Top 5 Explosive Med Ball Exercises for Baseball Players

Developing explosive rotational power is critical for the two of the most valuable skills in baseball—bat speed and throwing power. Both of these movements require a powerful rotation of the hips and core to transfer power from the lower body up to the arms. Try throwing a ball or swinging a bat without rotating your hips and core—the ball won't go very far.

One of the best ways to improve rotational power is with medicine ball rotational exercises that engage the same muscles as the two skills. Each movement should begin with the lower body generating power, transferring it through the core and redirecting it to the med ball with maximum force.
When starting, perform Rotational Med Ball Throws with a two kilogram med ball (about four and a half pounds) to produce maximum power. As you make power gains, work up to a three kilogram med ball (about six and a half pounds).

In the off-season, these five exercises can be performed three times per week for maximum effect. As the season approaches and your throwing and hitting volume increases, drop it to two days per week.
To optimize power gains, perform each exercise for 3-4 sets of 3-8 reps following your warm-up.

Rotational Recoiled Throw
Benefits: Builds rotational power with loaded hips (similar to a swing)

• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to wall
• Grasp med ball at chest level near rear shoulder; hold as if trying to crush it
• Rotate away from wall to load hips
• Immediately rotate toward wall and throw ball as forcefully as possible
• Return to start position and repeat for specified reps
• Perform set in opposite direction

Rotational Scoop Toss
Benefits: Improves transfer of power from lower to upper body

• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to wall
• Hold med ball with arms extended beyond rear hip
• Simultaneously rotate hips and core toward wall and toss ball as forcefully as possible
• Repeat for specified reps
• Perform set in opposite direction

Step Behind Med Ball Throw*
*Note: Only perform in the off-season
Benefits: Improves rotational power with a motion similar to throwing

• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to wall
• Grasp med ball at chest level near rear shoulder; hold as if trying to crush it
• Take two quick steps toward wall as if winding up for long toss
• Rotate hips and core toward wall and throw ball as forcefully as possible
• Repeat for specified reps
• Perform set in opposite direction

Rotational Figure 8 Throw
Benefits: Improves rotational power while transferring weight from the rear to front foot, thus increasing bat speed

• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to wall, holding med ball at chest level
• Make a figure 8 motion in front of chest with med ball
• Start movement at front shoulder and finish at rear shoulder
• Rotate through hips and core toward wall and throw ball as forcefully as possible
• Repeat for specified reps
• Perform set in opposite direction

"Hot Feet" Med Ball Throw
Benefits: Simulates getting into position to field a ball for improved quick throws

• Assume athletic stance perpendicular to wall
• Grasp med ball at chest level near rear shoulder; hold as if trying to crush it
• Take a small lateral hop forward; then hop back and forward
• Rotate through hips and core toward wall
• Throw ball as forcefully as possible
• Repeat for specified reps and perform set in opposite direction

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Baseball Pitcher Strength Workouts

If you are a baseball pitcher, READ BELOW to save yourself from years of stupid mentality when it comes to baseball strength training.

1. Light lifting for arms, really?

I assume when people tell you this they are generally referring to “lifting your uppers,” including your chest.  First off, how do you measure what is light and what is heavy, anyway? Is there a certain percentage someone has told you?  You need your arms to be powerful. Why?–because it is partly responsible for how hard you throw. Power is developing a large force in a short amount of time. You cannot train your arms, or any body part for that matter, to be powerful by lifting light weights. You develop power by lifting heavy weights in a short amount of time.  Your chest needs to be concentrically powerful, meaning your pectoralis muscles need to shorten very quickly.  Your biceps and shoulder external rotators need to be powerful as well. However, they need to be eccentrically powerful, meaning they need to lengthen very quickly.

2. Tubing vs free weights for arms

The difference: Tubing/bands will increase in resistance the farther you stretch it.  Utilizing free weight, the weight remains constant throughout the entire range of motion you move it through. So which one do you need?  Both. Vary it up. There is no right or wrong answer. Is there a best answer…Yes.  One can be more effective than the other depending what you are trying to train. You may want to use bands/tubing for muscles that need to be eccentrically strengthened; sometimes its easier to do this with a band especially for the shoulder external rotators in the throwing position, with a throwing movement.

3. Working Out til you Feel Dead Syndrome

This is a ‘syndrome’ that most strength trainers and especially baseball coaches do wrong; they work their athletes until almost complete fatigue, and they do it over and over again. Done in combination with endurance training….oh. my. god…it’s terrible for you! More on that later. Only certain areas of the body need to be trained until fatigue, and it’s because they are usually worked until fatigue during a game. These areas are the posterior rotator cuff, biceps, your ‘lead leg’ hip abductors, wrist flexors, and your core. When training these muscles til fatigue it’s best to skip at least a day in between these workouts. As stated above, some of these muscles need to be eccentrically powerful too. This gets tricky to balance, and is the reason why you need expert advice to guide you through.

4. Tree-Trunk Legs

Ok. So, most people think that a larger muscle is a stronger muscle. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your goal as a baseball pitcher is to stay lean and powerful. You do not, I repeat; DO NOT need to get ‘tree-trunk’ legs, or tree-trunk (insert body part here ____________). Your goal is to create powerful movements and do it over and over again. These massive muscled body parts are usually gained by fatiguing muscles concentrically over multiple sets, or time, until failure. You need not do this unless you want to impress the ladies more than throw harder. What are you priorities?

5. Endurance training. No No No No!

Simply stated; baseball players are not endurance athletes (period). There is no need for you to run more than 360 feet at one shot (1 lap around the bases)..the most you could ever run during a game. You need to build sprint endurance; so multiple sprints that amount to the average sprinting you could do in a game would suffice. How long do you wait before sprinting your next distance?…well about the amount of time it takes for the pitcher to get the ball back, set himself, and pitch again; probably 30-40 seconds. I suggest repeat sprints of 270ft

6. Rest days?? Off season training and In season training

Your off-season training should encompass total body strengthening and sprint conditioning, and can be performed as much as 6 days/week. Your total workout session from warm up -to- cool down should last approx 1 hour. In-season workouts should encompass power training, and again sprint training. Your goal is to maintain explosive power throughout the season for performance, and to avoid injury. Your workout from warm up -to- cool down should last no longer than 60 minutes, the power training portion lasting 30 minutes. Depending on your game schedule/pitching rotation, you may only be performing your in-season power routine 2x/week.

7. A word on in-season eccentric training…

An eccentric contraction is when your muscle lengthens as it’s still contracting. Think ‘lowering a bicep curl slowly’ or performing “negatives.” Performing this type of contraction is one of the best ways to maintain strength and power throughout your season. Many training pros will tell you not to perform eccentrics in-season because they make you sore.  NEWS FLASH: They only make you sore the first time or two you perform them…even if you significantly increase your weight.  Your body accommodates to this change very quickly, and results in greater strength gains/maintenance of strength and much less soreness. Feel free to perform eccentric training during your season. I know you will like your results!

Strength And Speed Training Improves Pitching Velocity

Does Strength and Speed training improve pitching velocity? Most pitching coaches will say NO because either they have no experience with it or because they have no understand of the science behind it. The answer or should I say the secret is YES!
All you have to do is read the science behind it and also look at the results. The most recent example is Tim Collins. He is the pitcher for the Kansas City royals. He used a strength and conditioning program to increase his velocity from 82mph to 97mph in about 3 years. Another advocate for Strength training is Josh Beckett. This is a pic of him during his off-season training program. Here is one of his quotes from the Men’s Fitness article here:”

“What you do during the offseason is, first, build a base. That takes about three weeks, and then you try to get as strong as you can before you go to spring training. Once you get there, you taper down and it’s just a maintenance program for the next six or seven months.” – Josh beckett

The Myths Behind Strength Training for Pitchers

1. Strength training will make a pitcher tight and less flexible.
2. Strength training for a pitcher will increase his chance of injury.
3. Strength training for a pitcher will reduce his pitching velocity.
4. Strength training for a pitcher will hurt his mechanics.

Strength training must include a program that was developed for the pitcher but if done correctly, all of these myths are untrue. If a proper strength and conditioning program is used for a pitcher then here is a list of the benefits. This is no different for any sport and any position.

The Benefits of Strength and Conditioning for Pitchers

Along with these benefits is an article with more information to support these claims.

1. Improved joint mobility.
2. Enhanced performance and pitching velocity.
3. Increased longevity.
4. Help prevent injury.

The Research to support Strength and Speed training for Pitchers

1. Characteristic ground-reaction forces in baseball pitching. You can view the study here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9474404. This was the final results of the study:
   

   This study validates the clinical impression that the lower extremity is an important contributor to the throwing motion. Based on this study, strengthening of the lower extremities could be inferred to be important both to enhance performance and to avoid injury.

2. Baseball Throwing Velocity: A Comparison of Medicine Ball Training and Weight Training. Here is a link to the entire study. This is an excerpt from the results of the study:
   

   The results of this study suggest that the use of heavier loads has been more effective than the medicine ball training in increasing velocity…..

   Kaneko et al, determined that training with heavier loads of 100% maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) resulted in increases not only in strength but also in unloaded movement speed. Similarly, a training study by Schmidtbleicher and Buehrly found that the use of relatively heavy loads of 80-90% MVC enhanced the performance of powerful dynamic movements more effectively than light loads.

3. Velocity specificity of resistance training. Here is the entire study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8341872. This is an excerpt from the results of the study:
   

   A recent review by Behm and Sale concluded that balistic movements such as throwing and jumping are preprogrammed and that maximum limb velocity is determined principally by the rate of force development and overall force output. Improvement in these factors does not seem to require low load, high velocity training, but rather heavy loads or even isometric contractions. Research by Behm and Sale demonstrated that it may be the intention to move quickly that determines the velocity-specific response.

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!

The Kettlebell Snatch - Improving the Baseball Pitcher's Throwing Power With a Single Exercise!

Strength training and conditioning for all athletes is the most important ingredient for success. Today's baseball player is no different. As a pitcher you must have a sound strength and conditioning program in place to endure the length of the season and reduce the risk of injury. I have included a single lift below that all baseball pitchers should master and incorporate into their personal program in order to compete with the best!

As a strength and conditioning specialist if I had to name one single lift that would be the best strength training exercise for baseball pitchers it would be the overhead kettlebell snatch. This particular exercise is so effective that you would have immediate improvement from one season to the next. Mastering this exercise provides the baseball pitcher with tremendous core strength, extraordinary shoulder stability, and the development of throwing power that will shock you more than your competitors! This lift can be done with one kettlebell or two bells. For the purpose of this article I am referring to the single bell lift. To perform this lift you must have an understanding of two prior kettlebell lifts.

You must first know how to do the single arm kettlebell swing. After you master the single arm swing then you can incorporate the kettlebell high pull. Finally, after you master the high pull you can follow through the lift by executing the overhead snatch. To perform the overhead kettlebell snatch you must pull the kettlebell from a vertical swinging motion from between your legs. In one single powerful movement you must explosively extend your hips and knees and mimic the pulling back of a bow (like a bow and arrow) with the kettlebell. The bell should maintain straight alignment with your fist and forearm (no wobbling). As you get the bell up to the peak height and lateral to your head then you will simply want to punch your palm the sky. As you punch your palm to the sky make sure that you lock your shoulder and elbow into place with the bell smoothly transitioning over the back of your forearm.

As a pitcher you must condition your body for the purpose of both strength and muscular endurance. Just like pitching you must be conditioned to perform the same task over and over again. This is why the kettlebell snatch is so effective! Train hard and finish the drill my friend.

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!

Motivation! Today Is The Day

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!

Basics To Increasing Your Pitching Velocity

If you are a pitcher, you have probably heard "velocity doesn't matter" a million times. However, if you just forget about it, some day it will catch up to you.

Steps

1. Do Long Toss: Long toss is great for any type of ballplayer. It will maintain and increase your throwing strength, improve arm endurance, and possibly hone your control. Start out from 30 feet away, and each time you make a throw move back further. As long as you can one-hop the ball to your partner, you should keep moving back. Making the throw in the air isn't important. Make sure you reach your limits and use your hips to prevent arm problems.*Long Toss can be dangerous for the arm if the pitcher has bad mechanics.*
2.  Lift Weights: Contrary to popular belief, LIFTING WEIGHTS DOES NOT STUNT GROWTH! No matter how many people tell you, it simply doesn't do anything but help you. Work on your triceps. For those you can do dumb bell presses, dumb bell rows, and bench presses. You can look up each of those exercises. Make sure you can do at least 8 reps of each exercise, you don't want to max out. It can be extremely dangerous. For lower body and core, you can do squats. You will have to look that up too. *I would not recommend this workout for pitchers. Pitchers should be performing a workout that is core dominate and training the body as a sign unit. TopVelocity.net has some professionally designed workouts for the pitcher.*
3. Improve Mechanics: This is something I can not help you with. It is simply impossible. See a professional instructor, he is the ONLY one who can help you. Not your dad, (unless he is an instructor,) probably not your coach, and not your team mates. This may get expensive, but is the most important part of pitching. It will help with your command, improve your velocity and poise. An aspiring pitcher needs a good instructor to develop good mechanics.
4. Throw off of a mound often. You cannot rely on pure strength to throw hard. I can tell you now, Arnold Schwarzenegger can not throw 95 MPH. You need to not only throw, but throw off a mound to get used to the downward plane. *This is bad advice for pitchers. The mound adds a lot of stress to the arm. You should only throw 30% of your pitches on the mound.*
5. Take care of your arm: Ice after throwing, take a few days off if you are tired. It's very simple. If your arm hurts, take a break from the game. 
6. Find a balance in strength and mobility: Both are required to throw hard. An important exercise you can look up is "Sleeper Stretch" and "Internal Rotations arm stretch". However, make sure you are balanced. Don't be overly flexible, because that's dangerous. But don't be all muscle either.

Tips

• Consume protein, and lots of it after working out. Your body needs protein to rebuild and to build muscle.*It is also as important to consume alkaline based foods. This is necessary for optimal recovery.*
• Don't go off to the weight room without a clue. Thats how you tear a muscle, break a bone or become paralyzed. Look up proper form online or see a strength trainer.
• Stretch after workouts, this is more important than stretching before. Your muscles will be tight after lifting weights.
• See a private pitching instructor to perfect your mechanics. This is very important, because the main cause of injury is poor form.

Warnings

• If you feel any pain in your shoulder or elbow, take a nice long break from baseball.
• The weight room is a dangerous place for the clueless and cocky. No, not for the weak. For the ones who will try to showoff by throwing that extra 30 lb. on to impress their friends. People get hurt in there. People get paralyzed permanently.
• Always have a spotter when you are bench pressing.

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!

Pitching Velocity Quick Tip #8

This Pitching Velocity Quick Tip covers an important factor of the “Load” position. This is a pitching component in the 3X mechanics. You can learn more about the 3X mechanics by watching this video on the 3X Pitching approach. The important factor of the “Load” position that will be covered here is drive leg flexion. Drive leg flexion is a critical part to the “Load” position because good flexion leads to good extension which is the next component in the 3X mechanics which is the foundation for the entire approach. Most young pitchers have poor flexion and also poor force production through that flexion.


To truely understand how flexion and force production work then I would highly recommend that you watch this video.

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!

Pitching Velocity Quick Tip #7

This Pitching Velocity quick tip covers the pros and cons of the radar gun. The radar gun can be a very effective velocity enhancement tool if used correctly. It will reenforce good mechanical adjustments when making corrections in the pitching delivery. Where it can go wrong is when the radar gun is used only to see who can throw the hardest. This type of horse play with the radar gun makes those pitchers vulnerable to injury. If used currently, I highly recommend the use of the radar gun. It is a part of the 3X Velocity system which is the throwing program in the 3X Pitching Velocity program.

Five years ago the radar gun was only rarely used by individual pitchers in practice but because of the cheaper models and cheaper prices of today, it is very common for a young pitcher to have access to a radar gun. I have tested the cheaper models to the more expensive models and the only difference is the consistency of the speeds. Overall the cheaper models are almost just as good as the more expensive ones.

3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program

A total scientific approach to pitching that is guaranteed to make you the best on your team and get you drafted one day. If you are tired of being coached by conventional wisdom and you know you have a ton more pitching velocity in you, then you must purchase this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity NOW. This program is for all ages and has everything you will ever need to add 5-10mph or more to your pitching velocity! So, don't blow another $500 on a month of bad pitching instruction when you can get started with the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program and start adding pitching velocity TODAY!

What You Will Gain From the 3X Programs

• The Latest And Greatest Info And Research On Becoming A High Velocity Pitcher, PERIOD!
• An Insane Worth Ethic Which Will Make Your Team Envious!
• A 1.5 Power To Weight Ratio Which Will Make People Think You Are On Steroids!
• Perfect High Velocity Pitching Mechanics!
• A Totally New Perspective On How To Dominate On The Mound!
• 5-10 Or More MPH In Pitching Velocity!
• A Major League Edge On The Competition Which Will Make You Stand Out Among Scouts!
• The Top Pitching Velocity Program Online Which is Currently Used By Tons of Professionals, Major D1 Colleges and more!

Click here to read more… or order now to capture the 3X Extreme Pitching Velocity Program at an insane low price before it expires!