Assessment & Plan 2
Introduction
Baseball requires all kinds of physical and athletic qualities that other sports may not
utilize as frequent. Baseball is a team-oriented sport but the performance of the individuals
within the team plays a significant factor and role in how the game plays out. Since the sport is a
statistical and analytical sport, the players are evaluated on base & field percentages and batting
average. Baseball players continually attempt to improve these areas themselves in order to
better themselves and enhance the team's success. The Off-Season preparation is a significant
component to getting their bodies well-equipped for the physical demands of a long season. In
offseason training, the athlete should have a high emphasis on monitoring their training program
and being efficient and effective with their work to minimize their injury risk. If the sport is
physical and, subsequently, the demands on an athlete’s abilities are clear and well understood,
then the end can be achieved (Klein et. al 2021).
One high-school baseball player came to me with questions about his performance and
training schedule. His lack of these, he has told me, is in the following categories: bat speed,
general explosiveness, change of direction speed. He is a switch hitter at third base. He concedes
that in his two prior off-season programs he was just doing resistance programs with no
plyometric, speed or agility component. My initial reaction is to assess the athlete’s strength (he
scored higher than average in every strength test I administered). He also ranked well above
average on other common fitness tests. All that said, he was below average for the power, speed
and agility tests. Given the athlete’s objectives, I recommended developing a well-structured
comprehensive speed & agility program dedicated to improving and enhancing total body
coordination, power, reactive strength, and all aspects of speed & agility. We will start his speed
Assessment & Plan 3
& agility program in about 15 minutes to work in combination with his strength-training days so
that he can improve his speed, power and agility capabilities.
Assessments
For accurate measurement, I would like to include the typical speed, power and agility
tests. As mentioned above, we took a pre-performance test of the athlete’s current ability (both
functional and agility/change of direction tests). I added in the first pre-assessment, then a
midpoint assessment and a last assessment at the end of the 6 weeks. So we’re including a mix of
tests so we know we’re testing his strength, agility and change of direction skills.
Because I am looking to evaluate the athlete in power, agility, and change of direction, I
included the 505 agility test, since baseball players need to be able to change directions fast and
accelerate, like a steal second base (Dawes, 2019). We will complete this test by establishing a
starting line with two cones, about two metres wide (Dawes, 2019). 10 meters further up the
track we’ll affix a laser timer, and add two more cones on each side of the original two (Dawes,
2019). And then, finally, two more cones 15 meters from the starting line (Dawes, 2019). The
runner will sprint off the starting line and run into the 15m line, he will 180 degrees turn once on
the 15m line and then again run to the starting line (Dawes, 2019). The countdown starts when
he hits the 10m line and it stops when he hits the 10m line on his return (Dawes, 2019). The
athlete will do it three times and we’ll take the highest one of them (Dawes, 2019). This type of
agility test is applicable to baseball players because it is a simulation of how they move during
their sport. The assessment is an easy, efficient, and reliable test for change of direction.
We’ll be using the 505 agility test to evaluate agility and directional change, but we’ll
also be using the 10-yard dash to measure the athlete’s acceleration as baseball players are hitters
Assessment & Plan 4
running to the plate (Klein et al., 2021). There will be a starting point and a finish line 10 yards
away from the starting point. The runner will be timed from touchdown to the line.
Aside from the 505 agility test and the 10-yard run, I’ll be doing some functional tests.
One will be a depth jump test (Klein et al., 2021), which I’ll start with giving him verbal cues for
making sure he’s landing well, and we will implement depth jumps to his program to improve his
landing mechanics, force absorption and vertical force expression. We’ll use a 24" box where he
will land and then immediately vertical jump as high as he can after he hits the ground. We’ll
also test his power with single leg hops, and vertical jumps (Klein et al., 2021). We will get his
vertical height measured by a Skyhook Contact Mat and he gets 3 jump opportunities. His
vertical height, ground contact and airtime will be recorded using the contact mat. That test will
grant us vertical lumbar power. Another lower body power test we will perform is the broad
jump. The athlete lies behind a line drawn in the floor, with feet about half apart. The take-off
and landing is two feet long, and forward motion is achieved by swinging the arms and bent
knees. The evaluator tries to leap as far as he can and not lands backwards. This measurement
will give us his power in the lower body horizontally. Lastly, we will want to measure his throw
velocity by the amount of distance he throws a med ball off of overhead squat throw and side
throw (from the side they bat) from a starting point. All of these measurements give us useful
data on the player’s strength, agility and changing of direction.
Plyometric Plan
As a switch hitter- one who hits from both sides of the plate- it’s critical to train for both
sides rather than just one like any baseball player. Coordination and balance is an emphasis that
can factor in baseball which requires a strong foundation on core stabilization, strength and
power. Traditional hitters rotate one side of the body and the core instead of both, but switch
Assessment & Plan 5
hitters need to target every muscle in the core for a balanced and strong position. Medicine ball
throws are an essential tool and a great core movement often implemented in baseball players of
all levels, however no matter the athlete and the way they swing the bat, they should always
work on both sides to develop it rather than becoming very right/left side dominant. This is very
significant for my athlete because once he gains the coordination, balance, speed, fluidity, and
power on both sides, he will be able to swing well no matter which way he chooses to bat.
Among some exercises that are going to promote coordination and stability, you’ll find
resistance band exercises which will focus on your hips, glutes, and core. Exercises with the
resistance band are advantageous because of increased endurance and strength, muscle
activation, improved coordination, and enhanced functional abilities (Lopes et al., 2019). This
training will be performed with resistance bands to get his bottom armed up and build his
strength by setting tension in critical muscles that will come into play. There are many pro
athletes that incorporate resistance bands into their daily workout to enhance plyometrics and
speed. "Plyometric exercise is a form of jump-based training called stretch-shortening cycle...It
improves follow-up strength by using elastic tissues of muscles and tendons...Numerous studies
have shown that repetitive plyometric exercise can augment neuromuscular function and power
in young athletes and boost performance in games that demand explosive power" (Kim, Rhi,
Kim & Chung, 2022).
Furthermore, unilateral lower body exercises introduced into the program will aid the
athletes in core stability and balance which are vitally necessary for the switch hitter position.
Unilateral plyometric lower body exercises may include single leg hurdle hops, extensive lateral
bounds, etc; these will work on his lower body power and stability. Learning how to produce
power from the ground up is the building block for multiplanar power. When the bat is ready and
Assessment & Plan 6
the athlete swings, the power is generated from the lower extremities which is funneled and
transferred to the upper extremities which can correlate to having an good drive around the bat
area with enough power and speed.
Bat speed is another area my athlete will concentrate on. It’s not just the most crucial
variable in a baseball game, but perhaps also one of the more important variables in a baseball
swing. More swing speed, greater hitting success: baseball player has more time to make a
decision, less time to swing, and more ball exit velocity (Crocker et al., 2021). There are a lot of
physical factors that can improve bat speed such as rotational power, rotational strength, core
stability, balance, hip mobility, ankle stability, etc. From the strength and power perspective, we
are going to implement extensive multiplanar plyometrics (vertical, horizontal and lateral),
traditional lower body compound lifts, explosive upper body, rotational functional exercises as
well. The athlete will also be getting his conditioning in with his speed work which are separated
into three categories: Acceleration, Max Velocity (Top Speed) and Change Of Direction/Agility.
The study has previously reported that high school baseball players regain increase bat speed
when medicine ball throws are thrown through trunk rotation (Tsuchikane et al, 2017). The bat
speed for a middle-schooler baseball player is around 80-90 mph. The number that I want to get
for this guy is over that average number and be a good consistent number between the 90s and if
we are going to accomplish that we will monitor his intensity and workload accordingly to make
sure he is getting well quality reps and work on and off the field.
To continue putting up strong numbers in baseball, this player will have to get better at
change of direction. ‘Engagement recently has suggested that some kinematic factors (trunk
rotation and lateral flexion) cooperate to enhance change-of-direction times...all of these are
responses to an external object and this is called reactive agility,’ (Buhmann et al., 2022). Third
Assessment & Plan 7
base is more of a responsibility that has to cover some ground to get bunts. Learn how to get to
bat faster and control the infield to save the bunts. And this is usually the hot corner, where the
balls are thrown hard that way, making that a quick decision-maker position. There’s a lot of
quick stops and change-of-direction in the game for a third baseman. There’s also much
emphasis on lateral rotations and pivots to get the ball where you want it to go with ease. Agility
exercises are a useful part of the training program to help in these situations. The 20-yard shuttle
(the pro-agility drill) is one such change of direction drill. This is a drill that teaches acceleration,
deceleration and direction changing. It’s a matter of explosive strength, lateral range, decent
body control, and quick reflexes to reach the level this player sets for himself.
That is mirrored in the motions and demands of throwing and hitting. When choosing
exercises to use in a strength-training regimen, exercises well chosen can translate to the
demands of a baseball field and help athletes perform better. Functional upper-body, lower-body
and full-body exercises including unilateral horizontal and vertical presses, front squats, high
pulls, cleans, deadlifts, lunges and others train the muscle groups needed for baseball and
increase joint stability and function. Crucially, strength training works certain muscle groups that
would be responsible for improvement in measures such as bat swing speed and batted-ball
speed. For instance, bat swing velocity increased eight to 10 per cent at the post-test with eight
weeks of small muscle training for baseball pitching – this is a direct translation of the training to
the field (Szymanski et. al, 2010).
Developing this speed and agility program for this young baseball athlete, it will be a
six-week program where there will be a gradual advancement of movements, reps, and intensity.
The athlete will be given a different emphasis on speed and agility on each day: Day 1:
Acceleration, Day 2: Max Velocity (Top Speed) and Day 3: Change of Direction (Agility). There
Assessment & Plan 8
will be 3 two-week phases for speed and agility: Foundational Phase, Explosive Phase, and
Reactive Phase. The Foundational phase purpose is to implement and develop foundational and
fundamental movements for each aspect of speed and agility. Building a strong foundation for
speed & agility will be beneficial for this athlete because the teaching and learning of shin
angles, running posture and running shapes will improve as the athlete gains familiarity and
comfortability of the movements as the weeks go on. The Explosive phase purpose is to take the
athlete developing explosiveness and speed to another level. The Reactive Phase purpose is to
increase the athlete's neuromuscular efficiency to help with the athlete's on-field effectiveness.
Once this speed and agility program is completed, the upside is that he’ll begin to notice
improvements where he was lacking in agility and speed. The program outcome will create
shorter run time between bases and a quicker reaction time and decision-making on the field.
Also, once this program is integrated with his strength program, he should notice a difference in
strength, power and explosiveness. The combined effect of the two kinds of training will
correlate to a more durable and better season, improved stats, and an efficient and improved
player.
Conclusion
To conclude, the player had a problem: he was having problems with power, control, and
direction change. It is mainly because the player was never actively trying to develop those
skills. In order to optimize his athletic performance, I built and developed a 6-week speed and
agility program based on speed, plyometric and med ball drills that I’ve hypothesized should
enhance and improve his athletic performance in the above mentioned areas.
Assessment & Plan 9
References
Buhmann, R., Stuelcken, M., & Sayers, M. (2022). Alternatives to common approaches for training
change of direction performance: a scoping review. BMC sports science, medicine &
rehabilitation, 14(1), 151. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00544-9
Crocker, Ethan R.; Dow, Madeline L.; and Kraft, Gina Leigh, "Effects of Various Training Techniques on
Bat Velocity of High School Baseball Players" (2021). Faculty Publications - Kinesiology and
Rehabilitation Science. 14. https://orc.library.atu.edu/faculty_pub_health/14
Dawes, J. (2019). Developing Agility and Quickness-2nd Edition. Human Kinetics Publishers.
Kim, S., Rhi, S. Y., Kim, J., & Chung, J. S. (2022). Plyometric training effects on physical fitness and
muscle damage in high school baseball players. Physical activity and nutrition, 26(1), 1–7.
https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2022.0001
Klein, B., Cobian, D., Simmons, G., & Reinold, M. (2021). Offseason Workout Recommendations for
Baseball Players. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 14(2), 174–184.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-021-09700-z
Lopes, J. S. S., Machado, A. F., Micheletti, J. K., de Almeida, A. C., Cavina, A. P., & Pastre, C. M. (2019)
Effects of training with elastic resistance versus conventional resistance on muscular strength: A
systematic review and meta-analysis. SAGE open medicine, 7, 2050312119831116.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312119831116
Szymanski, David J PhD; DeRenne, Coop EdD. The Effects of Small Muscle Training on Baseball
Hitting Performance: A Brief Review. Strength and Conditioning Journal 32(6):p 99-108,
December 2010. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181fda2da
Tsuchikane, R., Higuchi, T., Suga, T., Wachi, M., Misaki, J., Tanaka, D., Miyake, Y., & Isaka, T. (2017).
Relationships between Bat Swing Speed and Muscle Thickness and Asymmetry in Collegiate
Baseball Players. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 5(2), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports5020033
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