Baseball Strength Training
What is strength in baseball?Baseball strength training is necessary for players to develop the specialized skills needed to be competitive in the sport. Baseball has special requirements that other sports do not. Building strength for a baseball player is going to involve improving all of the areas below:
Explosive Lateral Movement Great Hand-Eye Coordination
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Baseball Strength Training :
Your core consists of your hips, buttocks, lower back, and abdominal muscles. Developing a strong core is important for all athletes. The first action you do before you can move your body is to tighten your core. Only then you can move an extremity. In baseball this needs to be done at lightning speed. You need to train your body so that the core responds quickly and powerfully.
Baseball players need maximum speed of muscle contraction in order to have quick reflexes. There are different ways of training that will produce different results. You need to focus on producing quick explosive movements. Strength Training TipsI am here to show you ways that you can use baseball strength training to develop explosive power and speed from your workouts.I have witnessed even a small increase in an athlete's power improve his performance in all areas. Training sessions should focus on the areas of strength that a baseball player requires: muscle strength, speed strength starting strength, reactive strength In order to be competitive in your sport you will need to find a balance in training all of those areas. Think about not training muscles individually, but training your body to move. Exercise your body in patterns that you will be using on the field. To get the best effect train your body holistically. As baseball players, your legs are going to need more that just lifting weights. They need to develop multi-joint strength and also anaerobic/sprint work while conditioning. The purpose of your strength training is to develop over-all stability, strength, and power. To achieve this goal focus on complex movements that keep you in proper alignment. Maintain good posture throughout the exercise with core strength. A few good exercises for this are front squats, overhead split squats (with dumbbells or a bar), push ups, and pull ups and the medicine ball work described lower on this page. Don't Over Train Once your form is no longer what it should be it is time to stop the lift. Let your body recover, or lessen the weight. Never lift with bad form. You risk injury when your body is unable to maintain proper mechanics. It is important not to overtrain your body. Aerobics? Baseball players should not train as if they are long distance runners. However, there is a time and place for aerobics in your training. The time in the season will make a big difference in how you workout. During the off season build an aerobic base on standard equipment. As the baseball season approaches pick up the intensity and workout with quick sprints, base running and pass patterns.
Baseball players require explosive force for most of their actions, like swinging a bat, throwing a ball, and running bases. With proper training the body can produce this explosive force on its own during game conditions. That is what you are training for. Functional strength. It is the power needed for your sport. You must be quick, explosive, forceful, fast. Speed and reactive strength can be taught to the body through your neuromuscular system. You can train your system to create large impulses in very short times. This is how you develop speed strength. Important Guidelines to follow: Variety - Use freeweights, body weight exercises, medicine ball, kettlebells, and resistance bands. Protect against injury - Avoid shoulder complications by restricting pressing motions to light weights. Lower Body - Train with heavy weights. Upper Body - Train with light weights when your shoulder is involved. Emphasis forearm and grip work. Core - Don't neglect your core. It's crucial to explosive power. Rotator Cuff - use light, 3-5 lb weights to train this area. Baseball Strength Training:
Finding the right lifting routine is crucial to a baseball player. Done improperly and you could have serious negative consequences.
One concern is lifting weights over your head. Many players use too much weight on their overhead lifts. I have seen several rotator cuffs damaged this way. The rotator cuff is a very important muscle for baseball players. It helps keep the arm in the shoulder socket. To avoid damaging this valuable muscle, don't lift heavy weights over your head. Lower body exercises like the squat, dead lift, and leg press are great for building powerful legs. If you have a spotter it is ok to go heavy with these lifts. Always learn and practice the proper technique before lifting with heavy resistance.
The purpose of your strength training is to develop over-all stability, strength, and power. To achieve this goal focus on complex movements that keep you in proper alignment. Maintain good posture throughout the exercise with core strength. A few good exercises for this are: These exercises are recommended because they keep the body upright. This will help with your speed training later. Exercises that have you seated are not going to promote better movement on the field. Train in the standing position as much as possible. Emphasize lateral movements like the lateral lunge. Multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, push ups, pull ups, and half kneeling medicine ball throws are the way to go.
Baseball strength training :
Every baseball strength training program needs a medicine ball. They are great for teaching your muscles to work as a unit. These workouts can build the explosive power that you are looking for.
Start with an 8 or 9 pound medicine ball. Exercise 1- Hold the medicine ball with your hands at the bottom. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your hands should almost touch the ground. Leap off the ground and thrust the ball into the air at the same time. Don't let it hit you on the way down. Get in position and repeat this process. See how many you can complete in 30 seconds. Exercise 2- Hold the medicine ball in front of your chest like a basketball you are about to chest pass. Squat down, leap off the ground, and push the ball as high as you can against a blank wall. Go get the ball and repeat the process for 30 seconds. Be sure your ceiling is high enough before you begin. These two drills are excellent for baseball training. They will build incredible strength and power. This video shows several variations on the medicine ball exercise including the two that I just described.
Baseball Strength Training:
There are many body weight exercises that I would also recommend for a solid baseball strength training program. In order to build leg, core, and upper body strength you should include these exercises in your workouts:
Lunges (at different angles) Body squats (and single leg squats) Planks (builds endurance in abs, back, and stabilizer muscles) Burpees (total body exercise and cardio workout)
Non-traditional Baseball Agility Drills:
Explosive baseball: Quickness and Agility:
Speed and Agility Training:
Arm Exercises with Surgical Tubing:
PositionsEach position in baseball has a unique set of drills, requirements, and challenges. There is a good website that offers free articles on each position and gives tips for improving your performance in each skill. Coaches of all levels will find these articles useful for coaching catchers, batters, throwers and base runners. Check out BaseballTips.com for plenty of useful information for the baseball enthusiast.leave Baseball Strength Training, visit Home Page
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