Increasing Exit Velocity

83 for a 2021 is very good!  I also applaud your dedication to wanting to get better.  That will serve you very well over the course of your Baseball career.

In my experience as a coach & parent, progress on Exit Velo is slow & steady.  I don't know how much improvement you can make in a couple of short weeks, but if you have someone who can take Exit Velo for you while you practice, slight adjustments in how far you stand from the tee, where you load your hands etc can make a few mph difference.  Experiment with what works and what doesn't.

In the long term, Exit Velo is all about explosive strength.  Working hard in a strength program, lifting weights with a qualified instructor can give you great results.

A steady 7-10 mph improvement per year can be a great goal and achievable with hard work... That'd put you in the upper 90's to 100 by your senior year!  Good luck!!!!

Have you read of the "rice bowl". Many professional hitters and pitchers squeeze their hands in a bowl of rice [uncooked]. This provides strength to the fingers, wrists and forearms. The secret to "bat speed".

TRUE STORY:  At the Area Code games a few years ago, a highly proclaimed football player from New York was projected a 1st round draft. At Blair Field he swing and missed every pitch and I ask the pro scout "not as good as you believed". He said "no Bob he has "bat speed".

Next year THE PLAYER was a 1st round draft and he eventually received a "cup of coffee" in ML.

Bob

Does anyone have any experience with underload/overload bat training?  Does it apply to OP?

I am very curious to hear more responses on this.  Other than just building strength, has anyone found any functional exercises that seem to target the swing directly?  My son is incorporating overhead sledgehammer hits on tire and has an overweight bat he swings into a heavy bag.  These are new to his program, so can't report any results yet, but they would seem to work the muscles that would translate into more bat speed and hitting the ball harder. 

Weight training.  Upper body, hands wrists legs.   Weights, jogging is the key to get stronger and faster.

Jogging?

Baseballcomesthird posted:

Jogging?

Maybe to be ready for the home run trot?? 😬

Eat some food. All the points above are very good, but if you weigh 10 lbs. more, that will translate into higher exit velo. And probably one of the hardest things to do at 14-17 yrs. of age. 

Baseballcomesthird posted:

Jogging?

Yes. Incorporate jogging  into your workouts.  My son lifts during the week and runs wee early morning before games.  

My son started taking swings off the tee with a 1 lb donut at about your age.  He does 5 swings with the donut, then 5 swings with the normal bat... repeat this a couple times.  Don't do this with soft toss or BP since it will change timing.  He picked this up watching an MLB player in the cage next to him.  You have to swing hard but maintain control to drive the ball to the back of the cage.  Nothing did more to train him to swing hard than this drill.

Just my opinion and many won't agree but this whole exit velocity craze is nothing more than the latest fad amongst coaches at all levels...lots of great hitters in MLB were not high exit velo guys..they were great contact hitters...unfortunately college coaches have bought into it and are making recruiting decisions off of it.

From what I've heard, coaches expect kids to be at 88mph or better with Exit Velo.  That is sort of the line in the sand they've drawn in terms of minimum strength & explosiveness, as well as the dedication to training required to get there, that they want to see... Yes there are exception

and all things being equal, they don't care that much between 88 & 95, as long as you meet that minimum level.

The next level though is 100mph.   Generally speaking, if someone can get 100mph off the tee, they are a very explosive athlete, and that will open a lot of doors provided the rest of the boxes are checked of course.

Brian Dozier has an exit velo in the mid 80's  //www.mlb.com/news/brian-dozier-is-pulling-more-and-heating-up/c-249930808 , and that's hitting a pitched ball. It's harder getting velo off a tee.

   Squaring up the ball is far more important. 

Catchersdad:

as a Coach, I teach my players to hit .400 and be "on base" .500. Remember there are 11 ways to score from 3b with less than 2 outs. My 4rd-5th & 6th hitters need one RBI for each 6 AB's.  Play a "motion" offense = winning. Can you measure the velocity of the 6th Tool?

Bob

Thank you all for the tips and advice to gain Exit Velocity! I really began getting more explosive with my lifting and swing after reading all your advice. At the recent showcase I went to, my exit Velocity was up to 87.

Thanks!

Consultant posted:

Have you read of the "rice bowl". Many professional hitters and pitchers squeeze their hands in a bowl of rice [uncooked]. This provides strength to the fingers, wrists and forearms. The secret to "bat speed".

TRUE STORY:  At the Area Code games a few years ago, a highly proclaimed football player from New York was projected a 1st round draft. At Blair Field he swing and missed every pitch and I ask the pro scout "not as good as you believed". He said "no Bob he has "bat speed".

Next year THE PLAYER was a 1st round draft and he eventually received a "cup of coffee" in ML.

Bob

Love the rice bowl!  My '22 has a hands and forearm component to his overall weight program (lots of farmer walks).  It's paid off - a few months ago he recorded 87 mph.  I'm a big believer in regular wrist/hand/forearm work (and so I'd my son)