How Medicine Ball Training Builds Explosive Javelin Power
- Mar 3
- 3 min read
Using medicine balls and plyo balls is a great way to improve your upper body power,
because it puts the chest and lats in a position to move more weight than a javelin or
baseball. Using different weights and sizes also allows you to use progressive overload to get
your throwing arm to handle more weight and intensity just like we do in the weight room.
Starting with medicine balls there are a variety of categories we can use to improve power.
The first category is acceleration.
Acceleration drills allow you to focus
on absolute power. These are great for
stationary throws and focus very little on
technique. Here we are going to focus on
speed and power, throwing the ball as hard
as you can in a certain movement pattern. My
favorite exercises to produce power output
are the MB shot put, Reverse MB throw, and
overhead MB throw.
“In sports performance training, medicine
balls are one of the most useful tools to
build upper body explosive power. This is for
good reason, as medicine balls allow you to
increase power in basic functional and sport
specific movement patterns.”
Reinold, Mike. “3 Medicine Ball Drills to Build
Upper Body Explosive Power.” Champion
Physical Therapy and Performance
(blog), November 12, 2014. https://
medicine-ball-drills-build-upper-body-
explosive-power/
DECELERATION
Deceleration drills allow you to focus on producing power, decelerating, then producing
again. This is an essential aspect in throwing because every time you throw from start to
finish you accelerate, then decelerate after the release of the ball or javelin. Decelerating
is an essential aspect to throwing because without proper deceleration skills your
body will not be able to accelerate while feeling safe. Your deceleration capabilities act
as a governor on your body’s ability to produce force and be tenacious in the throw.
Decelerating is what allows you to hit a block at full speed after the approach has come to
a conclusion. Having a good ability to decelerate after the block and throw is what keeps
your block leg, back, core, and rotator cuff healthy after that brutal impact. My favorite
deceleration drills are the MB pump fake scoop toss and countermovement scoop toss.
CENTER OF MASS
Center of mass drills are great to work on with medicine balls so you can practice
stability in the unilateral position, keeping your chest tall, staying behind your block, and
producing and absorbing force in that unilateral position. (Which if you didn’t realize,
is the same position that you finish in when you pitch and throw a javelin). The more
athletic you can be in this position, the better. Unilateral strength has an immense
correlation to athletic performance, as opposed to bilateral strength. This ensures that
both sides are able to be equally powerful which is very helpful in sports and does not
allow one side to carry the other. This is why reverse lunges, unilateral plyometrics, and
the throwers stretch help pitchers and javelin throwers so much. My favorite center of
mass medicine ball drills are the RFE MB scoop toss, and the Rotational MB slam.
“Another component of posture, pelvic alignment, is also crucial for efficient throwing.
Pelvic misalignment significantly affects the function of the legs and nearly always
produces instability. The instability resulting from pelvic misalignment also elicits
harmful stiffening, multilink, or grounding strategies, which disrupt throwing technique.
A neutral alignment of the pelvis with respect to the spine promotes relaxation, proper
leg function, and good turning. Excessive bending at the waist after arriving in the power
position, a common mistake, places the pelvis in an inferior position.”
Track & Field Coaching Essentials. “Achieve Success in the Throws” (excerpt). Human
Kinetics. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/
achieve-success-in-the-throws.
Javelin Specific
Another key aspect of using medicine balls is the ability to easily work on your block and trail leg in the throw. You are really able to focus on staying tall and using your lower half because you are not focused on throwing through the point or worrying about how far the javelin is going. Keep that in mind as you go through the progression of these next few drills that are a little more javelin specific.
My favorite javelin-specific medicine ball drills are the power position throw, 5-step MB shot put, and skip into overhead throw.
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