The Effect of an Upper Body Strength Program on Intercollegiate Baseball Throwing Velocity

Abstract

Twenty-two college baseball players participated in a study designed to examine the effect of upper body strength training on the velocity of a thrown baseball. The treatment group received 8 weeks of strength training while the control group received no training during the fall portion of the preseason. Throwing velocity was measured for 19 players using a radar gun. Differences in mean throwing velocity were calculated for both groups, and overall significance (p < 0.05) for the interaction of group means was found. Post hoc analysis showed a significantly higher mean throwing velocity for the training group following 8 weeks of strength training. The implication is that college baseball players can improve throwing velocity via a structured strength training program.