Medicine Ball Training for Pitchers
Medicine Ball Training for Pitchers - Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab
Medicine ball training is one of the most misunderstood — and misused — components of a pitcher’s development. Whether you're rehabbing from an injury, building power in the off-season, or refining movement quality, med balls give pitchers an incredibly effective tool to build coordination, sequencing, and rotational force. The problem is that most athletes and coaches either overload them, misuse them, or overcomplicate the entire process.
In this breakdown, I’m going to explain how I use med ball training with baseball players in rehab, performance training, and return-to-throw programs. The same simple framework works for high-school pitchers, college arms, and professional athletes.
What You’ll Learn in This Blog
How med ball work fits into early-stage rehab for throwers
Why extensive throws matter before intensive throws
The three essential med ball patterns for pitchers
How youth pitchers should use med balls for rhythm and coordination
Why med balls are one of the safest and most effective power tools
How to integrate med balls with strength work, plyometrics & sprint training
🎥 Watch the Full Med Ball Training Breakdown on YouTube
Don’t miss the full deep-dive on med ball progressions, rehab sequencing, and how pitchers can use them to unlock more velocity.
▶️ Watch Now on YouTube:
Understanding the Role of Med Balls in Rehab
During early rehab phases, med ball work should be extensive, not maximal. This means sub-max throws focused on rhythm, timing, and movement awareness — not high-effort power. For pitchers returning from elbow or shoulder injuries, extensive med ball patterns help retrain sequencing without overloading the arm.
I typically keep this early work within three simple patterns:
Chest-pass variations
Rotational patterns
Overhead patterns
These alone check 90% of the boxes required before a pitcher resumes throwing.
Youth Pitchers: Rhythm Before Power
Young athletes often lack the coordination needed for high-intensity med ball throws. For this reason, I use rhythmic partner med ball work — higher-volume catch-and-release variations that build trunk control, coordination, and general athleticism.
High-Performance Training for Trained Pitchers
Once a pitcher has an adequate training age, med balls shift into a high-intensity CNS stimulus. These throws become one of the main explosive components of a training session, alongside sprint work, plyometrics, and maximum/dynamic effort lifts. Carefully dosed, 8–10 high-intensity throws can provide massive returns in power.
Why Med Balls MIGHT Beat Olympic Lifts for Pitchers
Olympic lifts require high skill and come with higher upper extremity joint stress. Med ball throws provide similar power benefits with far less risk — especially for pitchers managing in-season workloads.
🎙 Listen to This Episode on The Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab Podcast
Catch the full breakdown of med ball training, rotational power, and returning pitchers to high-performance levels.
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A6iBs0CzkAwSu9rUVPfGX?si=lrea2AaWQSy5USIT90KXhQ
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Struggling with arm pain or inconsistent velocity?
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