The first ever showcase I ever attended my exit velocity was measured at a whopping 74 miles per hour. 

Thankfully, with a little bit of direction and hard work, I was consistently hitting balls over 100mph throughout my college career.

So, if you aren’t super thrilled with where your numbers are at, or if you simply just want to keep improving, then you’re in the right place.

Today, I’m going to break down exactly what you need to know, and exactly what you should do to improve your exit velocity in a way that translates to better in-game performance. 

Let’s Chalk It Up.

What You Should Know:

Exit velocity and bat speed are big topics in today's game - and for good reason. Data continues to show that the harder a ball is hit, the more likely it is to become a hit, and even better, an extra-base hit.

But what the data fails to highlight, is that you still have to actually hit the ball, on a good plane, consistently, to actually be a good hitter… cage bombs alone aren’t gonna cut it.

So while a 100mph exit velo off the tee, or an 85mph bat speed might look “cool”. The reality is that they are only valuable if they are USABLE.

The bottom line: you need to be able to hit the ball hard in games and produce results that help teams/organizations win.

This means your training needs to be translatable to games.

What You Should Do:

Here are 5 things you can do that will help you improve your bat speed, strength, rotational power, consistency, and overall power metrics.

Overload / Underload Bat Speed Training:

All the evidence points to underload / overload training as being the most proven way to improve bat speed and exit velocity.

WHAT TO DO:

2X Per Week:

• 3 Swings Heavy, 3 Swings Light, 3 Swings Game Bat

• 4 Rounds Off Flips, Arm, Or Machine

Sessions should be short and sweet. Very high intent, but relatively low volume.

If you have access to a bat speed tracker (like a blast motion device) or a way to track exit velo, I would recommend using those during these sessions.

I always recommend caution using them outside of bat speed specific training just because it can be easy to create bad habits by chasing exit velo and bat speed when you should be focusing on becoming a better hitter during that time.

Weight Training:

Of course, getting bigger and stronger is naturally going to help you swing the bat harder and hit the ball further. But there are a couple training guidelines that should be followed so that your training compliments your performance on the field rather than take away from it.

1. Train like an athlete, not a bodybuilder

   • Training like a body builder long term makes you stiff and tight (which is bad for rotation). In the short term its likely you can get away with it but its better to implement good habits early on that will support you for your entire career.

2. Lift Heavy Compound Movements:

   • Training strength through the progressive overload of compound movements (deadlift, reverse lunge, bench, pullups, ect) is the best way to get stronger. Make sure to incorporate these into your plan.

3. Incorporate ISO Holds & Med Ball Throws:

   • Incorporating a variety of rotational ISO holds and med ball throws into the beginning of your lifts (before your compound strength movement) is a fantastic way to directly improve rotational power output.

4. Add A Variety Of Movements In A Variety Of Planes:

   • After your compound strength movements, it’s important to perform a variety of different movements in different planes that get you stronger and correlate to the field.

EXAMPLE LIFT SCHEDULE:

4x Per Week: Upper, Lower, Off, Upper, Lower, Off, Off

3x Per Week: Full, Off, Full, Off, Full, Off, Off

EXAMPLE LIFT STRUCTURE:

Block 1: Power

• ISO Holds & Med Ball Throws (2x Per Week)

Block 2: Primary Strength

• Compound Movement (Deadlift, Reverse Lunge, Bench, Pull Up)

Block 3+: Accessory Strength + Hypertrophy + Stability

• Variety of movements in a variety of planes.

Weight Gain / Weight Loss

Getting yourself into peak athletic shape is crucial if you want to be a high performing athlete. This means taking an honest assessment of where you’re at and deciding if you need to gain weight or lose weight to become more athletic and powerful.

BASIC NUTRITION GUIDELINES:

1. Eat in a caloric surplus or deficit depending on your goal.

2. Eat your goal body weight in grams of protein every day.

Hit.

You can’t hit the ball hard if you can’t hit the ball at all.

Your main goal as a hitter, is to be a good hitter, which means the majority of your time should be spent in the cage or on the field hitting. The best hitters have 1 thing in common, and that is they hit all the time.

When you are working on your hitting, you should not be too focused on your bat speed or exit velo metrics. I often see young players create bad habits in the cage and/or create habits that do not translate to the game because they are focused on swinging as hard as they can in the cage trying to hit the ball as hard as they can all the time.

Be mature, and be a professional in the cage. Get in there and work with purpose, don’t just swing out of your ass or abandon your plan to try and hit a number (still have intent to do damage, but don’t be reckless).

Chase the number when you’re training bat speed / exit velo / sprinting / lifting ect.

Otherwise, be a ballplayer and focus on getting better at your craft.

Anti Rotational Drills

Last but not least, my personal favorite of the mix.

These are drills / exercises such as water bags and recoils.

Anti rotational drills train the breaks to your swing. A fast swing does no good if you can’t control it and stop it.

This increases your ability to start and stop your swing.

These drills help with:

• Bat Speed

• Takes & Plate Discipline

• Hitting Velocity

• Direction & Swing Mechanics

here is a link to a video with some specific examples: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaOn1cVhi0t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM:

1. Warm Up

   • Perform some water bag or recoil drills as a part of your body activation before you hit at a 6-7/10 effort.

2. Cage Work:

   • You can do recoil drills off flips or even arm / machine if it is something you like

   • When you hit the ball, try to snap your swing back as fast as possible

3. Weight Room / Lifts:

   • You can pair these with med ball throws and other rotational exercises in the weight room at higher intensities to train the fast twitch start/stop.

Putting It All Together

There is quite a bit of information in here, so I have laid out an example Training week schedule along with an example Bat Speed Training Workout that you can try out.

EXAMPLE TRAINING PLAN:

• Overload / Underload Training 2x Per Week

• Lift 3 - 4x Per Week

• Hit 4 - 6x Per Week

• Mix In Rotational And Anti Rotational Exercises

• Follow A Nutrition Plan To Reach Your Ideal Body Comp.

EXAMPLE WORKOUT:

Hitting:

• Warm Up

• Daily Hitting Routine

• Overload / Underload Training:

  • 3 Heavy, 3 Light, 3 Gamer x 2 ROUNDS Off Flips

  • 3 Heavy, 3 Light, 3 Gamer x 2 ROUNDS Off Arm Or Machine

• Finish Hitting

Lift:

A1) Rotational ISO Hold 3x5s

A2) Med Ball Step Behind Toss 3x5e

A3) PVC Pipe Recoils 3x6

B1) BB/DB Bench Press

C1) Chest Supported DB Row

C2) 1/2 Kneeling LM Press

D1) YTW Scap Raises

D2) Suitcase Carry

E1) Bicep Curls

E2) Tricep Extensions

** I am not a certified strength coach, this is just an example of a workout I have done / used in the past that I like**

Always take pride in being your own best coach and don’t just take whatever someone gives you. Try it out, take what you like and what works for you, and leave what doesn’t. This is something that needs to be incorporated into your training if you want to compete at a high level, so don’t wait, start now!

I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions you can DM me on my instagram page @btx.performance.

Keep Working,

Day By Day.

-Braeden