Hey guys, I was wanting to get a few of these to help with core work for the guys at my gym. I saw Sherk using one on UFC All Access and I've seen others use it as well. Is there a cheap, effective way to modify an existing medicine ball to achieve the same effect or do I have to get a pre-made roped ball? Where would I get one and how much should it weigh?
ross enamait have instructions in one of his old (he doesnt sell it anymore) ebooks. there are several ways of doing it, like putting homemade medicine ball (ball + sand) in pants etc. im not sure where is my book, otherwise i'll give you more info. or, leave your email and i;ll try to find in next couple of days.
for some reason my post was submitted twice (?), so im deleting it.
I couldn't find one anywhere locally, and I didn't want to have one shipped because of the weight, so I bought one of those med balls with handles and just threaded some rope through there. Don't know how much cheaper it is to do it that way, but at least it's a good option if you can't find the ball on the rope.
I was thinking of doing the exact same thing as you described, JonKellett. Did you use one of the rubber ones with the handles? How has it held up? I was concerned whether the rope would end up sliding to one side or another and end up making it feel off balance.
Do you think a design like this would hold up well to swings against a brick wall?
That's exactly the drill I do with it, and it's held up well. I got some dock line from a hardware store, with a loop at one end. I passed that end through the handle then threaded the other end through and pulled it tight. Due to the nature of the drill, I've found that gravity hold the rope nicely in place. I think the texture of the rubber ball does a nice job at holding the ball in place, too. Because you're not covering any of the ball surface, just the handle, I find that it still bounces really well. And you get the added bonus of working your grip strength by holding the rope.
Hope this helps, man!
Thanks Jon, that's great! How heavy of a ball do you use? Any recommendations on what size ball to use depending on the size of the person swinging it?
Also, what brand medicine ball did you go with? I saw at Walmart.com that they have an Everlast rubber handled medicine ball (12lbs) for $43.50 with free shipping if you pick it up from the store.
Here's another alternative called the medicine ball sling:
http://www.shapeupshop.com/bands_balls_tubes_bars/medballs/sling.htm
I had the original Paul Chek Tornado Ball and that thing was one of the best tools I ever had until one of my fighter clients shattered it.
Fortunately, one of my friends bought one at the same time I did and now we use his. I haven't found a comparable replication of it since they stopped making them. The ropes are either too thin, or the ball just bounces weird.