- Split-step and bouncesAnkle bounces chained with a split-step and a first step to the side.