Inside a 12u group hitting session at HIT 585

What’s a group hitting session look like at HIT 585?  

We like to individualize instruction within a group setting. The instruction, drills and practice design are all intended to maximize development and skill transfer to the games.

This video is an example of a player with a very good swing plane, but slightly uphill swing path.  We’re focusing on some drills to level out the path to handle some velocity against the fastball machine:

Optimizing Swing Sequence Phases for Bat Speed, Power and Contact

The title of this research paper, published in 2020,  is “Sequential order of swing phase initiation in baseball” By lead author Ethan Stewart, now the lead sports scientist for the Oakland A’s. 

Core Training Program Improves Exit Velocity in High School Baseball Players

Straightforward here…

Rotational training program for HS baseball players improved batted ball exit velocity (measured off batting tee) by statistically significant 3.1 mph but did NOT improve throwing velocity

• 24 high school baseball players (age 14-18) were randomly split into 2 groups - control and rotational training (RT).  
• Both groups did the same baseball practice twice per week for 2-hours each practice.
• The RT group did an additional 1-hour session after school 2x/week for 6 weeks. 
• The RT program consisted of several exercises (see image below) with weighted walks loaded ~50% bodyweight for ~27m and ~1-3 sets of ~8-20 reps (details in the article linked at bottom of page).

Summary:

This paper investigates the effects of core training on high school baseball performance. The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a resistance training program targeting the muscles of the core in order to increase force production in torsional movements such as throwing and hitting in baseball. The study involved 24 male high school baseball players who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a core training group. The control group attended baseball-specific workouts twice a week for six weeks, while the core training group participated in a six-week core training program in addition to the baseball-specific practice. Throwing velocity and ball-exit velocity were assessed before and after the six-week intervention period using a radar gun. The results showed that neither group experienced an increase in throwing velocity, but the core training group did experience a significant increase in ball-exit velocity. The study concluded that a six-week core training program led to increased ball-exit velocity among high school baseball players.

Summary:

This paper investigates the effects of core training on high school baseball performance. The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a resistance training program targeting the muscles of the core in order to increase force production in torsional movements such as throwing and hitting in baseball. The study involved 24 male high school baseball players who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a core training group. The control group attended baseball-specific workouts twice a week for six weeks, while the core training group participated in a six-week core training program in addition to the baseball-specific practice. Throwing velocity and ball-exit velocity were assessed before and after the six-week intervention period using a radar gun. The results showed that neither group experienced an increase in throwing velocity, but the core training group did experience a significant increase in ball-exit velocity. The study concluded that a six-week core training program led to increased ball-exit velocity among high school baseball players.

Link to article

Felion, C. W., & DeBeliso, M. (2020). The effects of core training on high school baseball performance. Athens J. Sports, 7, 173-188.

Grunt = Velo - Grunting added 2.7 mph velocity for college pitchers

Grunting added 2.7 mph compared to non-grunting for D3 college pitchers!

There’s also some research on grunting for improving tennis serve speed.

If it works for throwing and serving, why not hitting?? 

Summary:

The document is a research article titled "The effect of grunting on overhead throwing velocity in collegiate baseball pitchers" published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of grunting on overhead throwing velocity in collegiate baseball pitchers. Twenty-four division III collegiate baseball pitchers participated in the study and were asked to replicate the technique of grunting during their throws. Throwing velocities were measured with a radar gun. The results showed that throwing velocity was significantly higher during the grunting trials than the non-grunting trials. Age, height, weight, and handedness had no impact on the effect of grunting on throwing velocity. The authors suggest that grunting offers a simple and immediate means of enhancing throwing velocity in collegiate baseball pitchers, and more research is needed to determine the effects in populations of different skill levels.

Link to article

Tammany, J. E., O’Connell, D. G., Latham, S. E., Rogers, J. A., & Sugar, T. S. (2021). The effect of grunting on overhead throwing velocity in collegiate baseball pitchers. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(5), 1111-1116.