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Maybe you've heard the term "Five Tool Player" before and wondered what that meant.  Or maybe you know the term, but want to learn how to achieve that lofty title. When I was a kid, I remember the first time that I heard someone use it. I didn't know exactly what it meant, but I knew that I wanted to be one - a five tool player that is. 

So, what are the five tools in baseball? ​

Simply put, the five tools are the categories that scouts use to break down a player's abilities on the field. If you rate highly across all five tools, you're known as a five tool player and you're showered with love and money. Yay!

It should be noted that this applies to position players mostly, and not pitchers. Pitchers have a different scale with which they are rated.

The Five Tools in Baseball Are:​

1. Speed
2. Arm Strength
3. Fielding Ability
4. Hitting for Average
5. Hitting for Power

This is what scouts are looking for in a player. Let's break each one down a little further and see how you can improve in these areas.

Baseball Tool #1 - SPEED​

In my opinion, Speed is one of the more underrated skills to have in baseball. It's always the home runs and fancy web-gems that get all the glory, but when you've got a speedy runner on the base paths, they can affect the outcome of the game in 100 different ways.

Here are a few of the ways that a fast runner can change a game:

The list goes on, but you get the point. 

One important thing to mention here, is that, while we are referring to this tool as "speed", it also encompasses base running in general. There are plenty of guys that aren't breaking any records in the 40 yard dash, but still grade high in this tool based on their intelligence on the base paths. ​

Players such as Dustin Pedroia and Ryan Zimmerman are not very fast, but Pedroia has the uncanny ability to read the ball off the bat, take an extra base when he sees an opportunity, and steal the occasional base on lazy pitchers who have forgotten about him.

Zimmerman, although not very fast, ​ranks among the fastest players in the league for taking an extra base.

Our Favorite Resources For Speed

SKLZ Speed Parachute

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Training for Speed, Agility, & Quickness 

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​

From Around The Web

• The Perfect Baserunning Path
• The Science of a Stolen Base
• Base Stealing Tips from Peter Bourjos

Baseball Tool #2 - ARM STRENGTH

Just like speed, arm strength is another often overlooked tool in a baseball player's arsenal. As a position player, you may think that your arm strength "is what it is". So long as your throws are accurate, you don't give much extra thought into improving your velocity.

However, just as pitchers do, position players can also improve their velocity through many different exercises - or even just improving on your mechanics.

Having a strong arm can be the difference between gunning a runner down from the hole at shortstop, or letting another infield hit extend the inning.

First base is just about the only position on the diamond where you can hide a weak arm. Even second basemen need a certain amount of zip on the ball to turn double plays. 

Our Favorite Resources For Arm Strength

SKLZ Weighted Baseballs

​Learn More

Jaeger Sports Arm Strength Bands

Learn More​

From Around the Web

• Arm Strength and Conditioning from Jaeger Sports
• Baseball Throwing Drills you're probably (Definitely) Not Doing
• Four Exercises To Throw Harder

Baseball Tool #3 - FIELDING

Fielding your position well is KEY to having success on the baseball field, and being on a team that wins.

Let's not forget that baseball is a team sport.

So often, when writing about improving one's baseball skills, it can become easy to forget that you are just one of nine guys on the field pulling for the same goal. You have to do your job, so that everyone else can do theirs.

In all honesty, I'd rather have a guy on my team that plays great defense, than a guy who mashes homeruns. I've seen too many games blown, and thrown away, because of a few bad plays.  

Plain and simple - you must work on your fielding constantly. There is never a time that you can rest, and feel comfortable with your abilities. Every day, you've got to be out there taking ground balls or shagging pop-flies. Every day.​

Our Favorite Resources For Fielding

MacGregor Infield Training Glove

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SKLZ Reaction Ball

Learn More​

​

From Around The Web

• How To Field A Baseball Like A Pro
• Outfield Tips and Techniques

Baseball Tool #4 - HITTING FOR AVERAGE

Hitting for average in baseball means that you are doing a few things right. Things like:

If you're checking each of these things off the list, it's almost impossible not to have a high average. But these things are easier said than done. 

Even the best hitters in the game go through slumps. That's why you need to have consistency and trust in your batting approach. There are systems and tools out there to help you achieve that consistency. Hopefully, this site, is one of them.

Our Favorite Resources For Hitting for Average

SKLZ Power Stick

​Learn More

Tanner Tees

​Learn More About Our Favorite Tees

From Around The Web

• Your Essential Guide To Baseball Hitting Aids
• Breaking Down the Swing - Best Hitters of 2012

Baseball Tool #5 - HITTING FOR POWER

The one you've been waiting for, right? I can't say I blame you. Homeruns are sexy. Power hitters get all the love (and media coverage). Personally, I've never hit for much power, and man, does it bother me sometimes. I'd love to know what it feels like to hit a ball like this:

Some people say that you can't teach power. But that's not true. In fact, I have an entire article on how to hit with more power.

​And the more that I put these techniques into practice, the harder I'm starting to hit the ball. My goal is to hit one home run this season. Just one. I'll keep you posted.

Our Favorite Resources For Hitting for Power

Zepp 3D Baseball Swing Analyzer

​Learn More

SKLZ QuickSwing PX4

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From Around The Web

• Baseball Workout for Power Hitting
• TRX Rip Training For Baseball

What Are The Five Tools In Baseball?

A Re-Cap

Now that you know what the five tools are, it's time to go out and put them into action!

Be honest with yourself - what are you lacking? Some guys are freaks of nature and are born with these talents, but the rest of us have to fight for them. You can improve. 

The resources listed here are meant to be a constantly updated list.​ If you have a suggestion for a training aid, or a workout, or a drill that helps develop any of these five tools, please leave a comment. I'm always on the lookout for the best information and tools available.

Baseball hitting aids can sometimes be a rip off, but other-times, if you make the right choice, they can change your game completely.

We've taken the best of what the market has to offer and broken them down bit by bit, to make sure that you get what you need to improve your swing, hit the ball harder, farther, and more often. Let's get to it!

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QUICK BREAKDOWN:

BASEBALL HITTING AIDS:

1. Zepp 3D Baseball Swing Analyzer

The future is here - and it looks like this:

Headband's for men!   3D Baseball Swing Analyzers!

Wearable fitness technology has been all the rage for years now, and it's finally made it's way to your baseball swing. The Zepp 3D Baseball Swing Analyzer is our "BEST OVERALL" recommendation for Baseball Hitting Aids.

And for good reason...

This is a comprehensive tool that doesn't require high quality video or knowledgeable coaches to give you feedback. It's telling you what's wrong (or right) with your swing in real time, and with multiple metrics.​

What Metrics does the Zepp 3D Baseball Swing Analyzer Track?

In the video below, Mike Trout demonstrates how he uses his Zepp to create an "inside out swing" and drive the ball to right center field with authority.

Why the Zepp 3D Baseball Swing Analyzer is So Good

2. SKLZ Power Stick

The SKLZ Power Stick takes home our top prize for "BEST VALUE" because it's a great baseball hitting aid at the low price of $29.99 (at time of publishing this article).

That's a lot of bang for the buck. Let's take a look at what's so great about it.

Contact, Contact, Contact

If you find yourself swinging and missing a lot, this might be the baseball hitting trainer for you.

What you get with the SKLZ Power Stick is a very narrow barrel designed to be used with golf-ball-sized wiffle balls. After a few rounds with this hitting aid, your hand eye coordination should pop off the charts. Don't stop until your hitting line drives!

Weight (there's more!)

The Power Stick (as opposed to it's light weight cousin, the Quick Stick) is slightly over-weighted, which means that in addition to training your hand eye coordination, it also strengthens the many muscles involved in a baseball swing.

After moving from this tool to a full sized bat, it feels like you're hitting a beachball with a 2x4. I use this tool for batting practice before every game, just to get in the zone.​

3. SKLZ Hurricane Category Four Batting         Trainer

Most of the Baseball Hitting Aids we cover in this article are great for both kids, and more advanced players. However, it's the SKLZ Hurricane Category 4 Batting Trainer (that's a mouthful) that takes the top spot of "BEST FOR KIDS".

Repetition...

It's a tee baller's best friend. For kids at the very beginning levels of baseball, it's all about forming muscle memory - and that means repetition. Unfortunately, that also usually means tees, balls, and a net (and time).

But with the Hurricane (I'm shortening it for the duration of this article because wow) your kids can hit away for hours and not need to chase any balls around the yard etc. Not only that, but the path that the arm takes, after hitting the ball, gives you feedback on whether you are squaring the ball up or not.

You'll feel when you hit it square and when you hit it "off". After a summer of using this tool, you're kids should be showing improvements in contact skills and batting mechanics - and they can do it all on their own if you don't have the time to help. 

Why it's so good:​

4. Junior Hack Attack Baseball Pitching Machine

ATTENTION COACHES/PROGRAM DIRECTORS/RICH DADS:

You need this pitching machine. No really, you kind of need it. Watch the video below and tell me you aren't just a little bit excited about this hitting aid.​

This machine does everything, is portable, throws multiple styles of pitches, and basically blows every other pitching machine away*

*Okay, so it doesn't necessarily blow every other machine away. In fact, Sports Attack makes another machine for $3,300.00 that is just like this one, but throws 100mph. I'm here to tell you that this is pointless.

A pitching machine that throws 70 mph will look like 85 mph to the average hitter. Why? Because without the benefit of timing a pitcher's motion, you're not picking up the ball as quickly from a pitching machine, thus making the reaction time necessary a little faster. 

Also, if it's a 100mph fastball that you want - move the machine closer to the plate. Done. ​

But don't take my word for it...

5. SKLZ Hit-A-Way Baseball Swing Trainer

Okay, this is the first baseball hitting aid that I'm not going to recommend. At least not enthusiastically. 

The SKLZ Hit-A-Way Baseball Swing Trainer actually gets very good reviews on Amazon. So take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt before you make a decision on this product.

However, I have personally used this product before and I wasn't a huge fan.​

Why I didn't like the SKLZ Hit-A-Way

What I did like about the SKLZ Hit-A-Way

6. Louisville Slugger L30325 Instructo Swing Batting Trainer

The Louisville Slugger L30325 is actually a really great hitting aid and it nearly made our "BEST RECOMMENDED" list. The best part of this tool is how it teaches you to keep your bat on plane with the ball.

There are a few different approaches to hitting, including "Rotational" and "Linear" - I delve into rotational hitting a little bit in this article. One of the benefit to this hitting tool is that it works with all hitting philosophies, so that no matter what you are teaching, this can help.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER L30325 INSTRUCTO BATTING TEE

Get your swing on plane and keep it there! No more holes in your swing.

Learn More! lorem ipsum dolor

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7. SKLZ Quickswing PX4

Ho Hum, another SKLZ Hitting Aid. Seriously, these guys have a million products. And most of them are pretty good.

The SKLZ Quickswing PX4 is designed with a few things in mind, but most importantly it's designed to improve bat speed. ​

Bat Speed = Power

​The quicker your bat, the farther you'll hit the ball. That's just science. The Quickswing makes it imperative to have a quick bat otherwise the ball will fall to the ground with a demoralizing thud. 

And there's no great technology here, either. Just gravity. The SKLZ PX4 drops the ball straight down, leaving you very little time to react and drive the ball. You can see how this type of training aid could be beneficial in cultivating faster bat speed. 

A tool like this is great for a two strike approach. It's great for when you're letting the ball get a little deeper before making the decision to swing or not.  

Benefits of the SKLZ Quickswing PX4

8. Hitters Power Drive

This is kind of an interesting hitting tool. I debated whether or not to include this on the list, but ultimately I decided that I would because it's different in every way from all the other hitting aids listed here.

The Pavlovian Hitting Aid

For those unfamiliar with Pavlov and his dogs, click here. Are we up to speed? Good.

The Hitter's Power Drive is all about conditioning yourself to shift your weight from the back to the front of your swing properly. And the way that it accomplishes this, is with the sound of a"click".

When you're using this tool correctly, and driving your lower half through the ball as you should be, you'll hear a click. Good dog, here's a treat. Over time, you'll take swings in the batter's box that utilize this technique without even having to think about it. That's the idea at least.

Watch the video below to get an idea of what the Power Drive has to offer.​

9. A Wooden Baseball Bat​. Yes Just a Wooden Baseball Bat

maybe not this exact model.

Babe Ruth would be rolling in his grave if he saw what you were swinging in the batter's box - science's latest alloys, sweet spots bigger than the moon, and even ROTATING FREAKING HANDLES.

If the Bambino could have used one of those bats back in the day he would have hit 1500 homeruns. 

But no, Babe Ruth used a wooden bat, and so does every single professional baseball player.

Why Are Wooden Bats Good For Training With?​

Because it's harder to hit with them.

Wooden baseball bats are heavier, have smaller sweet spots, have less pop, and just overall require a greater level of skill to use properly.​

And that's why you should never take batting practice again without a wooden bat in your hands. ​

You don't have to use it in a game. In fact, if you don't have to, you shouldn't. But if you're taking your batting practice cuts with one of these bad boys, you'll learn how to square up the ball more often.

Nobody likes hitting weak ground balls and shallow pop flys (especially in batting practice). Yet the more you use a wooden bat, the less of those you'll be hitting. You'd be surprised at how quickly you'll adjust to the smaller sweet spot on a wooden bat.

The feedback you get from the feeling of the ball off the bat is priceless. And nothing, I mean NOTHING, feels and sounds better than blasting a ball off of a wooden bat.

But Don't Wooden Bats Break?

Only when you're not squaring the ball up. 

But I don't want you to buy a gazillion wooden bats either - my guess is, you're not sponsored by a major bat company like the pros are.

That's why they invented composite bats. These are bats that are made from composited wood, and are treated/designed to be harder to break - although you can definitely (and probably will) break them. God knows I have. Consider this a fair warning.

DeMarini D110 Pro Maple Composite Baseball Bat​

For my money, this is the bat that you should consider for a batting practice bat. It's one of the hardest bats to break that I've ever swung. I've seen these things really take a licking. It doesn't have all that much pop, but it's a great bat on a budget.

There are plenty of wooden bats out there, both composite and real wood, that you should check out. It may take you a while to find the one that you like the best, but the results are totally worth it!

You want to know how to hit a baseball with more power?

Well, before we do that, I'm just going to go ahead and leave this epic blast for your viewing pleasure. Take your time, watch this video, wipe the tears from your eyes, and then we'll get down to business.

It's a thing of beauty, the way Bonds turns on that pitch.

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And, yeah, I know, steroids etc... But I'm just going to pretend that those years in baseball when Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa were turning baseballs into dust, were just gifts from the Baseball Gods above. 

But let's assume that you're not blessed with the pure swing of a Mike Trout - or the freak, once in a generation talent, of Bryce Harper (who was doing this when he was in High School).

​What can you do to add some power to that swing of yours? Well, besides hitting the weight room, Here's a few tips to add a few feet to your tape measure shots.

Learn to Turn on an Inside Fastball

Dustin Pedroia is listed at 5'9" and 175 lbs. That's pretty small for a pro ball player. Yet in 2008, his MVP season, he slugged .493 with an OPS of .869 - so how does a guy that small hit with so much power?

Because he absolutely feasts on inside fastballs - especially ones that are up in the zone. Because of this, he is able to generate a lot of power to his pull side.

Take a look at the chart below.  It shows the location of pitches where Pedroia is hitting for the most power (slugging). The trend is pretty clear.

This can be a really hard thing to do for a lot of people (myself included). But there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to accomplish this.

Catch Up with High Heat

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well I say, when a pitcher gives you a high fastball, put it in the bleachers.

Pitchers hate to leave balls up in the zone - and for good reason, they get crushed. But sometimes pitchers get cocky and think that they can beat you up there with their velocity. This is where you make them pay.

Why is it easier to hit a baseball with more power when it is up in the zone? Because it allows your bat path to stay flatter, increasing your ability to hit the ball just under center, which generates a lot of power. 

So how do you catch up with a high fastball?

Keep your Hands Back

A lot of younger players struggle with keeping their hands back during the "loading" phase of their swing. As they start to take their stride their hands will either drift forward, drop down, or do both.

The problem is that you've just drained a lot of power from your swing by doing this, not to mention probably shortened the amount of time that your bat will be on the same plane as the ball (which is key to making good, hard contact, consistently).

Antonelli Baseball breaks this idea down in the video below.

Stop Squishing the Bug

ATTENTION TEE BALL DADS: Please stop teaching your kids this.

I don't know who started this trend, but I remember playing Tee Ball and hearing this all the time.

I can understand why it's taught - sometimes kids don't understand the role that their lower half has in the baseball swing (although some kids will just get it naturally). So when you want to get a kid to use his hips more, you tell him "squish the bug" so that he'll open up during the swing. 

Here's the problem. When you spin your foot like this, you wind up putting all of the weight on your back leg - and it never gets transferred forward. Transferring your weight forward and through the ball is HUGE in creating power and bat speed. 

Are these guys "squishing the bug" at contact?

In fact, often times when a professional makes contact, their back foot isn't even on the ground, that's how much force is being driven through the baseball...

Rich at the Baseball Barn has a great video explaining these principles. Check it out below.

What about you guys? What other tips can you offer up to increase the power in your baseball swing? Post in the comments below.

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

You show up to the field an hour, maybe two, early for the game. You stretch, grab your glove, a ball, and start to play catch to warm up your arm.

Gradually, you back up to 90-120 feet, airing it out for a bit, and then you call it good. You're warmed up. ​But is there more that you could be doing?

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Yes. The answer is yes.

Obviously, there are more things you could be doing to not only warm up your arm, but at the same time, increasing accuracy, strength, and solidifying the fundamentals that make for strong, accurate throws on the field. But maybe you don't know any baseball throwing drills. ​

Well, now you do!

And if you put just a few of these into practice before games, or during your workouts, you'll be ahead of the competition.

1. Cutoff Throw Race

There's nothing like a competition to get athletes focused - so whenever you can turn a throwing drill into a game, you're going to get better results.

This particular drill is great for working on quick hands and feet. Infielders should do this drill religiously, but it can also benefit outfielders as well. It basically goes like this:

• ​Get about ten players together (the more, the merrier), and divide them into two teams
• Starting on the foul line, have the two teams line their players up parallel to each other out into the outfield (like a long, five person cutoff throw) - have each player about 40 feet apart to start (depending on age and skill level). 
• The ball starts at the foul line for both teams. When the coach gives the command, the race starts. Each player throws the ball as quickly as possible to the next person in the chain. 
• IMPORTANT: Once the ball reaches the end, the race isn't over. The players then throw the ball back the other way and the foul line serves as the finish line. 
• After each race, spread the player's out a little bit more. Make it a best of five.

A few suggestions: These types of games tend to work better when there's a punishment for the loser. Try windsprints, push-ups, or laps for the losing team. 

2. Ready, Break, Throw - From One Knee

This throwing drill comes from DNA Sports, which has quite a range of options on their website, throughout multiple sports, for programs aimed at teaching kids the fundamentals and then some. Check 'em out!

Ready, break, throw, is a drill that can also be done from the standing position. The benefit to doing it from one knee is that it reinforces the power of using your upper body to really "finish" the throw.

In addition, it helps reinforce keeping a centered balance through the throw. If you get out of line in this drill, you'll fall to one side or another. This one's really good for kids.

3. Long Toss for Developing Better Velocity

Jaeger Sports definitely knows what they're talking about when it comes to improving velocity and overall throwing mechanics. Thats' why I'm all ears when it comes to their long toss program (and you should be too).

Two things that stick out to me in this video/program ​are the distance at which they're playing catch, and also how much of an arc they are throwing the ball with.

When I would play long toss in the past, I never would do so at this long of a distance (I'm not sure I can throw that far, honestly), nor would I do so in such a loose manner. The idea in this throwing drill, of keeping your arm loose and arcing the ball more and more as you move back​ makes a lot of sense. 

It allows you to really lengthen your throwing motion. And lengthening your motion = more velocity.​

If you like this video, check out some of their other programs:

• ​Arm Strength and Conditioning
• Mental Preperation
• Yoga

4. The Towel Drill 

I like this throwing drill for pitchers quite a bit - and for a few different reasons. It comes from Tom House, former MLB pitcher and founder of The National Pitching Association.

It's a fantastic drill for working on your throwing form without having to actually stress your arm by throwing real pitches.

It helps keep your body in line, and your throwing motion extended (with your release point further out).​

By the way, if you're in Southern California, Tom and the NPA have Daily (Yes Daily) open workouts at USC. They're not cheap, but well worth it if you, or your child, are serious about pitching. If I could have gotten pro instruction like that when I was a kid I would have been in heaven.

5. The One Knee Tee Drill

Source: Ripken Baseball

When was the last time you really thought about your throwing mechanics? Do you know where your elbow is in relation to your shoulder during your throwing motion? If it's below your shoulder,  you've got a problem.

Sometimes this is really easy to spot in kids, because it makes it seem like they're pushing the ball and not throwing it (because they are).

It's less noticeable in higher level players, but equally devastating. ​It puts extra strain on the arm and saps the throw of power. If this problem goes uncorrected for a long time, you can end up with a pretty bad arm injury.

I know this because I'm a victim! I've been a middle infielder my whole life, so making short quick throws is what I did. Unfortunately, this trained me in the bad habit of keeping my elbow too low in my motion. The result? Rotator cuff issues, bursitis, ​and pain when I throw. 

Watch the entire video over at Ripken Baseball (a great resource).

6. The 20 Foot Square Drill for Infielders

Speaking of quick, short throws, here's a great exercise for all you middle infielders. It comes from Charlie Greene and baseballnews.com.

​Here's how it goes down:

For a few other "Square Drills" and an in depth look at this drill, head over to Charlie's article here.

What makes for good baseball workouts?

Sure, you can go lift weights until the cows come home, but is that going to get you the best results on the baseball field? Probably not. Baseball is a unique sport in that it uses a very specific set of muscles in explosive ways.

A good baseball workout is not about endurance, or even bulking up. It's about fine tuning your core, staying flexible, and conditioning your fast twitch muscles to be ready for action at the crack of the bat.

I'm not a personal trainer, nor do I play one on the internet - so that's why we've done some digging to come up with the 17 best baseball workouts we could find. Enjoy! (and don't forget to hydrate)

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1. The Alex Rodriguez Off Season Workout

Okay, let's get all the steroid jokes out of the way. Are we done? Good. I know A-Rod is an admitted user - and not exactly the most liked guy in baseball - but he's still a world class athlete who puts a lot of effort (and pharmaceuticals - okay, now we're done) into his off season workouts.

Here's what it looks like via popworkouts.com

The first thing you'll notice about Alex's workout routine is that it changes daily. Variety is something to pay close attention to when crafting your own training schedule. It's a good mix of cardio, strength training, and drills. 

2. Dirty Rice

This next exercise is perfect for hand strength. Have you ever seen a baseball player's hands? They're like giant mitts of granite. 

I remember being 9 years old and getting an autograph from Met's backup catcher Orlando Mercado. The thing that sticks with me the most from that incident, besides the fact that my Dad had to beg him for like five minutes, was that I had never seen hands like his. When he took the ball to sign, it looked like he might permanently damage it. I mean it looked miniature.

What you'll Need

The set up for this is simple and you can do it right at home while watching MLB Network.

1. A Bucket - The larger, the better, but a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket will work just fine
2. Rice - enough to fill the bucket (uncooked of course)​

​That's it!

3. Yoga - For Speed

Well, it's 2016 and Yoga is not going anywhere. This fad is not a passing one, nor should it be! Yoga is an awesome workout that is slowly picking up more and more steam in the athletic world - especially baseball.

Why you ask?

Because, simply put, yoga combines a lot of key elements you should be including in your baseball workouts, including:

Here's Giancarlo Stanton's Yoga workout optimized for speed via Stack.com:

​4. Yoga - For Power

I'm cheating here a little by breaking what could easily be one yoga workout into two, but that's what stack did, so I figured that I would do the same.

Check out Giancarlo Stanton's Yoga for Power here:

I could probably do an entire post on Yoga as a baseball workout (and I probably will at some point), but for the sake of diversity in this article, I will leave only these two lessons from stack.com.

5. The Five Tool Workout by Men's Fitness

Men's Fitness has done a great job of putting together a complete five tool baseball workout. ​

Here's how they broke their exercises down - click here for all the specifics.

• Arm Strength = Long Toss
• Speed = Treadmill Sprints
• Fielding = Ladder Drills
• Hitting for Average = Single leg/Single arm rows coupled with kneeling cable chops​
• Hitting for Power = Squats, Squat Jumps (medicine ball), and Rotational Medicine Ball Throws
• "Tool 6/Secret Weapon" = (Spoiler Alert) Nutrition*

*While nutrition is incredibly important, I would argue that the sixth tool is actually the batter's eye/plate discipline. But this is a topic for a later date.

6. Fitness Blender's Quick Chest and Back Workout

Sometimes you don't have a lot of time. For instance, I have a two year old child, two jobs, and now this blog! I have to get in quick workouts these days. Luckily, Daniel and Kelli at Fitness Blender have put together an outstanding (and quick) upper body workout.

On this site, you'll hear me talk a lot about your core and legs - flexibility, etc. But make no mistake, You're upper body is just as important in terms of your baseball workouts. You know this, of course, as most people want to hit their upper body before anything else when they step in the gym.

Well, this quick workout is great - and quick - so that you can move right on to those neglected legs of yours! (We don't skip leg day here at Five Tool School)​

7. Livestrong's Core Exercises for Baseball

In this article, Livestrong's Patrick Dale lays out three different types of core strengthening exercises specifically geared towards baseball players.

​Like many good core workouts these use medicine balls to engage your entire core area in a way similar to how it used on the baseball diamond. Check it out!

8. Medicine Ball Throws

We're sticking with medicine balls for this next series of exercises from yougoprobaseball.com.

Skip to the following times in the video to get to specific exercises.

1. Low-Side Throws - 0:34
2. High-Side Throws - 1:14
3. Squat Throws - 2:18
4. Alternating Slams - 2:43
5. Backwards Throws - 3:13
   

9. Sports Illustrated's 10 Key Weight Training Exercises for MLB

This is really a gem of an article right here. The writer, Sarah Toland, went right to the source and spoke with Major League trainers to get some of their most unique, and beneficial, exercises. A lot of it is really out of the box.

Here are just a few quotes from the trainers regarding the exercises they are teaching...

“This is primarily a back exercise, but because you’re using an unstable device, it activates your glutes and core, and you’re working on posture all at the same time,” says McDaniel.

“We’re very core based,” says Kochan of the Giants strength program. “Any time we can stabilize the spine, we do, because baseball is an asymmetrical sport.”

“It’s especially good for pitchers because it mimics letting go of the baseball as close to the plate as possible,” he says. According to the Dodgers strength coach, the exercise also stimulates some of the same mechanics used in running. “Guys can get very knee-dominant when running, and this teaches them to drive from the hip,” he says

Click Here to read the entire article...

10. University of Nebraska Summer Workout

Ever wonder what the off season training regimen might be for a D-I Baseball program? Well, wonder no more, because I've found a pdf online that outlines exactly what the University of Nebraska is asking of their players for over the summer workouts.

Click here for access...

11. Training with TRX

What is TRX you ask? That's a fair question, and also one that I had, when I kept coming across their training devices over and over again while putting together this guide. In fact, TRX is mentioned multiple times by the MLB trainers in the Sports Illustrated article above (#9)

So what is it?

It's basically resistance band training on steroids. ​Developed by former Navy Seal Randy Hetrick as a means to stay in peak physical condition while on deployment, the TRX products and program are great for anyone with limited space and time. 

They have a few Baseball specific workouts on their website, but I'd encourage you to check out their entire program. It's really great stuff!​

13. Box Jump with Single Leg Landing

Here's a baseball workout designed specifically for pitchers, although I'd argue that every player could benefit from this one. After all, are we not pitchers when we are firing the ball across the diamond to nab a speedy runner, or getting ready to crow-hop in the outfield?

The video below comes to us via ericcressey.com. Eric Cressey is the owner of Cressey Performance and he works with a lot of professional baseball players. This video and exercise features Mariners pitcher Steve Cishek.

If you want more baseball related workouts from Eric Cressey and his team, click here!

14. Top Five Exercises for Batspeed according to beabetterhitter.com

beabetterhitter.com is a site run in part by former Yankees Strength and Conditioning Coach, Dana Cavalea. That's a pretty impressive credential, so I have no problem recommending you take a look at his article (and site, in general).

His top 5 are:

1. Core Bridges
2. Seated Bent Knee Med Ball Rotations
3. High to Low Standing Band Chops
4. Low to High Standing Band Chops
5. Rotational Pushup
   

Click here to find out exactly what those exercises are and how to utilize them properly.

15. Stretch, stretch, sttrrreeeetcccchhhhh

We all hate to do it. Don't we? Or am I alone? 

Well, whether you hate it or love it (weirdo), you NEED to do it. And it's really in your best interest to form a routine that works for you and that you can stick to.

When I was younger, I could get away with a few arm stretches, a hammy, and I was good to go. Now that I'm older... yeah... it's a bit more than that. Here's a few that I find helpful:​

Elbow Out Rotator Cuff Stretch

Ah, the old Rotator Cuff. A pitcher's best friend. Did you know that the human body has evolved to allow us to throw overhand? It's just not evolved enough to do it 100 times from a mound at 90 mph. Shocking, I know.

So stretch that baby out! Via Stretchcoach.com

Stand with your hand behind the middle of your back and your elbow pointing out. Reach over with your other hand and gently pull your elbow forward.

Spiderman Lunge

POSITION: Start in a plank position with the arms in a 90-degree angle to the spine. Align the body in a straight line from head to heels and fully extend the elbows. Pull the belly button into the spine to engage the abdominals.

My Hip Flexors give me a lot of trouble. You can usually find me limping around after a game - this stretch is great to do before and after games/workouts.

It comes via prehabexrecises.com

ACTION: Step one foot forward to the outside of the hand and align the toes and fingers in a straight line if possible. Press the floor away with the arms and keep the straight-line alignment from head to heel. Breathe deeply and relax while alternating feet on each forward-lunge step.

Modes of Application:
Hold this position for approximately 30 seconds as you mentally imagine your hip flexors lengthen and focus on deep exhalations.
Smoothly perform several reps of this movement as you breathe deeply and relax.
Hold the end position and perform several Contract/Relax sequences with the targeted hip.

There's too many stretches that I could go into here, but if you want more now (before I devote an entire article to it) head over to either stretchcoach.com or prehabexercises.com

I recommend both highly.

16. Oneresult.com's - Fully tailored Baseball Workouts

How about a full 12 Week training schedule completely broken out for you by day, and exercise?

How about if that also comes with a nutritional guide?

And what if you could custom tailor it to what you were looking for specifically? (weight gain, weight loss, explosiveness, off season, in season, you name it)

That's exactly what you'll find at oneresult.com.

Simply fill out this form...

And Bam!

You're off to the races.

Could you be any more spoiled?

17. Mind Over Matter's What Matters

"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." - Yogi Berra

Congratulations, you've made it to the last workout!

You didn't think that I'd leave a mental workout off the list did you?

Regardless of what physical tools you're bringing to the table, you need a rock solid mental approach in order to perform at the highest level. How often do you find yourself feeling uncomfortable in the batter's box? Full of doubt? "Don't screw up", you say.

Well, we've all been there. Luckily there are exercises that you can do to strengthen that weak muscle in the middle of your head - your brain.

Imagery Training and Visualization

These types of exercises can vary depending on the person, but in general, these are the basic steps one would take to engage in a visualization exercise.

1. Find a quiet place with no distractions. Get comfortable - however that may be
2. Image Generation: create the space that you are going to be in. Is it the batter's box? Shortstop? Wherever it is, close your eyes and put yourself there. Don't just stop with visualizing it. Feel the bat in your hand. Smell the dirt. Hear the playing field. Use all of it to create a vivid impression in your mind.
3. Image Exploration: Now that you've got your setting intact, explore it. Who's on the mound. How many people are watching? You get the idea. You just want to really flesh it out to make it as real as possible.
4. Image Activation: Now you're ready to play out the actions. Make this specific. If you've been having trouble turning double plays, then turn double plays. Haven't been hitting curve balls? Well, you're about to crush some. Try and play them out in real time as much as possible. Also, don't forget to incorporate the emotions as well. It feels good to hit a curve ball, allow yourself to experience that satisfaction every time.
   

Ohm.