Slam, wall or bounce — three balls under one name
Three different products are sold as medicine balls and the difference is whether they bounce. A slam ball is dead-weight sand or gel in a thick rubber shell: it is thrown at the floor at full force and stays where it lands, and the shell is built for that. A wall ball is large, soft and light for its size, filled so it absorbs a throw against a wall and can be caught on the way down. A classic medicine ball with a firm rubber shell bounces, which makes it a partner-throw and rebound tool and makes it dangerous to slam indoors. Buying the wrong one is the commonest mistake on this shelf and the listings often use all three words. The published weight is the specification, and a stated tolerance alongside it is the mark of a maker worth buying from. Diameter is the figure that decides how it is held: wall balls are deliberately oversized at a given weight, slam balls deliberately compact, and a 10 kg ball of each is a completely different object. The shell — moulded rubber, reinforced vinyl, or a stitched fabric cover — decides whether it survives a concrete floor, and the filling decides whether the weight shifts in flight. Finally the surface: a textured rubber grips a sweating hand, a smooth vinyl does not, and this is the detail that decides whether the ball is caught or dropped. We compare weight, diameter, material, bounce and grip.
4 kg, PVC with sand-filled core, no rebound
A slam ball, and the maker says so: a sand-filled PVC shell that absorbs impact and is stated to prevent unwanted bouncing.
Best for: Slams and throws, where a ball coming back is exactly what is not wanted
6 kg, double handles, solid rubber core, rebounds
The only ball here with handles — a double grip — on a solid rubber core that the maker states bounces back off the floor.
Best for: Swings and rotational work where a grip is wanted rather than a cradle
4, 6, 8 or 12 kg, robust PVC, uneven grip surface
A PVC slam ball in four published weights up to 12 kg, with an uneven surface texture rather than a smooth non-slip finish.
Best for: Building a graded set of slam balls from one listing
Ø 23 cm, 2 kg, sand-filled PVC, low rebound
One of only two balls here to publish a diameter — Ø 23 cm at 2 kg — with a soft yielding construction stated to give low rebound and stop it rolling away.
Best for: Slams and throws where the ball has to stay where it lands
Ø 35 cm, 6 kg, absorbs impact, does not bounce
A wall ball at Ø 35 cm and 6 kg — the largest diameter here — stated to absorb impact and not bounce, with a lace and strap construction.
Best for: Wall throws, where a large soft ball is caught repeatedly at chest height
5 kg slam ball — the listing publishes nothing else
A 5 kg slam ball whose listing consists of the brand name. Everything about this product beyond the weight is unpublished.
Best for: Somebody who has handled the brand before and needs a 5 kg ball
Three balls, 3 + 5 + 7 kg, 15 kg total, rubber
The only set in this family: three rubber balls at 3, 5 and 7 kg, published individually and totalling 15 kg.
Best for: Setting up a room with three weights at once
2 kg, textured rubber, dimensionally stable
A rubber medicine ball rather than a slam ball: made to hold its shape through throws and impacts, with a textured rubber surface.
Best for: Partner throws and rehabilitation work, where the ball keeps its shape
5 kg, hand-finished cowhide, shredded EVA filling
A cowhide medicine ball finished by hand in Germany, filled with shredded and pressed EVA — the only leather ball on this shelf.
Best for: A room where the equipment is looked at as well as used
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Bounce | Diameter | Grip |
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Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 20, 2026.
