Exercises For Dodgeball

The last time you played dodgeball was probably at school during a P.E. class. Some dodge-ballers, however, continue to play this fun sport long into adulthood. There are numerous adult national and international dodgeball associations and leagues. Like any sport, if you want to get better at dodgeball, you need to train using exercises that will make you a better dodge-baller.

  1. Leg Exercises

    • Like virtually all ball sports, dodgeball requires fast, strong legs and plenty of lower body endurance. Running from side to side, forward and back and jumping can result in very tired legs and as soon as you begin to slow down you become a much easier target. Keep your legs in good shape by performing lunges, squats, squat jumps, leg presses, leg curls, leg extensions and calf raises. As well as strengthening your legs, it is important to stretch your leg muscles to improve your flexibility and minimize your risk of injury.

    Core Exercises

    • Throwing a dodgeball is more than a simple arm action -- the energy for a throw starts down at your feet, is transmitted through your core or midsection and finally arrives at your arm which unleashes the ball at your opponent. If your core is weak, your throw will lack power. In addition, a strong core supports your spine which is an important factor for injury prevention. Strengthen your core with planks and side planks, cable Russian twists, stability ball crunches, bid dogs, and single arm farmers and waiters walks.

    Upper Body Exercises

    • While throwing a dodgeball is a total-body exercise, stronger arm, shoulder, back and chest muscles will help. Exercises including pushups, bench presses, dips shoulder presses, lat pull downs, chins, body rows and seated rows will develop your major upper body muscles. Perform an equal volume of pushing and pulling exercises to ensure the muscles on the front and rear of your body are equally developed.

    Reaction and Agility Exercises

    • It's all well and good being able to launch the ball at your opponent like a rocket but you need to be quick on your feet to dodge it when it comes back at you. You can improve your reaction time by bouncing and then chasing a reaction ball -- an unevenly shaped ball that bounces in random directions when thrown. To improve your agility, perform running, hopping and jumping drills using an agility ladder which is not unlike a hopscotch portable grid. Multi-directional running drills, short sprints and zig-zag running will also enhance your agility.