A great baseball player has 4 tools in the arsenal: powerful hit, elite speed, arm strength, and nimble ability. There are not too many people who possess all 5 tools, but when this happens, it is undoubtedly special. Fortunately, these skills are attainable for everyone on the condition that they have the right training and workout session to improve their natural ability. With that in mind, here are top 7 common exercises that would improve your performance on the field.
1. Prone planks
Planks are a great exercise for every baseball player since it helps build a strong core, enhance stability, keep the balance and increase the overall strength of your body. In addition, planks would support the hips and back, which allows for more powerful hits on the field. Compared to crunches, planks are often more difficult yet better for working more muscles than just your abdominals, just like when using the EMS technology to improve the overall muscle strength.
2. Rotational cable row
If you want to develop the hip rotation and improve power, a rotational cable row exercise might be an ideal option. In general, it is good for batting and throwing. Make sure that your feet are a bit more than the shoulder-width apart, then reach across the body and grab a cable. Keep in mind that your body should be in a batting posture. While pulling up the cable and rotating, the movement mimics batting.
3. Glute bridge
The glute bridge workout is important for a stable and strong swing as it helps build stability and power in your hips and glutes which enhances glute activation. Asa result, the overall weight of a baseball player could be added to increase his strength.
4. Single-arm and single-leg cable row
This type of exercise helps achieve many strength-training objectives for baseball players by developing the lower and upper body parts simultaneously and allowing for great balance while performing it. If done correctly, the single-arm and single-leg cable row would activate the hamstrings, glutes, core muscles, and back muscles. However, it can be tricky for some people when doing the arm extension. Therefore, make sure to keep your back straight and not extend the arm fully to avoid stressing the shoulders.
5. Front-to-back lunges
Adding a front-to-back lunge to the workout program of a baseball player can be a great ideal to increase flexibility and stability in their lower extremities. This combination will allow you to experience from both lunge and front benefits as it requires the activation of many core muscles, thing, and glutes.
6. Hops
Any variation of the hops, such as mini and lateral hops, would accomplish several training goals. Some simple exercises can make a baseball player lighter in his feet, improve side-to-side transferal, and enhance directional movement. This allows for greater knee and hip flexion, coordination, and agility which are some of the most important requirements in a good fielder.
7. Heiden jumps
Though heidens are the common exercises for most hockey players, they can also a great option for baseball players. With some simple movements, it can improve balance, flexibility, and stamina in the knees and ankles. Therefore, you would be able to get off the ground quickly when throwing or hitting the ball on the field.