Top 5 Tips on How to Excel in Doing Wall Balls during Cross Training Exercises


It’s true that wall balls hurt because they are one of the CrossFit exercises that test you deep down, making your arms and legs scream for you to stop. That notwithstanding, you can excel in this workout and become better with time. The following are some of the tips that will assist you in getting this done.

CrossFit exercises

Catching and Positioning the Ball

During the entire movement, the secret is to keep the ball as close as possible to your body. This is because of the further away it is from your body, like any weight, the heavier it will seem. This is primarily due to your resistance arm becoming longer. While attending CrossFit Exercises do make sure that when you are keeping the ball clos, take care that it doesn’t smash into your face when executing your WOD. This mostly happens because of fatigue and tired arms.

Try as much as possible in order to resist the temptation to keep the ball far away by positioning your hands to the sides and a little towards the bottom of the ball when executing the catch.

The Depth of Your Squat

When doing wall balls, it is required that your hip crease break the plane of your knee joint during the squat. Some athletes get frustrated when other members of the gym cheat their way through their series of wall balls and then gloat and celebrate it. Just like with any other CrossFit workout of the day, aim to do it properly.

CrossFit exercises

If you want to do this well and train your body thoroughly so that you can find the exact position of the squat, practice with another ball which you place behind you and you sit on each rep. Don’t allow the ball to take your weight, but simply make use of it as a physical trigger to train your body on how far the depth of your squat should be. The moment you touch the ball, launch straight back upwards.

Rest Your Arms

When doing wall balls in CrossFit Exercises, the muscles surrounding your shoulder joint will become fatigued. Your goal should be to reduce this fatigue so that you can last longer in the exercise. The best way to do this is to allow your arms to drop down after propelling the ball upwards. This will give you the much-needed moment of rest however minuscule it is.

 Take on the Weight of the Ball

There should be a good rhythmic flow between the movement and mechanics of wall ball. This means disregarding your legs though they may be on fire, and try to maintain aggressive movement throughout. Whenever you get hold of the ball on its descent, allow its weight to be absorbed into your squat. This momentum will drive you smoothly downwards giving you an opportunity to turn this ballistic movement into a powerful bounce at the bottom which will power the ball up again.

CrossFit exercises

Your Distance from the Wall

Regardless of how you manage to rest your arms during each movement, standing too far from the wall will give you a huge amount of work. Throwing the ball too far forward will disorient your upward momentum because your body will be forced to tilt forward to correct your movement. The energy wasted here is unnecessary, and you will get tired much faster in the CrossFit gym.

To add to the above, think about your biometrics to get the perfect position for you. The ball should also be a comprise between a bouncy one and a heavier one. Use your personal judgment.


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