Slam Ball vs Wall Ball: Which Do You Need and What Weight Should You Buy?
buying-guideThey look similar in a product photo and they're often sold side by side, but a slam ball and a wall ball are built for opposite jobs. A slam ball is made to be thrown at the floor as hard as you can and stay where it lands. A wall ball is made to be thrown up to a target and caught on the way down. Buy the wrong one and you'll either split a wall ball within a few weeks or find yourself trying to catch a rock-hard slam ball out of the air.
Here's how to tell them apart, which one suits the training you actually do, and what weight to start with.
The short answer
- Slam ball: thick rubber shell, little or no bounce, smaller and denser. For ground slams, rotational throws, carries and conditioning circuits.
- Wall ball: soft, padded shell, much larger for its weight. For wall ball shots (squat, then throw to a target), partner passes and anything you need to catch.
If you train for HYROX or CrossFit-style workouts, you need a wall ball. If you want a hard-hitting conditioning tool that works in a garage, you want a slam ball. Plenty of people end up with one of each.
Slam ball vs wall ball at a glance
| Slam ball | Wall ball | |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | Thick, tough rubber (often textured or threaded for grip) | Soft synthetic leather or vinyl, stitched |
| Bounce | Dead. It lands and stays put | Very little, but soft enough to catch comfortably |
| Size | Compact and dense for its weight | Bulkier and softer for its weight. Competition wall balls are usually around 35cm (14in) across; many home-training wall balls are smaller |
| Typical weights | From about 3kg up to 25kg+ for heavy slams | Usually 2–10kg. Few people need anything heavier |
| Made for | Slams, throws to the floor, carries, rotational work | Wall ball shots, chest passes, throws you catch |
| Don't use it for | Throwing at a wall and catching. Too hard and too small to catch safely at speed | Slamming into the ground. The seams aren't designed for it |
What a slam ball is actually for
The whole point of a slam ball is that it doesn't bounce back. You lift it overhead, brace and drive it into the floor as hard as you can, and it just sits there. You're not spending effort controlling a rebound, so you can put everything into each rep. That makes it one of the simplest ways to get your heart rate up hard in a small space: a few rounds of 30 seconds of slams with 30 seconds of rest is a genuinely tough finisher.
Beyond the classic overhead slam, a slam ball handles:
- Rotational slams to the side, which work the trunk through rotation rather than just straight down
- Squat-to-press and thrusters, holding the ball at your chest
- Bear-hug carries and lunges, where an awkward round object is harder to hold than a dumbbell of the same weight
- Ball-over-shoulder throws with heavier balls, a strongman-style move for the posterior chain
Our threaded slam ball has a ridged rubber shell, which matters more than it sounds. Once your hands are sweaty halfway through a circuit, a smooth ball gets slippery fast.
What a wall ball is actually for
A wall ball is designed for one movement above all: the wall ball shot. You hold the ball at your chest, squat, then drive up and throw it to a target above you, catch it, and go straight into the next squat. Because you're catching it at speed, the ball needs a soft shell that's easy to grab cleanly, which is why wall balls tend to be bulkier for their weight than slam balls.
It's the final station in every HYROX race (100 reps) and a staple of CrossFit workouts, which is why it's become far more common in UK home gyms over the last few years. You can also use it for chest passes with a partner, sit-up throws and light rotational throws against a wall.
What you shouldn't do is slam it into the floor. Wall balls are stitched rather than moulded, and repeated hard impacts on concrete will eventually split them. Many manufacturers specifically exclude slamming from their warranty for that reason.
Can't I just use one ball for both?
Not really, and it's worth being honest about why. A slam ball thrown at a wall comes back hard and small. It's awkward to catch, and on a plastered wall at home it'll leave marks. A wall ball slammed at the floor will hold up for a while, then the seams start to go.
A traditional bouncy rubber medicine ball sits somewhere in the middle, but its bounce is the problem: slam one hard and it comes straight back up at your face. If you only buy one ball, pick it based on the movement you'll do most.
Which one should you buy?
Get a slam ball if:
- You want a short, intense conditioning tool for circuits or finishers
- You train in a garage or room with a low ceiling (slams need very little headroom)
- You want something you can be completely unforgiving with
Get a wall ball if:
- You're training for HYROX or doing CrossFit-style workouts
- You have a solid wall and enough height to throw to a target. More on that below
- You want to practise catching and throwing with a partner
One very practical point for UK homes: competition wall ball targets are 2.7m (women) and 3m (men), and most UK rooms have ceilings well under that, often around 2.4m. Indoors, most people throw to a lower mark or train wall balls in a garage with a higher roof, against a garden wall, or at the gym. A slam ball has no such problem.
What weight slam ball should you get?
With slam balls, speed matters more than load. If you can't lift the ball overhead quickly and throw it down with real intent, it's too heavy for conditioning work, and you'll end up rounding your back to pick it up between reps. As a rough guide:
| Weight | Who it suits |
|---|---|
| 3–5kg | Complete beginners, lighter adults, fast high-rep work, rotational throws |
| 8–10kg | A good first ball for most adults doing circuits and finishers |
| 12–15kg | Stronger, experienced lifters for slams; most people for carries and squats |
| 20–25kg | Low-rep power slams, ball-over-shoulder throws and heavy carries rather than fast circuits |
If you're unsure, go lighter. A slam ball that's slightly too light still gives you a hard session; you just slam faster. One that's too heavy turns into a slow deadlift with a bad back position. Our slam balls are listed from 3kg up to 25kg, so check the slam ball range for the weights currently in stock.
What weight wall ball should you get?
If you're training for a race, the answer is mostly decided for you. Train with the weight you'll compete with:
| Event / division | Ball weight | Target height |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX Women (Open) | 4kg | 2.7m |
| HYROX Women Pro / Men (Open) | 6kg | 2.7m women / 3m men |
| HYROX Men Pro | 9kg | 3m |
| CrossFit standard | 14lb (about 6kg) women / 20lb (about 9kg) men | 9ft (2.7m) / 10ft (3m) |
If you're not training for an event, 4–6kg is a sensible starting point for most people. Wall ball shots are a high-rep exercise, and a heavier ball will wreck your form long before it builds much strength. Our wall ball comes in every kilo from 2kg to 10kg, so you can buy exactly your race weight, or a lighter one to build up the reps first. One thing to know if you're preparing for a race: ours measure 24–25cm across, smaller than the roughly 35cm balls used at competitions. You get the same weight and movement, but the bigger competition ball feels a little different to catch, so it's worth some practice with one before race day if you can.
Fits this guide
One of each ball type covered above, plus the floor protection we'd put down before slamming anything at home.
Browse the full Slam Balls and Wall Balls ranges →
Protecting your floor (and keeping the neighbours on side)
Slam balls are loud. On a concrete garage floor that's not an issue, but in an upstairs room or a flat, every rep thuds through the building. A few things help:
- Put something down first. Even a small area of interlocking gym flooring takes the edge off the noise and stops a heavy ball chipping tiles or denting laminate. Our guides on how much gym flooring you need and what thickness to choose go into this properly.
- Match the ball to the room. Foam tiles are fine for most slams at sensible weights. If you're regularly driving a 20kg+ ball into the floor, train on a ground floor or in the garage, where a thicker surface will last longer.
- Keep wall balls off plaster. Throw against brick, a garage wall or a proper target. Repeated hits will mark a painted wall and can crack plaster.
Frequently asked questions
Is a slam ball the same as a medicine ball?
No. "Medicine ball" is often used as a catch-all, but a traditional medicine ball is a solid rubber ball that bounces. A slam ball is built specifically not to bounce, so it's safe to throw hard at the floor.
Can you slam a wall ball?
You can, but it's not what it's made for. The stitched shell will wear and eventually split with repeated hard slams, especially on concrete. If slams are a regular part of your training, a slam ball is the better buy.
What weight slam ball should a beginner use?
Most adults starting out do well with something in the 5–10kg range. Pick a weight you can lift overhead quickly and throw down with intent for 10–15 reps without your form breaking down.
What weight wall ball do I need for HYROX?
4kg for Women (Open), 6kg for Men (Open) and Women Pro, and 9kg for Men Pro. It's worth doing at least some of your training with your exact race weight.
Are slam balls good for losing weight?
They're an effective way to do hard, short bursts of conditioning work, and that can be a useful part of an overall training plan. How much they help with weight loss depends on your training as a whole and your diet. No single piece of kit does it on its own.
How do I store slam and wall balls?
A couple of balls can sit in a corner. If you're building up several weights, a ball rack keeps them off the floor and stops them rolling around. Our wall ball is also sold in 2–5kg, 6–10kg and 2–10kg sets with a matching ball rack.
If you're kitting out a small space for conditioning work, slam balls pair well with a plyo box for box jumps and step-ups. Our guide to building a home gym on a budget covers how to fit them into a wider setup.
