Baseball Wrist Strengtheners

The muscles that run down your forearms are responsible for flexing, extending and rotating your wrists. Having adequate strength in your wrists is important for being able to throw a ball and swing a bat in baseball. When you’re batting, your wrist muscles assist in gripping the bat and rotating your wrists as you make contact with the ball. When you throw, the muscles in your forearms contract to snap your wrist forward and throw the ball with more velocity.

Training

Perform the battery of wrist strengthening exercises three days per week and on nonconsecutive days. They can be easily added to the end of your weight-training workouts or at the end of your baseball practices. Complete each exercise for one to two sets of 15 repetitions each.

Ball Squeeze

Ball squeezes develop strength in your wrist flexors, which are located at the inside of your forearms. Hold the baseball in your hand and start to squeeze it, increasing how hard you’re squeezing until you’re doing it as hard as you can, and then hold the contraction for 15 seconds. Simultaneously perform the exercise in the other hand with a second ball or switch hands if you have just one ball.

Bat Rotation

Bat rotation hits all of your wrist muscles. Stand and hold a baseball bat with one hand positioned at the very end of the handle. Hold the bat out in front of you and lower the head of the bat toward the floor by bending your wrist and then flex your wrist to bring it back up. After you’re finished with the 15 repetitions, draw large circles with the head of the bat, first going clockwise and then going counterclockwise.

Dumbbell Exercises

With a single dumbbell, you can develop strength in your wrist flexors, extensors and rotators. Stand at a table or kneel in front of a flat bench. Hold a single dumbbell with one hand and place that elbow and forearm on the table or bench so that your wrist is hanging just off the edge. Start with your palm facing up. Lower the weight down toward the floor by extending your wrist and then flex your wrist to bring the weight back up. Next, start with your palm facing down. Lower the dumbbell down to the floor by flexing your wrist, and then extend your wrist to bring the weight back up. Lastly, start with your palm facing sideways and rotate your wrist so that you move from a palm down to palm up position. Be sure to complete the array of dumbbell wrist exercises with both hands.

Wrist Snap Throws

You’ll need a partner to complete wrist snap throws. The exercise is effective at developing your wrist flexors and mimic the movement your wrists must perform when you’re throwing. Hold a baseball in your hand and raise your arm so that your forearm is parallel with the floor and your elbow is bent to 90 degrees. Extend your wrist to load the ball back and then snap your wrist forward, throwing the ball to your partner.