Baseball Training Aids

Baseball Training Aids

Baseball players are always looking for baseball training aids to help their performance.  These aids do not have to be expensive and can help provide a great deal of benefit to motivated ball players.  Here, are some novel baseball training aids to help you improve your baseball swing, strengthen your pitching arm, and improve your fielding.

1.    Use a piece of elastic to strengthen your pitching arm.    Elasticity allows you to strengthen your arm in a number of different ways.   You will be able to build bigger biceps, triceps, and forearms.   Plus, you will be able to strengthen a number of smaller muscles. 

2.    Use a plastic broom without the sweeper part attached to improve your swing speed.   The weight of a plastic broom without the sweeper end is very light.   By swinging the handle, you will have a faster swing.   This works as a plyometric exercise where you will have a faster bat when you start using your regular bat.  You can use this broom handle in waffle practice or on a batting tee. 

3.    Grind your hand in a bucket of rice.    Roger Clemens was said to grind his pitching arm in rice to strengthen it.   This exercise works greater for strengthening smaller muscles of the forearm and will help supplement your regular weight training. 

4.    Break a wooden bat and use the sweet spot end to help with your hitting power.  By practicing hitting wiffle ball tosses and hitting off a batting tee, you can strengthen your lead arm by only swinging the “club”   at the waffle ball or baseball with only your lead arm.   This will result in more control of your swing and help you drive through the ball. 

5.    Throw weighted baseballs.   A number of baseball supply shops will sell baseballs that are either slightly lighter or heavier than the regular baseball.   By practicing with these baseballs, you can improve the speed of your baseball throws.  This exercise also focuses on plyometrics and works towards getting your arm stronger by throwing the heavier baseball and get your arm to throw faster pitches by developing fast twitch muscles in your throwing arm. 

6.    Improve your leaping ability.   By using a baseball bat, you can stretch the ligaments and muscles below your calves.   The exercise is completed by applying both feet over the baseball and having the heels touch the ground.   This will put a strain on your muscles running from your heel up to your calve.   While in this position, lean over and attempt to touch the ground with your hands.   By doing this exercise a number of times each day, you will add a number of inches to your leaping ability.   However, be very careful with this exercise and use it sparingly as you can risk injury because these muscles and ligaments will be put under great strain. 

By using these baseball training aids, you can add value to your existing training and most likely add better performance.    Just implementing one or two of these training aids should help strengthen your game. 

*To get more tips for catchers, check out baseball training for catchers.