Getting Back in Baseball Shape: Pre-Season Tips for Multi-Sport Athletes

Get excited – MBL’s season is less than a month away!

We are very excited to be hosting our 2^nd annual coaching clinic on April 5^th 2025! Like last year, we have partnered with a wide range of clinicians, coaches and speakers to help you in your coaching journey! For more information, refer to this schedule – there is no requirement to be at every clinic; attend the ones you want to attend! Register here!

With baseball season just around the corner, many of our athletes are transitioning back to baseball from fall and winter sports, which we love to see! While the documented benefits of being a multi-sport athlete are vast, baseball, like other sports, is unique in movement and conditioning requirements. Here are some “pre-season” tips to be prepared for the travel baseball season.

Rebuild Your Arm

If you haven’t been throwing regularly, you need to give your arm ample time to adjust. Start with light tossing at short distances, and gradually increase your intensity and range. Band exercises such as shoulder rotations are great for muscle stabilization and injury prevention. Remember to listen to your body – don’t overdo it early. 

Finetune Your Swing

Your batting mechanics might feel odd when you start swinging again. Nothing to be alarmed about – this is expected. Start with tee work to reinforce fundamentals, then progress to soft toss and live batting practice. Focus on timing and hand-eye coordination, and make sure your lower body is engaged in your swing.

Regain Baseball Agility and Endurance

When it comes to agility, baseball is very different to other sports, as it requires quick lateral movements and acceleration. Footwork drills are great to do initially, as are reactivity drills that mimic game conditions

Endurance is also unique, as it isn’t continuous like soccer and basketball, but rather, short bursts followed by recover. Interval training—such as sprinting the length of bases and then walking back— are great to get ready for baseball

Strengthen Core and Lower Body

The most important thing you can do right now can be done away from the ballpark, and don’t require much equipment. Your core and legs are very important for power in hitting and throwing. To build stability and explosiveness, body weight squats and lunges will help a lot, and add some plyometric drills (box jumps, lateral bounds) to improve balance

The most important thing to take from this is to listen to your body. You know your body best, and there is no benefit to ignoring any warning signs.

On behalf of everyone in the MBL offices, we wish you the best for your travel baseball season. Remember to have fun – Play Ball. Make Memories