We want to share with you some baseball speed training drills that are going to help make your players better athletes. Successful athletes need great speed, quickness, explosiveness, and balance–all these basic athletic skills maximize potential during a baseball game.
Linear and Lateral Jump and Stick Drill
Here we’re working on balance and stability of the lower body. Have your players start facing straight ahead. Then they should stand on one foot, hop forward, stick, and hold the landing.
During this drill, you’re looking for great body control and balance. Stability of the joints is the key to changing direction. If you’ve got control of your body, you can control other things.
After going forwards for some time, reverse and go backwards. Take a moderate hop back. Your players will need to work on stopping their body from going backward. They can gain control by flexing the knee and hip. They should work on trying to get down to about a 90-degree angle with the knee joint.
After going backwards, it’s time to go lateral. Your players should start balanced on the right foot, then jump to the left. At this point, it’s necessary for them to stop and get control of their body. They should focus on flexing the knee and the hip and keeping a stable core by sucking in the belly button and tucking in the back. That locks the core in place.
Quarter Eagles Kids Baseball Drill
Start in a good athletic position. Now your players should do a quarter turn by jumping with both feet and then return right back to the start spot. These are great for hip rotation and balance.
Balance Pick-Up Drill
Here’s another baseball speed training drill that’s great for balance and power. Basically, it’s one-legged squats. Focus on one leg at a time, and ensure that your players come down slow and controlled. It should take about three to five seconds to go down and then to come up. Gently sit down, bring the hips back, keep the foot flat on the ground, and all the while, the core stays solid.
If one leg is more dominant than the other, it’s a good idea to increase and do a couple more repetitions with the weaker leg to balance the player out so he’s a better balanced athlete for greater baseball skill.
We want to do three sets of five to ten with each leg so we balance out our power from side to side.
Skip and Crossover Kids Baseball Drill
During this drill, your players will use the knee coming across the body and rotate the hips. This is great explosive hip action for baseball, great for offensive and defensive skill. Remind your players to keep the foot right up under the hamstring and not to reach with the feet. Your players should step down to the ground for greater power.
Down and back with each leg is one repetition. Do three sets of three repetitions.
Carioca Drill
This isn’t the old standard; this is full range of motion body control carioca. Your players should go slow as they begin. Tell them to take the behind step, lift, and rotate. Remind them to control their feet by rotating the hip and the knee across the body.
This’ll give great body control, balance, and agility. Here are a few things to remind your players of when doing this drill:
- Stay on the front part of the foot and bounce as you go.
- Don’t bend over at the waist.
- Stabilize that core.
- Keep the head up.
Work for ten yards. Down and back is one repetition–do three sets of three to five repetitions.
Drop Skip Kids Baseball Drill
Here we want to work on opening up the hip. Tell your players to bring the knee up and out as they step down to the ground. These are great for agility and the explosiveness that we need with those hips.
Knee up, toe up, heel up, step down to the ground. This’ll loosen up your hips for greater defensive skill.
Down and back is one repetition. Do three sets of three repetitions.
These baseball speed training drills are ideal for improving quickness and getting your players to be as quick as possible. Do you think these baseball drills will help your players work on explosive speed?