Hello all, I'm a high school baseball coach looking for good offseason workouts, whether it be weight lifting or on the field or a combination that we could run 2-3 days a week for maybe 30-60 mins. I'm sure I could search the Internet but I was wondering if there were any experienced coaches that have some tried and true ideas or workout programs. Thanks if you can help. If not...feel free to tell me how good of a high school baseball player you were. I love the past!

When I was 15, I pitched on the NJ state championship high school baseball team. Our shortstop hit 30 hr's in one season and went to LSU. We had another go to Pepperdine and another to FSU. Quite sick. The funniest part was when I saw the numbers at the end of the year and the coach's son (1B) had been listed as hitting like .556 or something and I'm thinking to myself "hmmm, I was there for all those games obv. I don't recall him batting that high". Turns out they credited fielder's choices, errors, etc as hits for him. So anyway he brings these numbers with him and goes with our SS to LSU (1B went on a tryout, SS had his scholarship locked already). 1B comes back and I'm like "lol, so how did it go?". He just growled at me and walked away. Awesome. Anyhoo, I threw 84-86 my freshman year and because I'm such a nice guy, I always agreed to pitch for whoever, local teams, AAU or watever. I blew out my arm and here I am. Much like Al Bundy though.....I won state. Sigh.

I can still touch 80 mph now but with no feeling in my arm so that can't be good.

Dont use the offseason to make them take thousands of swings in a rush.

Get some batting tees and slow things down. Go over basic mechanics. I absolutely cannot stand when I see coaches pumping BP so quickly each swing runs into the next. Let them get their hands set, feet, eyes, etc.

I'll tell you what I used to do, and I was taught this by a coach of mine who played triple A with the Yankees.

Have them hold the bat normally, and then take top hand off the bat, slide the bottom hand to the top of the grip and swing one handed, choked all the way up. Very good for going to the ball, staying through it.

I'll preface this by saying I was never that great of a hitter but the soft toss drill always seemed to help me the most. I remember going to a baseball camp in Princeton once and we did so many soft toss drills that by the time we played live games it didn't matter who was pitching and at wat speed, if it was straight it looked like a beach ball coming at me.

The best drill for me:

Take a bat you would use in a game, and stand near a fence (or wall, or net). Place the handle of the bat on your bellybutton, and stand such that the end of the bat makes contact with the fence. Do not move. Take a full swing.

Better not hit that fence, kid. You should, one bat-lenth away from a fence you are facing, be able to take a full swing and not make contact.

It's an easy way to focus on keeping your swing and path to the ball short, and emphasizing the basic path your hands are supposed to take to the point of contact. Do this for 10 minutes, then soft-toss for 10 minutes. Repeat. Should be spraying linedrives in no time.

Most people have too long a swing, so forcing kids to get their hands through first is a way to fix it.

Yes, but make sure that the kids arent cheating by opening their front shoulder or stepping out.

speaking of child coaching.. how did the triangle offense go?

Yeah, sure. They should stay closed, and be able to take a regular cut. Head down, hips closed until contact, normal follow through. I did some work as a hitting coach for left-handers with troubled swings, and this drill helped everyone the most. I would make a volunteer stand there and take a full, vicious hack, just to illustrare how confident I was in the path my hands/bat took through teh zone.

Not very well considering they couldnt even grasp the intricacies of the pick and roll.

Jeter does that all the time. Derek Jeter.

Thanks guys for all the input. I just did some internet searches finally and got some offseason weight room workouts and just speed/strength drills. We'll see how they work starting next week.

This one, as well as standing with your back foot against the wall and having to do a full swing. If you are looping your swing or not taking a direct approach to get your hands thru the strike zone, these two drills will help immensely. Every round of BP, practice, fall ball, game, etc. I ever was a part of from the time I was a freshman in HS until I graduated, I did these.

Thats how you know its good.



I think you'd need to start simpler. If they do this without the proper groundwork, I'm guessing they'd cheat somehow. Probably without even realizing it.

But I dont really like the swing in front of fence or a wall drills.