How To Increase Bat Speed

Whenever a baseball player trains with us at GameChanger, one of the most common goals is to hit the ball harder and with more authority. Below, you’ll learn the 3-step system we use at GameChanger Strength & Performance to help our baseball players increase their bat speed .

Step 1: Build A Strong And Functional Lower Body

If you want to start hitting the ball with more power and increase your bat speed, you have to focus on building a solid foundation of lower body strength. The lower body is what produces the power when you swing a bat, so you need to have a functionally strong lower body.

Having a functionally weak lower body is like trying to build a house on sand. Think about this analogy – your lower body is like an engine of a car – the bigger and stronger the engine, the more powerful the car will be. Without this foundation of strength, you will not be able to produce much more power.

Step 2: Build A Strong And Stable Core

Chances are you’ve heard the core is important for baseball training, but do you really understand why it’s so important? In order for you to understand, I’ll break it down step-by-step for you. Imagine being in your batting stance, as you get ready to take your swing, your legs produce the power. In order for that power to get projected onto the baseball, it has to be transmitted through your core to your upper body and onto the baseball. Simply put, a strong and stable core will help you effectively transfer power generated from your lower body to the upper body and onto the baseball. If you have a weak core, you’re going to leak out energy and power. In other words, you are not going to use all the power you have because you are only as strong as your weakest link.

Step 3: Increase Rotational Power

In Steps 1 and 2 we are setting the foundation. Once we have a strong lower body and core, we focus on building rotational power. The best way to build rotational power is through rotational medicine ball throws. Before we dig deeper into this, you should know that way too often I see baseball players skipping the first two steps: building a strong lower body and core.

Instead they go right to Step 3 and try to implement rotational throws. This is a mistake because if you don’t have the lower body strength to produce force, you won’t have any power behind these throws. Once your core and legs are strong, you’ll be able to generate enough power to benefit from doing rotational medicine ball throws.

So to put this all together, increasing bat speed starts with building your foundation – your lower body and core. If you don’t have your foundation in place but you’re working on just increasing your rotational power with medicine ball throws, you’re missing the boat and you won’t get the results you are seeking.

It’s kind of like studying high school material when you still haven’t passed middle school. There’s a time and place for baseball-specific exercises but you need to earn your right to do them. This is why strength training is so important for baseball players – you need your foundation in place before you try to build upon it.