MisConceptions about strength training and baseball

Alright guys and girls,

You've heard so many things from your coaches; "pitchers shouldn't do upper body exercises", "you need lots of sit-ups for a faster swing", and the all-might "lifting weights makes you slow."

The truth is, many baseball coaches know so much about the sport and strategy of baseball, but know so little about movement for the sport. When addressing a swing, many coaches will say "your not turning your hips," when they are very correct. But what if the player has tight hip flexor's and literally cannot open his/her hips?

So I am going to address these things. for you briefly, but hopefully I will clear up these misconceptions.

1.Should pitchers do upper body exercises? Yes. Why should pitcher's not do pull ups and push ups and vertical pushes? These are all exercises that strengthen the shoulder, that create stability in the shoulder and over the long term can help prevent the muscular imbalances that occur with pitching 80-120 pitches per game.

2.Will sit-ups give me a faster swing or help me throw harder? No. To develop a faster swing or throw harder, you must develop the muscles that are responsible for creating a swing/pitch by strength training, and then training those muscles with a very quick tempo. When training for speed, tempo is almost more important than how much weight you use.

Note, the strength coach pictured here with Pettite, is no longer with the team. Who is? Click here.

3. Will lifting weights make me slow? This kind of builds on the question above and the short answer is no. Quite the opposite. Muscles cause contractions, if you have more muscle, more muscle will pull through a movement, creating a faster movement. Do you want to be faster? Then you need to get involved in a strength and conditioning program like our FAST Forward at Pair & Marotta.
We have a few opportunities for you coming up. The Jaeger Sports Baseball/Softball Throwing Clinic on December 13 and on January 1-3 we team up with Player's Edge Baseball Training for our New Year's Pre-Season Baseball Camp, where you'll learn about hitting, pitching, baserunning, speed development and core strength and stability. You'll also be doing exercises like this one Josh Beckett does (left).