Improve Baseball Power, Playing Speed, Bat Speed and Arm Speed

If you want to be a great baseball player, power and speed training is crucial in the offseason.


Full Body Power Training

Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength. Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.  Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.).

Rotational Power Training

Rotational power is obviously critical for baseball players.



You will need explosive levels of rotational core power to excel on the field. The medicine ball rotational throw should be done full speed to train your central nervous system and body to move faster and more explosive. The medicine ball rotational throw is an advanced exercise and should not be done by those athletes with inadequate body strength and core strength.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your left foot approximately one foot in front of your right foot.

2. Hold medicine ball with both hands and your arms slightly bent.

3. Swing ball over to the right hip and explosively underhand toss the ball forward to a partner or wall. Keep the stomach drawn in to maximize proper usage of muscle.

4. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner or wall and repeat immediately for the desired repetitions.

Improve Playing Speed

Work on improving your playing speed in all areas.



The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements in baseball occur after some other movement such as swinging or sliding. Maximum running speed is rarely reached by a player except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Bat Speed

Bat speed is much more than just swinging as hard as you can.  Power is producing force in the shortest amount of time.  



Bat speed can be improved with increased core strength, overall body strength and explosive power. Bat speed can also be improved with bat swing practice.

Training for power means that exercises are done at full speed. This trains your muscles to fire faster. For example, medicine ball exercises done at full speed improve your explosive core strength. This will improve your bat speed and arm speed.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports (dynamic balance is another).

If you have strong legs, a weak core and a strong arm, you will have a power shortage when swinging a bat or throwing a ball. Strength and power must transfer from your legs to your core to your arms.

The plyometric workouts include exercises for the upper and lower body such as medicine ball throws, depth jumps, squat jumps, etc.

Arm Speed

If you want to add miles per hour (MPH) to your fastball or throws, add power to your body.



Just lifting weights and increasing arm strength won't automatically improve your arm speed and MPH. What you need is more power and explosion, or speed strength to improve your arm speed.

You will need strength and power in your legs, core and arm (particularly a strong shoulder). Power needs to be transferred from your legs through your core to your throwing arm. This will increase your arm speed and MPH. Many athletes have strong, powerful legs but weak cores.

Along with your weightlifting program, you need to include power exercises like squat jumps, sport-specific plyometric exercises and sport-specific medicine ball exercises. These power exercises should be performed at FULL SPEED.

Improve your throwing arm's MPH by "powerizing" your entire body.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Baseball Offseason Strength, Power and Speed Training

The offseason is the time to make big improvements in baseball strength, power and speed. Hopefully, you are going strong with your offseason baseball training. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late.

Many young baseball players are too busy playing year-round and don't get in needed strength, speed and power training (that's a hint to dads and select coaches)!

If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 60 yards and walk back to the start line. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Its Time to Play Baseball!

Will you be a starter on your baseball team this season? More power, speed and strength would help you but you have to train right. Give yourself the best chance to succeed with hard, smart work.

If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position, you need my power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player's speed, agility, acceleration and power:

30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player's speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double.

Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common. A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.

Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength---especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).

20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your performance in these drills and exercises. If you do this, it will improve your power game on the field.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

High-Powered Baseball Offseason Training

You need to make the most improvements to your baseball strength, power and speed in the offseason. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late.

Many young baseball players are too busy playing year-round and don't get in needed strength, speed and power training (that's a hint to dads and select coaches)!

If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Captain Derek Jeter, Your Hard Work Rewarded

Captain Derek Jeter had the day of a lifetime: he reached 3,000 hits, hit number 3,000 was a homerun and he went 5-5 at the plate with the game winning hit! It sounds like a Hollywood movie script? No, I watched it happen this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Congrats Derek! You have always played the game hard every day and you had some day dude.

One of the great players of all time, Jeter became only the 28th major league player to reach 3,000 hits. And, he is only the second player to hit a homerun for hit number 3,000.

You need baseball training tips from Jeter! He is also a champion with 5 baseball world series titles, the latest being in 2009! Jeter won 4 titles in his first 5 years in the major leagues (1996-2000)! Enough said!

Jeter is also my favorite baseball player so I will listen to what he has to say about baseball training tips. Young players need to follow Jeter's example! If the King of New York trains for and plays the game "with all-out effort," you should too!

In the April 2008 issue of Men's Health, Jeter talks about his training regimen. He plays one of the most demanding positions in baseball (shortstop) so he must be in peak condition for the long season. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about his workouts but he does list some workout principles.

1. Do a thorough, dynamic warmup before each practice or game like jumping jacks, lunges, arm circles, pushups and bodyweight squats. Research has proven that a dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for competition.

2. Jeter does a balanced weight training workout in order to prevent injuries and muscle imbalances. Some examples are deadlifts, pullups, rows, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench presses and core training. Rotational core training is critical for baseball players.

3. For his explosive training, Jeter does sprints and jump training (plyometrics) to keep his fast twitch muscle fibers tuned and working at peak performance. Fast twitch muscle fibers are crucial for speed and power and also the ones you lose the quickest as you get older.

Keep playing hard Derek!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Baseball Power And Speed Workout

Baseball power and speed! Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength! Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. Your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will help improve your baseball game on the field!



If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player's speed, agility, acceleration and power:

30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player's speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double.

Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common. A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.

Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength---especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).

20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Offseason Baseball Training With Power Workout Manual

Hopefully, you are going strong with your offseason baseball training. The offseason is the time to make big improvements in strength, power and speed. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late. Get Sports Fitness Hut's All Star Baseball Power Workout Manual to guide you during training.



If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your strength, power and explosiveness!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Baseball Power Workout

The best baseball players have power---powerful arms, powerful swings and powerful movements. Baseball requires quick, powerful bursts, whether its on the basepaths, batter's box or in the field. You need the FREE All Star Baseball Power Workout Manual!.

The baseball power exercises are illustrated by All-American collegiate shortstop, Blake Kelso. Check out Blake's technique as he trains to excel at the most athletically demanding position in baseball!



Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength! Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual

If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.



Power or rate-of-force production (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Maximum power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky power training exercises until you build your foundation.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance. The power workout manual will help you improve your athleticism and playing ability.

Most explosive movements in baseball occur after some other movement such as swinging or sliding. Maximum running speed is rarely reached by a player except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball.

Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Train hard and smart!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Baseball Training Tips From Derek Jeter, World Champion

You need baseball training tips from Derek Jeter, captain of the New York Yankees! He is a champion with 5 baseball world series titles, the latest being this November 2009! Jeter won 4 titles in his first 5 years in the major leagues (1996-2000)! Enough said!

Jeter is also my favorite baseball player so I will listen to what he has to say about baseball training tips. He is an admitted hard worker and plays the game hard every play, every day! Young players need to follow Jeter's example! If the King of New York plays the game "with all-out effort," you should too!



In the April 2008 issue of Men's Health, Jeter talks about his training regimen. He plays one of the most demanding positions in baseball (shortstop) so he must be in peak condition for the long season. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about his workouts but he does list some workout principles.

1. Do a thorough, dynamic warmup before each practice or game like jumping jacks, lunges, arm circles, pushups and bodyweight squats. Research has proven that a dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for competition.

2. Jeter does a balanced weight training workout in order to prevent injuries and muscle imbalances. Some examples are deadlifts, pullups, rows, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench presses and core training. Rotational core training is critical for baseball players.

3. For his explosive training, Jeter does sprints and jump training (plyometrics) to keep his fast twitch muscle fibers tuned and working at peak performance. Fast twitch muscle fibers are crucial for speed and power and also the ones you lose the quickest as you get older.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

How's Offseason Baseball Training Going?

I live near Austin, TX (home of the Texas Longhorns)....the Orangebloods really, really, really hate those OU Sooners......we need a playoff! I want to see the top 4-6 teams play each other to decide the NCAA football championship (and not polls and computer geeks)!.....anyway.....

Hopefully, you are going strong with your offseason baseball training. The offseason is the time to make big improvements in strength, power and speed. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts or during the season, it is too late.



If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Baseball Players' Strength And Conditioning

In this article, I will cover the basics of general strength and conditioning for baseball players. The most successful baseball players have adequate amounts of strength, power and speed.

Foundational Strength

Strength gains should be obtained in the off season and maintained during the season. During the off season, you have adequate time to strength train and recover.

Maximal strength is not the goal here. Rather, the baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)

The baseball player needs a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Power and Speed Development

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that the athlete have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball.

Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Cardio Training

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. A player must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Baseball Players' Core Strength Needs

Every baseball player needs general core strength and sport-specific core strength. About half of the power in baseball swings, throws and speed are generated by your core. So, it is essential that you stabilize and strengthen your core to endure the rigors of high level competition.

Because baseball requires many transverse (twists, turns, rotations) and frontal (lateral movements) plane motions, sport-specific core strength and power is also critical.

Progressing too fast up the core strength ladder will lead to injuries. A strong core will help you stabilize your spine, transfer power while hitting and throwing and protect your trunk while diving, sliding and jumping.

You also need a strong core to maintain a strong upright running posture.

Guidelines For Core Training

Core stabilization training progressions should follow these paths:

1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity

The athlete can start at the highest level of core stabilization training that she or he can control.

The dimensions of core stabilization training are:

Stabilization - The core exercises at this level involve very little joint motion and are designed to provide optimum neuromuscular control. An example would be the planks, bridges, cobras and supermans.



Strength - At this level of core training, isometric exercises are replaced with dynamic, multi-planar and multi-dimensional exercises with the full range of motion. Examples would be ball crunches, back extensions, reverse crunches, medicine ball trunk rotations and oblique crunches.



Power - At this level, sport-specific core exercises are used in all 3 planes of motion. Examples would be the medicine ball throw, medicine ball rotational throw and medicine ball chops.

Exercises in the power category at performed at full speed. Therefore, if you progress too fast or perform the exercises incorrectly, you are at high risk of injury.



Adequate core strength will maximize your extremity (limbs) strength and prevent injuries during intense competition.

Part 2, Strength and Power for Baseball

Part 1, Strength and Power for Baseball

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Baseball Players' Rotational and Lateral Power

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player's speed, agility, acceleration and power:

30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player's speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double.

Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common.

A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.

Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength---especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).

20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.

In the following parts of this article series, I will show you how to improve your performance in these drills and exercises. If you do this, it will improve your game on the field.

General Core Strength, Part 3

General Strength and Conditioning, Part 4

Infielders and outfielders, Part 5

Read Part 1 Of The Baseball Article Series

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Strength and Power for Baseball Players

Every baseball player wants to be bigger, faster and stronger. Sometimes, this desire causes some athletes to want to speed up the process. This article series does not promote the use of steroids or human growth hormone to build up your body in a short amount of time.

Rather, the training methods described in this series are based on science, current research and empirical evidence. I will show you how to build an athletic body that will endure through the competitive years of your sport.

And, if you use these training methods, your body will remain “lean and mean” after your playing days are over. I should know. I trained hard (not using steroids, etc) when I competed in high school and college athletics. And, I continue to use many of the same (and better) training methods today when I exercise.

Every baseball player can improve strength and power (speed strength) with hard work and the proper training methods. Even though genetics plays a key role in an athlete’s physical makeup, improvements can still be made by anyone with proper training. Furthermore, physically gifted athletes can also make significant performance improvements.

Strength and power training allows the athlete to lessen her or his risk of injuries. Research has shown that most injuries occur in the transverse plane of motion during eccentric muscle contractions (force reduction).

A sport such as baseball is a transverse plane dominated sport (rotations, twists, etc.). Traditional training techniques, such as those with weight machines, have focused on the sagittal plane of motion (backward-forward and up-down motions) and concentric muscle contractions (force production).

IF MOST INJURIES OCCUR DURING ECCENTRIC MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS, THEN ATHLETES’ TRAINING REGIMENS SHOULD INCLUDE MORE EXERCISES THAT PLACE MORE EMPHASIS ON ECCENTRIC CONTRACTIONS. MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS AND PLANES OF MOTION WILL BE DISCUSSED IN MORE DETAIL IN LATER PARTS OF THIS SERIES.

Integrated, progressive training techniques should focus on flexibility, strength, balance, endurance and power for the body’s muscles in all three planes of motion (sagittal, frontal and transverse).

While accomplishing this task, specific attention should be given to training the baseball player's dominate plane of motion used in the sport. Training methods described in this series apply to both male and female baseball/softball players unless otherwise noted.

In part 2 of this series, I will discuss planes of motion as they relate to baseball players.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs