Arm Plyometrics
The following is a selection of plyometric exercises designed to
develop the elastic strength of the upper body.
Chest Pass
Resources
This exercise requires an assistant and a medicine ball.
How to perform the exercise
- The athlete is to stand feet shoulder-width apart and
their knees slightly bent facing their assistant.
- The athlete holds the medicine ball with both hands at chest
level, elbows pointing out.
- The athlete passes the medicine ball to the assistant, pushing it off their chest and
ending with the arms out straight.
- The assistant catches the medicine ball and allows the medicine ball to come to their
chest before pushing it back to the athlete.
- The athlete should try to anticipate the catch and return the medicine ball as quickly as
they can, keeping the catch time as short as possible.
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How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the passes is far more important than
quantity.
Power Drop
Resources
This exercise requires an assistant, a 40-100cm box and a medicine ball.
How to perform the exercise
- The athlete lies on the ground on their back with their arms outstretched upwards.
- The assistant stands on the box holding the medicine ball
at arm's length, so the medicine ball is directly above the athlete's hands.
- The assistant drops the medicine ball into the athlete's
hands.
- The athlete:
- Catches the medicine ball.
- Allows the medicine ball to come towards their chest.
- Then extend their arms to propel the medicine ball back to the assistant's hands.
- The athlete should try to anticipate the catch and return the medicine ball as quickly as
they can, keeping the catch time as short as possible.
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How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the catch and pass is far more important than
quantity.
Incline Push up depth jump
Resources
This exercise requires two thick (3") mats and a 12" box.
How to perform the exercise
- The two mats are placed shoulder-width
apart.
- Place the box to elevate the athlete's feet above their shoulders
when in a press-up position.
- The athlete:
- Faces the floor in a press-up position with their
feet on the box and their hands between the mats.
- Pushes off from the ground with their hands and lands with one hand
on each mat.
- Pushes off the mats with both hands and back to the
starting position.
- Keep the hand contact time on the mats as short as possible.
How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the push-ups is far more important than quantity.
Incline Chest Pass
Resources
This exercise requires an assistant and a medicine ball.
How to perform the exercise
- The athlete and assistant sit facing each other.
- The athlete:
- Holds the medicine ball with both hands at
chest level, elbows pointing out.
- Leans back at a 45°-degree angle, keeping their abdominals
tight.
- Passes the medicine ball to their assistant, pushing it off their chest
and ending with their arms straight.
- The assistant catches the medicine ball and allows the medicine ball to come
to the chest before passing the medicine ball back to the athlete.
- The athlete should try to anticipate the catch and return the medicine ball as quickly as
they can, keeping the catch time as short as possible.
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How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the passes is far more important than
quantity.
Vertical Toss
Resources
This exercise requires an assistant, a 40-100cm box and a medicine ball.
How to perform the exercise
- The athlete sits in front of the box with their back to it, legs spread apart
and straight.
- The assistant stands on the box holding the medicine ball
above the athlete's hands.
- The assistant drops the medicine ball into the athlete's hands.
- The athlete catches the medicine ball with elbows bent and tosses it back over their head to the assistant.
- The athlete should try to anticipate the catch and return the medicine ball as quickly as they can, keeping the catch time as short as possible.
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How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the passes is far more important than
the quantity.
Catch and throw backhand
Resources
This exercise requires an assistant and a medicine ball.
How to perform the exercise
- The athlete stands with their feet shoulder-width apart.
- The athlete bends their right arm to 90 degrees and tucks their elbow into their
side.
- The athlete keeps their trunk facing forward throughout the exercise.
- The athlete rotates the right arm out, ready to catch the medicine ball.
- The assistant stands to the athlete's right and throws a small medicine ball
at the athlete's right hand (Figure 1).
- The athlete catches the medicine ball, takes the medicine ball across the front of the body
and throws the medicine ball back to the assistant (Figures 2, 3, 4).
- The athlete should keep their right elbow on their side
at all times and focus the effort on their right rear shoulder and external
rotator muscles.
- The exercise is repeated for the left arm with the assistant standing on the left
side.
- The athlete should try to anticipate the catch and return the medicine ball as quickly as
they can, keeping the catch time as short as possible.

Figure 1 |

Figure 2 |

Figure 3 |

Figure 4 |
How much
- 3 sets of 10 repetitions/set.
- 5-minute recovery between each set.
- The quality of the throws is far more important than the quantity.
Warm-Up and Cool Down
A thorough warm-up is essential before
plyometric training. Attention should be given to jogging, stretching (dynamic), striding and
general mobility, especially to the joints involved in the planned plyometric
session. A cool-down should follow each session.
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2000) Arm Plyometrics [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/armplyo.htm [Accessed 24/7/2025]
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