The Wall-Ball Shot

The wall-ball shot is basically a front squat combined with a push press, where the athlete throws a medicine ball to a target. This movement demands midline stabilization, posterior-chain engagement, and core-to-extremity movement. The wall-ball shot is a great conditioning tool, forcing the athlete to move the load through a considerable range of motion, generally at a fast cycle rate. Read further to learn everything you need to know about the wall-ball shot:

• What Is the Wall-Ball Shot?
• Wall-Ball Shot Benefits
• Muscle Groups Worked
• How to Prepare for the Wall-Ball Shot
• Equipment Needed for the Wall-Ball Shot
• How to Warm Up for the Wall-Ball Shot
• How to Perform the Wall-Ball Shot
• Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Wall-Ball Shot Modifications
• Wall-Ball Shot Variations
• Common Wall-Ball Shot Workouts
• Get Started Today!

What Is a Wall-Ball Shot?

The wall-ball shot is essentially a front squat and push press combination, where the athlete stands from a deep squat position to throw a medicine ball to a target 9-10 feet high. The athlete then catches the medicine ball and squats down again to start the next rep. You’ll see wall-ball shots programmed in conditioning workouts and as a scaling option for weighted squatting movements. It’s also a common movement in benchmark workouts and everyday workouts. 

Wall-Ball Shot Benefits

The wall-ball shot develops strength, power, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, core strength, and athleticism.

Full-Body Strength

Wall-ball shots develop strength in nearly every muscle in the body, including the quads, glutes, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, arms, and muscles of the core on every rep. 

Explosive Power

Wall-ball shots combine a squat with an overhead throw, helping to build explosive power with a powerful leg and hip extension and arm drive.

Cardiovascular Endurance

The wall-ball shot’s significant range of motion and rapid cycle rate stimulate improvements in cardiovascular endurance, especially when incorporated as part of a workout or performed for high reps.

Core-to-Extremity Movement Pattern

The wall-ball shot trains core to extremity movement principles as athletes must drive hard with the legs out of the bottom of a squat to hand off momentum to the shoulders and arms for a throw to a high target. 

Core Strength

To perform an efficient wall-ball shot, an athlete must maintain a tall, upright position in the front squat, resisting collapsing forward when holding or receiving the ball in the front-rack position. The athlete must also maintain a rigid torso while driving out of the bottom of the squat in order to transfer forces from the legs, through a stable midline, and into the arms and shoulders for the throw to the target. All of this develops core strength. 

Stamina

At high reps, wall-ball shots develop great stamina in the muscles of the legs, lower back, and shoulders. 

Muscle Groups worked by the Wall-Ball Shot

The wall-ball shot incorporates many of the major muscle groups in the body, especially the muscles of the legs, core, and upper body.

Legs

As the athlete rises from the bottom of a squat, the muscles of the legs, including the hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, and glutes, receive a great stimulus. 

Core

The core muscles, including the abdominals and spinal erectors, stabilize the spine as the athlete moves up and down in the squat and throws the ball to the target. The rigid midline also transfers power from the lower body to the upper body and into the med ball efficiently. 

Upper Body

The muscles of the upper back help prevent the athlete from collapsing forward and assist in keeping the torso upright with the med ball in the front-rack position and while receiving the ball coming back down from the throw. The shoulders, chest, and triceps propel the ball upward in the throw. 

How to Prepare for the Wall-Ball Shot

Preparing for the wall-ball shot requires performing a general and specific warm-up to get the body ready to move through the range of motion required. 

Equipment Needed for the Wall-Ball Shot

The wall-ball shot requires a ball of some kind and a wall or target to throw to. 

How to warm up for the Wall-Ball Shot

To warm up for the wall-ball shot, the athlete should perform general movements that work every joint through its full range of motion. For example, rowing, biking, or running are great options to raise core temperature. Dynamic movements like burpees and jumping jacks are great, too. Then, a couple of sets of air squats and front squats with a medicine ball will prepare the athlete for their wall-ball shot warm-up sets.

How to Do the Wall-Ball Shot

Performing a wall-ball shot involves mastering the front squat, the push press and throw, and the return to the start position.

Front Squat

Each rep of the wall-ball shot begins in the bottom of a front squat, with feet flat on the floor, the elbows down, the ball cradled in the hands and held low to the chest. The athlete drives with the legs out of this position and fully extends the hips and legs to transfer power to the upper body for the throw.

Push Press and Throw 

Once the legs and hips have extended out of the squat, the athlete engages the shoulders and arms to launch the ball toward the target. As the arms extend, the ball is pushed upward, minimizing finger roll. The goal is for the ball to gently contact the target at the apex of the throw. 

Return to Start Position

After the ball hits the target, it rebounds back to the athlete’s outstretched arms, where it is absorbed back into the front-rack position, then the athlete descends immediately to the bottom of the front squat for the next rep.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The main errors for wall-ball shots include not sitting deep enough in the squat, not fully extending the hips and legs before the arms extend, and improper contact with or missing the target.

Not Sitting Deep Enough

Every rep of the wall-ball shot begins in the bottom of a front squat. If the athlete does not start the rep in a position where the crease of the hips is below the tops of the knees, the rep does not count. Athletes having trouble identifying the bottom position should pause in this position to make sure they are sitting deep enough. 

Not Fully Extending Hips and Legs

If an athlete does not fully extend their legs and hips coming out of the bottom of the front squat before they engage the shoulders and arms to throw the ball, they are violating core-to-extremity principles, and the throw will be inefficient. Athletes should practice standing tall without initiating the throw to firmly ingrain this fully extended position. Once the athlete has a feel for full hip and leg extension, they can integrate the throw. 

Improper Contact With or Missing the Target

If the ball hits too low on the target (this may happen if the ball hits the target on the way up or on the way down), the rep does not count. If the ball misses the target altogether, the rep does not count. 

Wall-Ball Shot Modifications

Wall-ball shots can be modified in terms of the weight of the ball or the height of the target. 

Weight of Ball

Wall ball shots can be performed with medicine balls of all different weights, from as light as 5 lb or less, up to 30 lb. 

Height of Target

Wall-ball shots can be performed to all different height targets from 6 feet or lower, up to 11 feet or higher. 

Wall-Ball Shot 2-for-1

An advanced wall-ball shot variation is the Wall-Ball Shot 2-for-1. This movement begins with a regular wall-ball shot, but in the small break where the athlete normally stands and waits for the ball to come back down from hitting the target, the athlete performs an air squat, standing up in time to receive the ball and squatting back down to initiate the next rep. 

Common Wall-Ball Shot Workouts

Karen: 150 wall-ball shots for time (14/20 lb, 9/10-foot target) 

Fight Gone Bad: – 3 rounds for total reps of:
1-minute wall-ball shots (14/20 lb)

1-minute sumo deadlift high pulls (55/75 lb)

1-minute box jumps (20 inches)

1 minute push presses (55/75 lb)

1-minute calorie row

1-minute rest

Filthy Fifty – For time:

50 box jumps (20/24 inches)
50 jumping pull-ups

50 kettlebell wings (35/53 lb)
50 walking lunges

50 knees-to-elbows
50 push presses (35/45 lb)

50 back extensions

50 wall-ball shots (14/20 lb)

50 burpees

50 double-unders