TI have sports baseballand, by extension, softball, require a series of rotational movements to swing the bat or serve the ball.
It is not uncommon for people to get injured in the elbow and shoulder area, given that these are the main muscle groups involved in these activities.
Professional ball players also tend to avoid weight training during the off-season as these exercises tend to break down certain muscle groups.
Instead, professional players in MLB tend to focus on fast rotational movements, gaining mass and gaining weight instead of strength.
With that in mind, here are some great rotation strength workouts that target your core and legs, key muscle groups that will help you improve your game and prevent injury.
Rotational strength exercises
- Back lunge and twist
- Medicine ball throws and twists to improve core strength
- Stretching and yoga to improve flexibility
- Split squats
- Cup Squats
- Paloff Press
- squat jumps
.
Apart from focusing on the strength of the rotation, another aspect to pay attention to is your acceleration. Baseball is a sport that requires quick and short bursts of energy, especially if the ball is moving in your direction.
With that in mind, here are a few exercises that will improve your acceleration:
- skipping rope
- Stair Drills
- Sprinter Start
- Cone drills
- Jumping lunges
- Box jumping
- Side borders
Finally, certain strength exercises are also essential for developing explosive strength.
It’s not uncommon for a baseball player to have a dominant side, and as a result, these exercises are important for creating balance in your body, which will help you keep your balance as you prepare to step onto an embankment or home platform.
Here are some of the exercises that will help these explosive movements:
- farm walk
- Plio push-ups
- Single Stage RDLs
- face tape
- boards
- Deadlift
- Lateral external rotations