A couple of years ago, I made a post about resistance training for bat speed that outlined a weight lifting program that has been demonstrated through research to improve strength for high school baseball players.  It’s basic multi-joint movements and progressive overload principle provide exellent results.

Something I think that was overlooked there was that the original NSCA article by Dr. David Szymanski also includes a simple protocol for increasing bat speed using overload/underload weighted implement training:

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What type of diet do you follow to improve or maintain your baseball or softball playing performance?  Here’s an interesting article on how some teams are changing the types of pre-game foods they prepare for their players.

For the ballplayers, whose muscles can command multimillion-dollar contracts, the push for sound nutrition has more to do with performance and recovery than deflating a spare tire.

The article goes on to talk about how, despite the efforts to offer more nutritious foods, it is still a challange to get players to eat right.  Ultimately, it’s the player’s choice.

I am trying to use my larger muscles more when I swing and I thought perhaps you had some type of specific drill with a medicine ball or some weight that would help develop my rotational strength.

Check out this post I made on Resistance Training for Batspeed.  The article in there covers a lot of basics about general, special and specific training for bat speed.  Each of the protocols referenced there were used successfully with high school and college athletes.

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More from the Texas Rangers…..their Major League strength and conditioning coach, Jose Vazquez, has a series of instructional videos on baseball strength and conditioning, which include strength exercises, core stability, medicine ball work, and also stretching.

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What follows below is information I first wrote in January 2006.  I’m reposting it because I want to have the info on the ‘new’ version of the site (rather than just the old link) and also because it’s pretty good stuff.

There’s a video clip to show the progression, and the text details a number of things:

• increasing bat velocity
• reaction training
• transition from ‘training’ to ‘hitting’
• points of emphasis for mechanics and drills
• strength training

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