During baseball season, batting, pitching, and fielding practice sessions may take precedence over speed and agility work. However, almost every movement in baseball combines both lateral and rotational motion. Athletes must undertake baseball strength and conditioning exercises to build their speed, agility, and core strength to elevate their game to the next level.
Exercises that improve base running speed build player core and leg strength for increased pitching speed or strengthen shoulders to prevent injury are vital. Here are our top picks for strength & conditioning training aids.
Baseball Strength and Conditioning Training Aids for Core Speed, Strength, Agility & Recovery
[amazon box=”B01LXL27XI,B00TKMIZ5G,B0773FSFYJ,B08DFP39VY,B07GXYFG88″ template=”table”]
Click To Learn MoreTRX suspension training bands are vital training aids that use your body weight for workouts. They’ve become massively popular in gyms, and it isn’t hard to see why. They’re an incredibly effective way to build strength, flexibility, core stability, and balance simultaneously. And portable too!
TRX suspension training leverages body weight and gravity to get a workout in. You can modify how challenging each exercise is by adjusting your body position to increase or decrease resistance.
One, two, streeeeeetch! Anyone, regardless of fitness level, will love using resistance bands. They’ll be a fantastic addition to your baseball strength and conditioning routine or rehabilitation program. You can get them in a variety of sizes, resistance levels, and lengths.
We love them because they’re portable, which makes them perfect for home use or on the go, and that they’re challenging, but don’t pressure your joints as dumbbells and kettlebells do. They’re also a great way to reach those smaller stabilizing muscle groups like the gluteus medius you’d typically miss.
Incorporating medicine ball exercises into your baseball strength and conditioning helps develop hitting and throwing power. The rotational force built through med ball conditioning drills is fundamental to the mechanics of pitching and hitting.
Med ball exercises will help increase player core strength and coordination since they mimic the movements used by baseball players as they hit, pitch, or throw. And because rotary motion starts in the lower body, medicine ball exercises transfer your legs’ energy to your upper extremities. This whip action translates well on the field, and players can throw harder or swing faster as a result.
Med balls are quite popular in sports performance programs too. For beginners, though, don’t just grab the heaviest ball. The likelihood of faulty mechanics goes up the heavier the ball is, so start with a lighter ball.
4. Sports Cones
Sports cones are popular and effective baseball strength and conditioning aids. They’ve become quite popular amongst athletes and have gotten great reviews for the skills they develop.
With cone drills, players benefit from increased lateral quickness, as well as better agility and speed. Players can practice fast feet and honed reflexes to help them make the quick direction changes required on the field. Sports cones can be paired with resistance bands to develop footwork plus physical and mental agility further.
Agility ladder or mini hurdle drills are a type of high-intensity interval training. These training aids improve speed, agility, and quickness in addition to strengthening joints, tendons, and ligaments. They get your heart rate up, train footspeed, coordination, rhythm, and speed.
Incorporating these sorts of workouts will help players practice explosive speed and agility without the risk of injury.
6. Foam Roller
As you work to improve your technique, you’ll invariably develop tight muscles and knots. Foam rollers help relieve muscle tightness, inflammation, soreness and increase the range of motion in your joints, which helps ward off injury.
It provides a large surface area for players to work large muscle groups such as the back, quads, calves, and hamstring. It is a great tool to add to your warm-up or cooldown before and after exercise, even if only a few days a week.
