Utilizing medicine ball throws in your training is a great way to transfer your general strength qualities into baseball specific power!
Power development is plane specific and medicine ball throws will allow you to train more “baseball specific” power by allowing you to work in planes (frontal, transverse) that are required of you by your sport (baseball).
Medicine Ball Drills and Weight Used
Here’s some of our favorite medicine ball drills and the weight we typically use for each drill:
Rotational Throws
Forward Facing Rotational Scoop Toss Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Forward Facing Rotational Shot-Put Throw Performed by Arizona Diamondbacks SS, Ricky Martinez:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Split-Stance Anti-Rotation Scoop Toss Performed by Texas A&M University – Corpus-Christi P, Hayden Thomas:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Figure-8 Rotational Shot-Put Throw Performed by Arizona Diamondbacks SS, Ricky Martinez:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Step-Back Rotational Scoop Toss Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Single-Leg Rotational Scoop Toss Through Swing Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 4-6 LB Medicine Ball
Hook-Behind Rotational Scoop Toss Performed by University of Texas P, Jared Southard:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Step-Behind Rotational Shot-Put Throw Performed by Chicago White Sox P, Jacob Lindgren
Weight Used: 6 LB
Shuffle-Shuffle Rotational Shot-Put Throw Performed by Arizona Diamondbacks SS, Ricky Martinez:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Single-Leg Heiden Jump to Rotational Shot Put Throw Performed by Chicago White Sox P, Jacob Lindgren:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Kneeling Jump to Rotational Shot Put Throw Performed by Chicago White Sox C, Ivan Gonzalez:
Weight Used: 6 LB Medicine Ball
Overhead Stomps
Overhead Stomp Performed by Chicago White Sox P, Jacob Lindgren:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Overhead Recoiled Stomp Performed by Texas A&M University – Corpus-Christi P, Hayden Thomas:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Overhead Side-to-Side Stomp Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Split-Stance Overhead Side-to-Side Stomp Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Figure-8 Overhead Recoiled Rollover Stomp Performed by University of Texas P, Jared Southard:
Weight Used: 6-8 LB
Single-Leg Overhead Stomp Performed by University of Texas P, Jared Southard:
Weight Used: 8-12 LB
Overhead Forward Throws
Step-Into Overhead Forward Throw Performed by University of Texas P, Jared Southard:
Weight Used: 4 LB
Crow Hop to Overhead Forward Throw Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used 4 LB
Throws for Distance & Height
Backward Overhead Throw for Distance Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Forward Scoop Toss for Distance Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Forward Chest Pass for Distance Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Vertical Scoop Toss for Height Performed by Washington Nationals C, Tres Barrera
Weight Used: 10-12 LB
Tall-Kneeling Chest Pass for Distance Performed by Los Angeles Dodgers OF, Chris Roller:
Weight Used: 6-8 LB
Effort Level/Intent for Medicine Ball Throws
When performing your medicine ball stomps and throws this off-season your goal should be one of three things (depending on which exercise you’re performing):
Throw the ball as far and as high as you can
Throw the ball through the wall
Throw the ball through the floor
Remember, the goal with your medball throws and stomps is to improve POWER output. You can’t do this by simply going through the motions on your medball work. LET IT RIP!
Recovery/Programming Guidelines
Generally speaking, 60-90 seconds recovery following each set of medball throws is plenty of time for the athlete to maintain high outputs. With my athletes, I like to superset a light thoracic mobility drill, arm care exercise, or catch-all mobility drill with their medball drills. This gives them plenty of time to recover from the previous set.
Complete Medicine Ball Power Development Program
If you’re someone that’s looking for a complete medicine ball program that you can implement into your workouts this off-season check out our 16-Week Medicine Ball Power Development Program
With our Med Ball Manual, you’ll get 16 weeks of carefully progressed throws, slowly building to high velocity, high power variations that will teach your body how to produce force, and transmit it through the body, as quickly and efficiently as possible. This program is designed to supplement your existing training regiment and take out the guesswork so you can focus on ball-breaking displays of power! Click HERE for more information!
