Partner Overhead Medicine Ball Slam Feed | Friends

Quick Intro

One partner stands with a medicine ball overhead and slams it into the floor. The other partner, standing a step or two away, retrieves it on the bounce or roll and hands it straight back up to the slammer’s raised hands. The slammer stays standing the whole time and never bends to pick the ball up, so the slams come one after another. After the agreed reps or time, the two swap. It is a familiar circuit in strength and conditioning gyms, where the partner feeding the ball is what keeps the pace high.

How to slam the ball well, rising onto the toes with the ball overhead and driving it down with the whole body, is taught at Medicine Ball Overhead Slam. This guide covers the feeder’s job: where to stand, when to move in and how to hand the ball back quickly and safely.

What You’ll Need

A slam ball, the soft kind that does not bounce much, especially on a hard floor. Four to eight kilograms suits most people.
A solid floor that can take the impact, with about three metres of clear space round the slammer.

How It Works

The slammer stands with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the ball overhead.
The feeder stands a step or two away, slightly to one side and back from where the ball will land.
The slammer drives the ball down hard in front of their feet.
The feeder waits until the ball has landed, then steps in, picks it up and hands it up into the slammer’s hands, which are already reaching up.
The slammer takes the ball overhead and slams again.
Continue for the agreed reps or time, then swap roles.

For the Feeder

Stay back until the ball lands. Never reach in while the ball is coming down. The slammer is moving with full force and cannot stop mid-slam.

Hand up, don’t throw. Place the ball into the slammer’s raised hands. A tossed ball at that range is hard to catch and can hit the face.

Quick, clean handoffs. The feeder’s own effort matters less than how smoothly the ball gets back. A good feeder picks the ball up, steps in and hands up in one movement.

Read the bounce. Slam balls roll or bounce slightly. Watch where it goes and move to it.

The Training With a Friend guide has more on doing the helping role well, which is what decides how good this drill feels.

For the Slammer

Stay standing. Let the feeder bring the ball back. Bending to pick it up yourself breaks the rhythm and loses the point of the drill.

Reach up for the ball. Have the hands up and ready, so the feeder knows where to place it.

Slam in the same spot. A ball slammed far forward or to the side is harder for the feeder to reach and pulls them into the slam zone.

How Many

Sets of 10 to 15 slams, or 20 to 30 seconds, then swap. Three or four rounds each. Rest is built in while you feed.

Making It Easier or Harder

Easier: a lighter ball, fewer slams, a slower pace.
Harder: a heavier ball or a longer set. The feeder can also hand back faster, as long as the slammer is ready.

Staying Safe

Feeder stays a safe distance back until the ball has landed.
Use a slam ball that does not bounce on a hard floor.
Hand the ball up, never throw it at the slammer.
Stop for lower back pain.

Common Mistakes

Feeder reaching in too early. Wait for the landing.
Slammer bending down. Stay tall and let the feeder do it.
Slamming to different spots. Aim for one spot in front of the feet.
Feeder tossing the ball up. Place it into the hands.

Fitting It Into a Session

Use it as a conditioning block in the second half of a session, or in a circuit with other partner stations. It raises the heart rate fast.

Medicine Ball Overhead Slam is the solo version.
Partner Rotational Slam Pass slams the ball diagonally to a partner who slams it back.
Overhead Dodge pairs a slam with a reaction drill for the other partner.

FAQ

Can we use a normal medicine ball?

On grass or soft flooring, yes. On a hard floor, a bouncy medicine ball can rebound unpredictably. Use a slam ball.

Where should the feeder stand?

A step or two away, to the side and slightly back, outside the area the ball and arms move through.

How many slams is too many?

Stop when the slams lose force or the slammer’s back starts to round on the way down.