The Perpendicular Throw (1 Leg) Exercise is a great way to build power and speed in your arms, hips and core, while developing rotational stability and improving your balance.
The Perpendicular Throw (1 Leg) Exercise forms part of the Golf Power series of innovative and dynamic exercises that are designed to efficiently build explosive power in your golf swing, increasing club head speed and shot distance.
Equipment
This exercise requires a medicine ball and a wall to throw it against. Alternatively, you could throw the ball to a partner.
This is a power training exercise, so use a moderate weight that enables you to move fast, in an explosive (plyometric) movement, while always maintaining control and proper form.
Quality of movement is much more important than how heavy a ball you are throwing.
For power exercises, the end of the set shouldn’t necessarily feel harder. Your effort level should remain relatively high throughout the set.
See How Much Weight Should I Lift? for more information.
Figure 1. Perpendicular Throw (1 Leg) Exercise Video.
Steps
- Start by standing on your right foot, your right leg slightly bent, with a wall about 3 feet (1m) away to your left, holding a medicine ball in front of your waist.
- In one explosive movement, take the ball back behind you by rotating your torso and hips to the right, and then throw the ball as hard as you can against the wall.
- Catch the ball with both hands and return to the starting position.
- Continue for the desired number of repetitions.
- Repeat, this time standing on your left leg with the wall still on your left.
- Repeat twice more, now with the wall to your right, for one set of reps standing on your right leg, and then one on your left leg.
That’s four sets of repetitions in total, with no rest in between.
Throw the ball in a straight line from your hips, using your the power of your torso, not just your arms.
Keep your torso as centred as you can, rotating around a fixed axis.
Keep your abdominal muscles engaged, chest up, back flat, and your shoulder blades back and down.
You should feel it working your arms, legs and core.
Variation
When you first perform this exercise, make one throw at a time, resetting your position and balance each time, and concentrating on throwing as explosively as you can while maintaining perfect form. As you become more proficient, try to link the throws together into one continuous movement, storing the energy as you catch the ball and exploding it back into each throw.
As your strength increases and the exercise gets easier, either throw the ball harder or progress to a heavier ball.
For a different challenge, try this exercise with your foot either lifted behind you (featured), or with your knee up in front of you and forcefully kicking your raised foot back as you throw.
There are a number of other throw exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System that offer a variety of challenges, you can see them all by clicking here.
If you have any questions or comments about this or other articles on Golf Loopy, please send us an email.
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