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THE EFFECT OF A MEDICINE BALL WORKOUT ON EXIT VELOCITY IN BASEBALL HITTING

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of medicine ball workouts on exit velocity for baseball players while hitting. Exit velocity is the speed of the baseball after it has been hit by the bat. A higher exit velocity typically leads to more success for a hitter in baseball. METHODS: Fourteen collegiate baseball players were recruited for this study. Baseline exit velocity measurements were collected using a tee, baseball, the same bat for all subjects, and a pocket radar. To ensure accurate exit velocity measurement, the pocket radar was set up in front of the subjects so that they were hitting the baseball toward the pocket radar. Subjects were then randomly assigned to two groups; one group performed 3 medicine ball specific workouts per week for five weeks, while the control group continued normal training. Post-intervention measurements of exit velocity were taken for both groups after the training period had concluded. The total increase, percent increase, and overall average increase in exit velocity from the first test to the last test was recorded. One-way ANOVA testing was performed to determine significant changes over time and between groups. RESULTS: At baseline, there was no significant difference between groups. Regardless of group, there were timepoint based increases in exit velocity (84.96±5.76 mph to 89.57±4.11 mph, p<0.001). The workout group significantly increased exit velocity compared with the control group (mph increase: 6.57±2.149; 2.857±2.544; p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that medicine ball workouts are effective for increasing baseball exit velocity during hitting activities. Despite overall increases in exit velocity for both groups over time, the data suggest incorporating medicine ball workouts with rotation-specific training has a significant effect on a hitter’s exit velocity compared with normal training activities.

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