Baseball Performance Training

Rob Livingstone MS, CSCS, SCCC

One thing is for sure; times have changed when it comes to
training the baseball athlete. The days when athletes and coaches
alike were opposed to strength training are long gone, and the thud of
bumper plates and the clanging of barbells have filled weight rooms
across the country. Today, if a player is not training to become
stronger, faster, and more powerful during the off-and preseason, he
would be lagging behind those who did (1). Strength and Conditioning
Professionals are using the latest methods in undulating periodization
and non-traditional training methods in search of creating the optimal
and most dominating athlete possible. Within this article I will discuss,
and provide evidence supporting my training philosophy.
The design of my program involves numerous methods of
training. The nucleus of my training method involves the usage of
highly explosive Olympic Lifts. There is too much supporting evidence,
not to include them in a sports performance program. Baseball batting
is a highly ballistic movement. For example, hitting an 85 mph fastball
400 ft. under standard conditions (no wind and moderate temperature)
requires a bat speed of 76 mph. Typically, a baseball bat swing takes
about one-fifth of a second (2). For an athlete to excel at this skill, one
must be extremely powerful and explosive.
The implementation of Olympic lifts as well as some
supplemental Olympic lifts while training baseball players is invaluable.
Stone reports that Olympic-style weight lifting exercises (sometimes
described as the Olympic-style lifts) such as the power clean produce
significantly greater power output than do traditional weight training
exercises such as the squat or bench press. In fact, power output
during the second pull of the power clean is approximately 5 and 18
times greater than for the squat or bench press, respectively. As a
result, strength training exercises such as the clean and jerk; the
snatch; and the variations such as the power clean, hang clean, power
pull, push press, and power shrug deserve consideration in a program
designed to maximize athletic power. Stone suggests these types of
exercises may have a greater transfer of training for many power
sports, especially in comparison with high-force, slow-movement
exercises such as the bench press and squat (3).
The usage of unconventional training methods including
sledgehammers, tire sequences, shovel rotations, and high rep
Olympic Lifts are very apparent in my program design. All of these
training devices mimic a traditional type of movement with the

addition of an irregular and imbalanced object along with a variance in

stimulus. The sledgehammer work is used to create a solid point of
contact and increase exit velocity of a batted ball. I believe it
enhances the bodys ability to transfer power through the torso to the
point of contact, which is in this case, a tractor tire. Unfortunately, to
this day there is no supporting or contradicting evidence towards this
claim, which means it is solely anecdotal. I will implement two-handed
slams as well as one-hand/top-hand slams, assuming that the
individual is strong enough to perform the exercise with precision. It is
important that the athlete is able to imitate with accuracy, the swing of
a baseball bat. Too much deviation from the skill could lead to
counterproductive results on the field of play.
Baseball is one sport that seems to receive more individual
attention in the weight room than any other sport. I feel as though the
implementation of scapula stability movements with pitchers is
imperative. The scapular muscles are responsible for maintaining
normal scapular kinesis, and the muscles of the
lower extremity are thought to play an integral role in accelerating and
decelerating the upper body. It is believed that fatigue in any of the
Aforementioned muscles could result in micro trauma to the
glenohumeral joint. Kinematic changes considered to be indications of
fatigue over the course of a game have been observed as dropped
elbow and decreased knee flexion at the critical instant of ball release
(4). I believe that it is extremely important to strengthen the
trapezius, levators and rhomboids.
The stability and strength of the shoulder depends heavily on the
strength of the upper posterior musculature. Training the scapulae to
retract, protract, elevate and depress is extremely important in the
development of a strong base for the shoulder girdle. Mike Metcalfe,
an athletic trainer for the Anaheim Angels Organization used the
analogy of having a weak scapula is comparable to running in a cargo
net. Pitchers get a lot of attention because the baseball pitcher
performs one of the most dynamic movements in sport. To repeatedly
throw a 149-g baseball between 80 mph and 100 mph, a person must
possess above-average strength, power, flexibility, and conditioning
(5). This type of stress alone requires a large amount of strength and
stability in the shoulder and scapulae.
No matter how we look at it, baseball players are in need of
highly explosive, ground based movements. The inability to exert a
high level of power will ultimately result in an athletes failure to
successfully perform at the higher levels. We can all learn from other
practitioners. We can all spend time with other performance coaches.
Watch them train, ask them questions and most of all, have an open

mind when it comes to sports performance training. Todays athletes

are changing and we need to change with them.

1. Szymanski, D, PhD, CSCS*D Louisiana Tech University, Ruston,

Louisiana. Collegiate Baseball In-season Training: NSCA Journal of
Strength and Conditioning: Volume 29/4, 68-80, 2007
2. Adair, R.K. Batting the ball. In: The Physics of Baseball. New York:
Harper & Rowe, 1990. pp. 4476
3. Stone, M.H. Literature review. Explosive exercises and training. NSCA
Journal of Strength and Conditioning. 15(3):715. 1993.
4. Mullaney, MJ, Malachy, P, McHugh, TM, Nicholas, D, and Nicholas, SJ.
Upper and lower extremity muscle fatigue after a baseball pitching
performance. American Journal of Sports Medicine 33: 108113, 2005.
5. Mullaney, MJ, Malachy, P, McHugh, TM, Nicholas, D, and Nicholas, SJ.
Upper and Lower extremity muscle fatigue after a baseball pitching
performance. American Journal of Sports Medicine 33: 108113, 2005.