As a baseball player, one of the best things you can do to help get noticed by coaches is to increase your arm strength. Increasing your arm strength is a crucial piece of your baseball journey, and is often a stepping stone to playing at the next level. However developing a safe arm care plan is possibly the most important thing you can do for yourself. So today we cover The Best Ways To Improve Arm Strength For Youth Baseball.
There are many ways to increase your arm strength, however it must be done in a safe and purposeful way. For youth baseball players, safety needs to be the number one priority during development. If you get hurt overtraining or training incorrectly, it will seriously impact your career further down the line. This is why developing a safe training plan is the most important thing you can do to elevate your skills.
Resistance Training (J-Bands)
One of the best ways to improve arm strength for youth baseball players is by implementing resistance bands into your training. Resistance bands are preached by many college coaches and players who have seen the amazing leaps in development. Resistance training has been also been proven to increase muscular strength, and endurance. Which significantly reduce the risk of injury in the long run. This makes it one of the best ways to improve arm strength for youth baseball.
Like anything however, resistance bands must be implemented into your routine correctly to see the best result. For the best results, it is recommended that you implement,
- 90° Internal Rotations (15)
- 90° External Rotations (15)
- Overhead Tricep Extensions (10)
- Forward Chest Flies (10)
- Reverse Chest Flies (10)
- 90° Elevated Internal Rotations (15)
- 90° Elevated External Rotations (15)
- Reverse Throws (8)
This video highlights some other important exercises to improve arm strength and arm health.
Why Use Resistance Training
According to the Kinetic Performance Institute, resistance training has been proven to increase muscular strength, endurance, and joint stability. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of injury in the long term. This makes it one of the best ways to improve arm strength for youth baseball players.
Long Toss
Another popular method to improve arm strength for youth baseball is long toss. Long toss in an excellent way for youth baseball players to increase their arm strength in a safe way. It involves throwing the ball as far as the player can, either on a line or in an arch. Long toss has been proven in many studies to improve arm strength and endurance in baseball players.
According to the National Library Of Medicine, long toss has been proven to increase range of motion, arm strength, and endurance. While also decreasing injury rates in youth players. This combination makes long toss one of the best ways to improve arm strength for youth baseball. It is recommended that players who implement long toss into their routines throw maximum distance up to 3 times per week for the best results.
Weighted Balls (Plyos)
Another popular way for youth baseball players to improve their arm strength is through weighted balls. One thing that should be known about weighted balls is that it is absolutely essential that they are implemented correctly into a structured throwing program. While weighted balls have been proven to increase arm strength, the injury rate in players has also risen. This can be attributed to players incorrectly using weighted balls as part of their routine. This is why weighted balls may not be recommended for youth baseball players as a method to improve arm strength.
Pro’s of Weighted Balls
There is significant controversy in the baseball world whether weighted balls are a safe way to increase arm strength. The long-term effects of weighted balls have not yet been studied sufficiently enough to tell whether or not it is a safe training method for baseball players. However weighted balls have been proven to increase player arm strength.
According to the National Library Of Medicine, weighted balls have been proven to increase player arm strength in a matter of a few weeks. A 2018 study showed a group of 38 high school players increased their velocity an average of 2.2 MPH in just six weeks of a weighted ball program. This is a massive plus for weighted balls. However this advantage may not outweigh the serious risks.
Cons of Weighted Balls
While weighted balls have been proven to be effective at increasing arm strength, they have also been proven to seriously increase the risk of injury in baseball players. The same 2018 study that showed an increase in arm strength also noted that out of the 38 players that participated in the trial, 24% developed a shoulder or elbow related injury over the course of six weeks. This is a major red flag regarding the use of weighted balls and just goes to show how big of a risk they really are.
A separate trial in 2019 with 19 players ages 9-14, showed that with the increase in weight there was an increase in shoulder and elbow torque. Which led to an increased rate of injury in the youth players. This is just another nail in the coffin regarding the safety of weighted balls.
Important Conclusions
There are many ways for youth baseball players to increase their arm strength effectively. However safety is the most important factor when choosing a training plan. For that reason I recommend that young players implement a combination of resistance training (J-Bands), and long toss into their practice routine. This will be the safest, and most effective way to increase arm strength for youth baseball players.
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