In-Season Training Plan for Baseball Players

By: Rocco Casullo – St. Thomas Aquinas HS (FL)

Originally Published in: Nike 2013 Coach of the Year Clinics Clinic Notes - by Earl Browning

Baseball players need to be explosive to repeatedly throw and hit over the course of a season. To do this, you need to train during the season to maintain and even improve your strength, speed and conditioning. (Check out this off-season baseball workout for later in the summer.)

The following in-season training plan takes the demands of the game into account while challenging your strength, speed and conditioning.

Strength Training

Baseball players need to maintain their total-body strength and power during the season. To avoid excessive fatigue and time constraints, use complexes. They maximally recruit the nervous system, increase power and place little stress on the shoulder to prevent overuse.

Below are three sessions. Perform two of them each week and alternate among them to add variety. The volume is not enough to cause fatigue, so they can be done before a game if necessary.

• Clean Pulls - 3x3 at 70%
• Back Squats - 3x3-6 at 85-90% + Vertical Jumps 3x10
• Romanian Deadlifts - 3x4-8 + Standing Long Jumps - 3x10
• Dumbbell Neutral-Grip Bench - 3x4-8 + Med Ball Chest Pass - 3x10 throws
• Chin-Ups - 3xMax

Session 2

• Hang Snatch Pulls - 3x3 at 70% (above knees)
• Pause Squats - 3x3-6 at 75-85% + Squat Jumps - 3x10
• Split Squats - 3x4-8 on each leg + Scissor Jumps - 3x5 each leg
• Rear Delt Raises - 3x15-20
• Dumbbell Neutral Grip Incline Press - 3x4-8 + Med Ball Drop Pass - 3x10
• Chin-Ups - 3xMax

Speed Training

The purpose of the following speed sessions is to develop your ability to sprint to the ball or to a base. One session per week should be enough to maintain your speed and agility.

Note: all sprints start either from batting or fielding stance.

Session 1

• Technique Drills - 10-15 minutes
• Stride-Length Drills - 3x5 yards
• Bounds - 3x20 yards
• Sprints - 5x60 yards
• Lead Off Drill - 3x

Session 2

• Technique Drills - 10-15 minutes
• A-Skips - 3x20 yards
• Stride-Length Drills - 3x20 yards
• Sprints - 3x60 yards
• Double Drill - 3xDrill

Conditioning

Do conditioning work during the season only if it's a weakness. Substitute the following conditioning workout for a speed and agility session. After a thorough warm-up, perform this circuit three times. Jog 120 yards between exercises.

• Heavy Rope Slams - 30 seconds
• Kettlebell Swings - 30 seconds
• Inchworms - 30 seconds
• Lunges - 30 seconds
• Bear Crawls - 30 seconds
• Chin-Ups - 30 seconds
• Push-Ups - 30 seconds
• Crunches - 30 seconds
• Side Planks - 30 seconds each side
• V-Ups - 30 seconds

John Cissik - John M. Cissik is the president of Human Performance Services, LLC, which helps...