Hitting a baseball is a skill that requires regular practice if you wish to get better at it. Many baseball players may be afraid that weight training will cause them to become too big and bulky, reduce their flexibility and interfere with their swing. However, performing the correct types of weight training can improve the efficiency and force of your baseball swing and make you a better player.
Power
If you want to improve your batting swing, one aspect you should address is the power with which you swing the bat. To increase your power, your muscles need to be stronger and faster, and weight training is ideal for this. To get stronger, your muscles need to be constantly challenged with progressively heavier loads, which can only be achieved by performing resistance training. By increasing your strength and power, you will be able to swing the bat faster and harder and hit the ball farther.
Injury Prevention
The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint and is heavily involved in a batting swing. Ball and socket joints tend to be unstable, so shoulder injuries are a common complaint among baseball players. Proper weight training strengthens the muscles and supporting structures around the shoulder to increase its stability and to ease the amount of pressure on the joint when swinging, reducing your risk of injury.
Reduced Fatigue
By constantly pushing yourself to lift heavier weights for more repetitions, your muscles become less resistant to fatigue and increase their work capacity. This means that the more you train and improve your muscles' work capacity, the more work your muscles are able to do at a higher intensity, allowing you to swing the bat faster and harder more times throughout each game.
Weight Program
Aim to weight train two to three times per week, hitting the whole body in each session. Start with weights that you can manage, and perform every exercise with perfect technique. Stick to compound free weight and body-weight exercises, such as squats, pressups, chinups and rows, and include some specific work for your core muscles and rotator cuffs, as these play important roles in your batting swing.
References
- Be A Better Hitter; Baseball Strength Training; Tony Burtt
- Hughston Health Alert; Baseball Players and Their Shoulder Injuries; Champ L. Baker Jr., et al.
- EricCressey.com; Oblique Strains and Rotational Power; Eric Cressey; January 2008
- T Nation; Escalating Density Training; Charles Staley; February 2002
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