Today I’m taking you through an entire sport-specific speed workout for baseball players starting with some movement prep and finally tackling lower body strength.

1. “Look Back” Crossover Drill

This drill helps players develop the ability to sprint to next base while watching the plate they just left or the ball they just hit. Turn and Sprint - Baseball Speed Workout

How to Perform:

  1. Begin standing laterally to the direction you want to sprint (in other words, facing sideways)
  2. Keeping your hips and toes squared off to the side, begin your sprint looking back behind over your shoulder.
  3. Maintain this for about 10 yards before turning forward and jogging it out to finish the sprint.

Coaching Points:

  • Keep your head up and back.
  • Maintain an open chest and shoulders
  • Cycle the legs quickly as you sprint.

2. Turn and Sprint 

Baseball Speed Workout Drill

This is another great drill you can add to your speed workout to improve on base work. It requires a start “signal” so you can pair up with another athlete or coach for this one.

How to Perform:

  1. Begin in an athletic stance, facing the opposite direction of where you’ll be running.
  2. Another athlete or coach will be standing to face you, lifting either their left or right arm to indicate which way you’ll be turning.
  3. Assuming the other athlete lifts their left arm, you’ll mirror them turning to the right while maintaining eye contact just as you did before looking over the shoulder.
  4. Keep the hips and toes squared to the side as you work on that lateral crossover sprint for about 10 yards.

Coaching Points:

  • Find and maintain eye contact.
  • Work through the ankle laterally.
  • Keep the chest up.

3. Head On A Swivel

Turn and Sprint Drill

Ever hear of keeping your head on a swivel? Sprinting in a baseball game is different than just stepping out on the track for some speed… You need to be able to move at full speed, while also watching what’s going on around you. This is an excellent drill to improve change of direction in the head and torso while the lower body sprints forward.

How to Perform:

  1. Just as before you’ll begin facing laterally to the direction you’re sprinting.
  2. Keeping the hips and toes squared to the side, you’ll begin sprinting forward while looking over your shoulder and maintaining eye contact behind you.
  3. This time after sprinting for about 10 yards forward, you’ll swivel your head to look over the other shoulder.
  4. Maintain eye contact at the same point, switching the hips and feet around so you sprint for another 10 yards.

Coaching Points:

  • Have something constant to look at behind you.
  • Be aware of your surrounding.
  • Move quickly and accurately.

1A. Trap Bar Deadlift

Trap Bar Deadlift

One of my absolute favorite strength drills, we’re using trap bar deadlift in this speed workout to build lower body power and strength.

How to Perform:

  1. Standing within the loaded trap bar, keep your feet below the hips.
  2. Lower the hips down until your hands can grab the handles.
  3. From here, apply force through the mid foot – taking care that the knees bow out slightly rather than cave in towards one another.
  4. Working through a hinge position, bring the weight up until you reach standing.
  5. From here, lower the weight back to the floor the same way you stood up and go into your next rep.

Coaching Points:

  • Keep the rep range low and the intensity high.
  • Perform anywhere from 3-5 sets of 1-5 reps and a heavy weight for you.

1B. SL Split Squats

Single Leg Split Squats

This drill is intense, and creates a lot of strength within the lower body. I suggest to my athletes they take a wide stance allowing them to work through a deep range of motion.

How to Perform:

  1. Starting with dumbbells in hand, bring one foot up back behind you so that the top of the toes rest on a bench or box.
  2. From here walk your front foot out to a comfortable position in front of you.
  3. Lower yourself into a deep lunge with the knee just above or in front of the toes.
  4. Stand up to begin again, performing 10-12 reps each side.

Coaching Points:

  • Maintain a hinge position with the ribs in front of the hips.
  • Keep the core tight.
  • Drive up through the entire foot.

1C. Bench Step-Ups

SL Bench Step Ups for speed

These should be fast. Stay on the balls of your feet and focus on moving with accuracy.

How to Perform: 

  1. Begin standing on a box or a bench.
  2. Maintaining a hinge position, start by shifting your weight into the right foot and stepping down with only the left.
  3. The left foot should just tap the ground as you focus on using the glute and hamstring of the right leg to stabilize you.
  4. Perform 10-12 reps on each side.

Coaching Points:

  • Keep these quick and responsive.
  • Focus on driving through the whole foot.

2A. Goblet Lateral Lunges

Goblet Lateral Lunges

The goal here is range. I want you to really reach with the foot so that you are working through a great range of motion.

How to Perform: 

  1. Begin standing with a KB or DB at your chest in the goblet position.
  2. Picking one leg up off the floor, reach it out laterally into a wide stance.
  3. Sink down into that respective leg sitting the hips back into a strong hinge position.
  4. Driving through the foot, use the glutes and hamstrings to push you back up to standing.

Coaching Points:

  • Keep the ribcage in front of the hips.
  • Drive through the entire foot.

2B. Nordic Hamstring Curl

Hamstring Curl

This is the best drill to light up your hamstrings.

How to Perform:

  1. Using equipment or a teammate to hold your feet down, keep the hips locked with the torso in a slight hinge position.
  2. Maintain a strong core and neutral spine as you lower the chest toward the ground.
  3. Use the hamstring as you lower down and lift back up through the same position.

Coaching Points:

  • Don’t cheat by dipping the chest forward.

2C. Palloff Press

Palloff Press

This is one of my favorite core drills for athletes. You’ll need a band for this one.

How to Perform:

  1. Wrap a medium sized band to shoulder height around a squat rack or vertical post.
  2. Grab the end of the band with both hands and bring to your chest
  3. Walk away from the point of origin (the post) until there’s tension on the band.
  4. Plant your feet just below the hips and press the band out in front of you in a straight line.
  5. Perform 10 reps.

Coaching Points:

  • You should immediately feel your core light up if you’re doing this one right.
  • Resist against the band, keeping the torso facing forward.

Baseball Speed Workout

Baseball Power Program

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