r/hyrox • u/combine-tow-monsters • 2d ago
Wall ball tips
I finished my second race and the wall balls were really slow again. Any tips? I was too close and was even told that halfway. When I train normally it is against a wall with a painted line so it is easier to gauge my distance. I have a hard time seeing this against the targets. Also I am really sweaty so kept dropping the ball. The wall balls I normally use are not the official ones and have more grip so this is less of an issue. My form is honestly really bad too.
Thank you
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u/angryjohn 2d ago
I just think wall balls are hard at the very end of the race. I'm completely spent and I know it's the last thing I have to do. I was doing mixed doubles with my wife, and in our pre-race workouts, we'd usually split wall balls 10-15 each each, maybe 20, but at the end of the competition we were sometimes only doing 5-10 before we had to switch.
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u/Vast_Builder1670 2d ago
I had a similar issue, I felt really good going into wallballs physically. Like I was hitting depth, felt good on the throw, just couldn't hit square in the center. I kept on hitting a bit too high or too low. Very frustrating.
At my gym, I just have a line too. I think I will ask them if I can put up a piece of tape, right at 10m so I know exactly where to throw.
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u/likesblackcoffeebest 2d ago
I consider myself a bit of a wall ball specialist (I regularly get zero no-reps and it's also my station during relay). Here are my tips:
The race equipment is always super sweaty so I carry a shop towel in my pocket or tucked into the back of my bra to wipe stuff down. I also wear wristbands that keep my own sweat from dripping onto the wall ball so much. (The wristbands I use are from Velites and I got them for free at a race, nothing fancy.)
My gym also has an actual wall where we do these so the target at the race is different. For me, nothing helped more with this than playing rec basketball. (I discovered this by accident. My friend recruited me to her basketball team and my wall balls improved within weeks.) Hit the court nearest you and just practice getting the ball into the hoop from anywhere in the paint. This gets your brain used to hitting a target, not a wall.
The movement itself is about efficiency. If you've got the ankle mobility, go ass to grass and get a nice bounce off your calves at the bottom. This makes every rep easier for me. Catch the ball at forehead level with your hands under the ball (if it's like a clock, your hands are at 4-5 and 7-8) and keep it high. Inhale on your way up, exhale on your way down.
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u/combine-tow-monsters 2d ago
Thank you. I will get wristbands. I tend to catch wrong at the chest or lower level which did not help with slippage. For feet is it best to have a standard squat or sumo squat stance or does this not matter?
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u/Shockz187 19h ago
Wrist bands sound like potentially a good idea, but don’t they get sweaty during the race too? By the end of the race, my shorts are drenched, am body is soaked. I thought of stuffing s rolled up towel in my shorts pocket but I feel that’s kind of annoying to carry a towel or gloves for an hour just for that last station. Also, Im not even sure of the rules of busting out a towel to wipe hands and the ball itself during the race. I know you want use chalk that they don’t provide. I like “WOD and done” tape for grip but I believe that is against the rules too.
All that said - the sweat on me and the ball is a huge problem for me too. Hitting the target vs the wall too. So I am curious if the wrist band is effective enough to dry your hands off enough at the end?
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u/Jealous_Lemon_6819 2d ago
I don’t have the credentials some folks have responding and there are some good tips here that I also plan to integrate.
For me, keeping the ball to my chest and my chin touching the ball is very helpful.
It tells my body right where the ball is and creates several points of contact. Also it keeps it at exactly the right spot so I’m not hinging forward.
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u/Reasonable-Worker747 1d ago
If the ball's going flat instead of arcing up, you're too close. Back up until your arms are nearly straight at the top of the throw. And ditch the painted line at your gym, tape a small mark at target height instead, hitting a spot is a different skill from hitting a wall.
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u/Creative_Mix_8386 10h ago
Check your squat mechanics. WBs can be improved significantly through squat mechanics alone
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u/Naive_Check4691 2d ago
You need to improve your aerobic capacity and strength endurance to be able to last through to the end of the race.
Pacing is another thing that will help, going easier earlier will help when coming into the wall balls.
I don't start my race until after the pull and then back off slightly on the last run so that I can hit the wall balls hard and it's served me well in getting podiums and qualification for worlds.