Baseball Training: 3 Exercises for Pitchers

Did you know the fastest recorded baseball pitch ever is 105.1 mph? Do you now wonder what kind of baseball training can bring you toward such speeds?

Everyone tries to throw harder, but not many go about it the right way.

To throw amazing fastballs you must take your baseball training beyond classics like the bullpen and long toss.

Pitching is a full-body motion, and this article will show you how to strengthen your body to let you throw like a pro.

The Importance of Full-Body Baseball Training

Strong arm muscles alone won’t transfer force efficiently from the mound to your hand. Throwing velocity relies on a mix of strength, mobility, and stability.

Limited range of motion limits force generation, since there’s more resistance to your movement and less motion to accumulate speed.

Stability in your legs, core, and shoulders determines your rotational power and ability to stack and lock your body to send the ball flying fast and hard.

These exercises take your baseball training to the next level.

1. Weighted Split Squat Press

Powerful fastballs start with powerful legs. Stronger quads let you land with more stride leg tension, driving more power up your torso to your arm. This results in higher velocity.

Split squats are perfect for pitchers. Besides strengthening quads and glutes, it also increases stability.

1. Stand in front of a bench, reach one foot back and place it on the bench with your soles up
2. Hold a heavy dumbbell by your chest with both hands
3. Adjust your front leg to ensure your front hip comes down low
4. Tighten your abs and keep your chest up as you descend all the way under control
5. Push through your heel and come back up
6. At the top, push the dumbbell straight up to activate your shoulders and chest
7. Repeat. And remember both legs

As this exercise improves your lower body strength and mobility as well as stability and spinal alignment, you’ll learn to go deeper and add more weight.

2. Pull-ups

Upper back and gripping strength are often overlooked key factors of a strong throwing arm.

Pull-ups take care of both, and they help your biceps while also stretching most of your upper body.

1. Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart
2. Pull your shoulder blades back and down, and tighten your abs
3. Pull yourself up so your chest touches the bar, then come down slowly

A strong upper back brings the arm to faster speeds and greatly helps it decelerate after release. This translates to higher ball speed.

3. Medicine Ball Scoop Toss

Power only develops in the direction you train it. Straight pushing motions don’t give you the rotational and side-to-side force you need for a good fastball.

The Medicine Ball Scoop Toss trains your hips, core, and shoulders to build rotational power and rotation resistance to give you great throwing power.

1. Grab a suitable medicine ball
2. Stand perpendicular to a strong wall and hold the ball underhand by your hips
3. Shift your weight over your rear foot and twist your hips and back to face away from the wall
4. Rotate forcefully toward the wall again, move your weight to your front leg, and toss the ball against the wall as hard as you can
5. Catch the rebounding ball and repeat

Focus on flexing your glutes and shifting your weight to your front foot, and remember to train both sides.

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