Building Bat Speed

Building bat speed is a crucial part in hitting a softball. In this section we will talk about a few drills that will add some muscle to your bat speed.

If you want to train to build better bat speed, then you need to pump up your forearms. Weighted forearm curls is one exercise that will help develop some strength needed for bat speed. Sit on a bench or chair, and with forearm and palm facing up, curl the weight. Use a slow and deliberate motion for a count of 20 on each forearm. Perform three sets and you will begin to feel the burn.

Another good exercise is weighted wrist curls. Yes, that is the exercise that uses the wooden bar with a long rope attached to a weight. You talk about building some powerful forearms, this is the exercise. Begin with your arms extended outward. With the weight and rope in front of you. Hoist the rope by alternating your wrists in a curling fashion. Once you roll the weight up to the bar, you are halfway home. Next, roll the weight down to the floor. At this point your grip and forearms are on fire. Do this for three sets. This is an awesome off-season training tool for your forearms.

One other exercise that you may want to try is called "speed bats". This drill consists of swinging the bat back and forth as fast as you can for a 30 second count. Now 30 seconds may not sound like a long time, but perform this drill 3-5 times and you will definitely feel the blood circulating in your arms.

Try a few of these exercises if you are looking to add power and bat speed to your game. But make sure your teams budget for new softballs is good, because you may be going yard a whole lot!

The Coach