3 Explosive Exercises Designed to Increase Pitching Power
Increasing the speed of your fastball is crucial if you want to play baseball at the next level. Lighting up the radar gun will not only help you get batters out, it will also turn the heads of college and pro scouts.
There are many proven ways to increase pitching velocity. This article offers three plyometric drills to improve your lateral lower-body explosiveness, which in turn will help you throw harder. Power is plane-specific, so for pitchers it is better to do lateral plyometric exercises that closely mimic the push-off part of the pitching motion than to perform exercises like Vertical Jumps and Broad Jumps. Check out the video player above for a demonstration of each exercise.
Perform these 3 exercises to gain power for your pitches.
1. Jump Back Sprints
Set up in a balanced, athletic position facing to the side (almost as if you were stealing a base). From there:
- Jump back laterally and land with both feet on the ground and your knees bent. Absorb as much force into your back leg as you can. When you land, the goal is to not let your back knee cross over past the top of your back foot.
- As soon as you land, turn and sprint 10 yards. Think about trying to spend as little time on the ground as possible.
- Perform 1-2 sets of 3-6 reps per side.
2. Lateral Bounds
Set up on one leg in a balanced, athletic position. From there:
- Bend your knee, drop your hips and load your upper body for a lateral jump.
- Explode laterally. The goal is to jump as far up and out as you can.
- Land on the foot opposite the one you jumped from. Bend your knee and absorb as much force as you can. Stick the landing.
- Reset and jump again using the same foot you took off from.
- Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per side.
3. Medicine Ball Heidens
Set up on one leg in a balanced, athletic position while holding a medicine ball at chest level. From there:
- Bend your knee, drop your hips and load your upper body for a lateral jump.
- Explode laterally using the medicine ball to create momentum with your upper body. The goal here is to jump as far up and out as you can.
- Land on the foot opposite the one you jumped from. Bend your knee and absorb as much force as you can. Stick the landing.
- Immediately go into the next jump in the same direction. Think about trying to spend as little time on the ground as possible.
- Perform 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps per side.
If you add explosive exercises to your off-season workout programs two days a week, you should start to see increases in your pitching velocity. Baseball is a power sport that involves a ton of lateral movement. It’s important to perform similar movements in your workouts to increase strength and power that will directly carry over to success on the baseball field.
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3 Explosive Exercises Designed to Increase Pitching Power
Increasing the speed of your fastball is crucial if you want to play baseball at the next level. Lighting up the radar gun will not only help you get batters out, it will also turn the heads of college and pro scouts.
There are many proven ways to increase pitching velocity. This article offers three plyometric drills to improve your lateral lower-body explosiveness, which in turn will help you throw harder. Power is plane-specific, so for pitchers it is better to do lateral plyometric exercises that closely mimic the push-off part of the pitching motion than to perform exercises like Vertical Jumps and Broad Jumps. Check out the video player above for a demonstration of each exercise.
Perform these 3 exercises to gain power for your pitches.
1. Jump Back Sprints
Set up in a balanced, athletic position facing to the side (almost as if you were stealing a base). From there:
- Jump back laterally and land with both feet on the ground and your knees bent. Absorb as much force into your back leg as you can. When you land, the goal is to not let your back knee cross over past the top of your back foot.
- As soon as you land, turn and sprint 10 yards. Think about trying to spend as little time on the ground as possible.
- Perform 1-2 sets of 3-6 reps per side.
2. Lateral Bounds
Set up on one leg in a balanced, athletic position. From there:
- Bend your knee, drop your hips and load your upper body for a lateral jump.
- Explode laterally. The goal is to jump as far up and out as you can.
- Land on the foot opposite the one you jumped from. Bend your knee and absorb as much force as you can. Stick the landing.
- Reset and jump again using the same foot you took off from.
- Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per side.
3. Medicine Ball Heidens
Set up on one leg in a balanced, athletic position while holding a medicine ball at chest level. From there:
- Bend your knee, drop your hips and load your upper body for a lateral jump.
- Explode laterally using the medicine ball to create momentum with your upper body. The goal here is to jump as far up and out as you can.
- Land on the foot opposite the one you jumped from. Bend your knee and absorb as much force as you can. Stick the landing.
- Immediately go into the next jump in the same direction. Think about trying to spend as little time on the ground as possible.
- Perform 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps per side.
If you add explosive exercises to your off-season workout programs two days a week, you should start to see increases in your pitching velocity. Baseball is a power sport that involves a ton of lateral movement. It’s important to perform similar movements in your workouts to increase strength and power that will directly carry over to success on the baseball field.
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