The humble medicine ball is a very versatile piece of equipment that can be used in a variety of ways to improve your strength, power, and explosiveness. Despite their “low-tech” nature, they’re a common sight in top baseball training facilities, and are often used in high-level athletic training programs.

There are many ways to use medicine balls in your own training, but one of the most common and effective ways is to use them for “throw drills.” Throwing a medicine ball can help you develop explosive power and strength in your upper body, legs, and core. It’s a great exercise to add to your workouts if you’re looking to improve your overall athletic performance.

While medicine ball throws are often seen in CrossFit workouts, they can be performed by anyone who wants to get a good workout in. And when it comes to America’s greatest past-time, both pitchers and hitters can benefit from med ball throws as a way to build up the muscles used in their respective motions.

What are Medicine Ball Throws Good For?

While they’re helpful for building muscle, speed, and overall strength, some of the top reasons professional athletes do med ball throw drills is to develop rotational power and plyometric strength:

  • Rotational power – The muscles’ ability to generate force as they rotate around a given axis. This is an important quality for athletes who need to generate a lot of power with their arms, like baseball pitchers and hitters. The ability to generate rotational power starts in the legs and core, and then transfers up through the trunk and arms.
  • Plyometric strength – The ability of muscles to generate maximum force in a short period of time. This is important for athletes who need to be explosive, like sprinters and jumpers, but obviously for baseball players as well. Plyometric training helps develop fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for generating quick bursts of power.

Let’s take a look at the ways medicine ball throws can help in these areas a bit closer:

Rotational Power

One of the benefits of medicine ball throws is that they help promote rotational power. This type of power is important for a number of sports, but especially baseball. When you throw a medicine ball, your body has to rotate around a central axis in order to generate the power needed to throw the ball.

This type of movement is similar to the rotational power needed in a bat swing or a pitching motion. By training with medicine ball throws, you can help improve your rotational power and transfer it to other sports and activities.

As you improve your rotational power, you’ll also notice that your overall strength and power will increase. This is because the muscles used in a rotational movement are some of the largest and strongest in the body. When you train these muscles with medicine ball throws, you’re not only helping to improve your rotational power, but your overall strength as well.

When you perform medicine ball throws, you can use a variety of different weights and sizes of medicine balls. The weight of the ball you use will depend on your own strength and power levels.

Tip: If you’re just starting out, it’s best to use a lighter ball so that you can get used to the movement and build up your strength gradually.

As you get stronger, you can start to use heavier med balls. You can also increase the intensity of your throws by performing them at a higher velocity. This will help to further improve your rotational power and strength.

Plyometrics

Another benefit of medicine ball throws is that they can help improve your plyometric ability. Plyometrics are explosive movements that help to improve your power and athletic performance. They’re often used by athletes training for a variety of sports as a way to improve their explosive power. Plyometric training is often used to help improve bat speed and pitching velocity for baseball players, for example.

Medicine ball drills for baseball players often involve throwing the ball as hard as possible against a throw wall at a gym/training facility. This helps to develop explosive power in the arms and shoulders, which can then be transferred to the swing or pitch.

Med ball throws provide an easy way for both pitchers and hitters to train the muscles used in their motion. As a result, medicine ball throws can help improve your rotational power and strength, as well as your plyometric ability. All of these benefits can transfer to better real world performance in baseball, or pretty much any other sport or activity you participate in.

Tip: When performed poorly, med ball throws can also lead to injuries—so be sure to warm up properly before performing any type of medicine ball throw, and focus on using good form.

With proper form and technique, med ball throws can be a great addition to any training program. If you’re new to medicine ball throws, it’s important to start slow and gradually increase the intensity and weight of the ball you’re using.

The Bottom Line

Whether you want to pitch like Kyle Freeland or hit like Larry Walker, rotational power, strength, and plyometric ability are important. Medicine ball throws can help improve all of these things—but only if they’re performed properly with good form.

For a baseball player, there’s no such thing as “too much rotational power.” But be sure to use good form and technique if you decide to include med ball throw drills in your training, and start slowly before gradually increasing the intensity of your throws. When you do throw, you should be throwing as hard as you can to see the best results.

For maximum results—not to mention avoiding injuries—it’s best to consult with a Certified Athletic Trainer/Strength and Conditioning Coach who can help you perform throw drills safely and effectively. They can also help you develop a custom baseball training program that includes other exercises that are appropriate for your specific goals.

If you want to hit or throw like a pro, you need to train like a pro. Medicine ball throws can help you develop the rotational power, strength, and plyometric ability that all great baseball players possess. Just be sure to find a certified coach to help you perform them safely, and for maximum effect.