Hurling the Medicine Ball

“The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”
Bruce Lee

No doubt you’ve heard the above quote before. It’s been mentioned more than once on this web site. What we are going to attempt to do is experience the truth of this statement through right action.

Most of you will have thrown a medicine ball. There are all sorts of wonderful throws you can do targeting all sorts of different areas of your body. Our interest however is in the development of the mind / body connection and experiencing super-performance through right frame of mind. For this reason we’re going to be using a standard overhead throw similar to a soccer side line throw in.

The objective is to throw a medicine ball as far as possible.

Step 1 – Hold It

Grab a medicine that you find reasonably heavy. I like to use 5kg at 83kgs of bodyweight. Now throw that ball forward as far as you can whilst holding you breath. Give yourself 3-4 attempts and mark the furthest. I like doing this in sand because a mark is left where the ball has landed.

Step 2 – Allow It

Allow yourself to breathe this time and throw as hard as you can letting your breathing do what it wants. Again, mark out your distances and take note of your breathing.

Step 3 – The Explosive Exhale

It’s time to be deliberate about your breathing. As you throw this time explode the breath from your lungs as you release the ball. This requires timing and may also be accompanied by a grunt. It’s very similar to a tennis serve or karate kiai. Through the impact area the breath explodes from your lungs. Musashi references the importance of shouting when cutting off your opponent’s head. The explosive breath with shout assists the mind in becoming resolute and singularly focussed. This type of breathing is often displayed by professional fighters that explode short sharp breaths with each attack or defensive motion.

Step 4 – The Full Breath

This time we return to our methodology used in issues 1 & 2 of this section. The throw itself is to become but part of a broader experience. Inhale, and begin exhaling without doing anything. Slowly leak the breath in an even and fluid manner. Do not force it out nor artificially slow it to an uncomfortable pace. Let the breath leak out. As the air leaves your lungs you perform a medicine ball throw continuing to exhale even after the ball has landed. The key is to inhale enough air that you can begin the exhale, throw and continue exhaling after the motion is finished. This is good Zanshin or ‘follow through’ and is something we will discuss at length in the ‘Ball in a Bin’ articles.

You will notice as you throw that your breath will ‘speed up’ as you release the ball. It is important not to ‘stop the breath’ as you release. If you do stop exhaling you will have effectively reverted back to Step 3.

Why the full breath?

The purpose of the full breath is to minimise tension and allow the throw to be as fluid as possible. A reduction in tension means increased effciency of motion, so that all the power you attempt to deliver is actually used to hurl the ball forward. It is important when performing a throw with the full breath to maintain musculature that is as tension free as possible.

There are broader principles involved here than just the effect that breathing has on the body. The mind is affected also, and the spiritual principles come into play the more you practise right breathing. Things like timing, rhythm and efficiency all begin to self regulate when the attention of the participant is on the breath. Most of this will be discussed as we venture further with ‘Ball in a Bin’ but, like all aspects of training, breath and awareness are by no means mutually exclusive activities.

Step 5 - The Hara Breath

Refer to last issue’s article for a full description of he Hara Breath. The idea here is to perform a full breath but during the exhale, press the breath down as in the style of the Hara Breath. It is with the Hara breath that we begin to explore the possibility of making the throw truly spiritual in nature, untainted by the demands of ego mind.

And the adventure begins…