5 Tips for Improving Your Baseball Skills

Baseball is a popular sport in the US. More than 15 million people played baseball regularly in 2021, in local parks and at clubs. Kids and adults everywhere love the sport, and it’s also a hugely popular spectator sport, with 35 million people having watched Major League Baseball (MLB) matches since 2010. 

For a lot of people, baseball is just a bit of fun. An excuse to hit the park with the kids or hang out with friends. But if you are a bit more serious about the sport and want to improve your baseball skills, we have some useful tips. 

Include Baseball-Specific Exercises in Your Routine

Like most sports, baseball requires a degree of strength. Swinging a bat and hitting a ball uses specific muscles, which can be strengthened by including key exercises in your routine. If you are serious about improving your skill on the field, you need to focus on functional strength. 

Kettlebells are great for building functional strength. Work on rotational exercises, so your swing gets stronger and more powerful. Squats are great for boosting explosive strength and medicine ball work will help strengthen your pitching arm. 

While in the gym, spend a decent amount of your time working on glutes, legs, and core strength too. You’ll need good lower-body strength and power as well as upper-body strength and power. A baseball game is an all-over workout. 

Work On Your Cardio Fitness

Baseball players need a decent level of cardio fitness. This can be boosted by running, swimming, cycling, and any other sport that gets your heart pumping. Running probably gives the most bang for your buck, however, and can be done with minimal equipment. 

Hand-Eye Co-ordination Drills

To be successful, you need to have good hand-eye coordination. This stops players from swinging the bat too late or too early. You can improve your hand-eye coordination by doing drills like juggling or playing catch with a friend. Practice throwing a ball against the wall or play cornhole. It all helps. 

Practice Your Batting

A batting cage, also known as a turtle net, is a must-have for anyone serious about improving their baseball skills. Doing regular sessions in a batting cage lets you focus on your batting technique without worrying about losing balls each time. You can spend more time hitting and less time chasing balls. Batting cages also protect people around you from falling victim to a rogue ball. 

Invest in a Pitching Machine

You can get even more batting practice in if you invest in a pitching machine to use with a batting net. These machines can accurately replicate pitches of different speeds, just like a player would pitch in real life. A pitching machine is essential if you need to practice alone, which a lot of serious players do. When used regularly, you will notice a big improvement in your skill level. 

Finally, spend as much time as possible analyzing other players on the pitch. Learn from them and use this knowledge to improve your own game.