How To Improve Bat Speed—Conditioning or Good Mechanics?

I love to read online hitting articles and comments about increasing bat speed and power. The focus is often on physical conditioning. Some of the advice includes weight training, throwing a medicine ball, swinging weighted bats, banging a large tire, or swinging into a heavy bag. I am typically the lone poster who believes improving hitting mechanics as the only effective way to materially increase bat speed and power.

It is impossible to deny that good conditioning will increase bat speed and make hitters generally more powerful.  I am an advocate of any conditioning programs that build baseball/softball strength in the upper and lower body. Great hitters use their entire body to generate power, so it makes sense to follow a program that is holistic. Focusing on conditioning, especially in the preseason, will help, but only marginally.

I have observed many strong and fit baseball and softball hitters who have mediocre bat speeds and little power. These hitters believe they can “muscle” the bat into and through the ball.  Unfortunately, they do not understand where REAL bat speed and power comes from.

Consistent power is realized through a sequence of kinetic linkage throughout the body during the swing, not brute force.  I am always pleased when I see players hitting balls harder and farther than hitters twice their size.

The key is to find the right mix between conditioning and improving hitting mechanics. If I had to put a percentage on what this balance should look like, I would say 70% hitting mechanics and 30% physical conditioning.

This assertion is always validated for me when I begin working with hitters who are already strong and well-conditioned, but have average or below average bat speed. As soon as these hitters develop sound hitting mechanics, their bat speeds jump, and their new power is obvious. When hitters learn to combine a smart conditioning program with power hitting mechanics, the fun begins.

Now that we are in the off season for baseball and softball (at least here in the Midwest), I would recommend hitters keep hitting. Many high schools and colleges place too much emphasis on off season physical conditioning, at the expense of improving the swing.

There is no substitute for working hard on each aspect of the swing in the off season. Hitters should acknowledge the need to improve their overall strength but should prioritize working on their hitting mechanics during the winter. They will be the winners during the spring and summer.

I recently began working with a physically strong sophomore high school baseball player. He and his father asked me to work with him to develop hitting power to match his above average strength. It was clear to me during our initial workout that his issue was not conditioning.

As is my practice, I first measured his bat speed (not exit velocity) as a baseline metric. It averaged approximately 68 mph. This was exceptionally low for someone so physically fit and strong. Even though he played for an elite travel team and a solid high school program, he was never taught a powerful and repeatable swing sequence.

We spent the first lesson reviewing and practicing each of my simple hitting keys. By the end of the first workout, my new hitters enjoy immediate increased bat speed and power. This hitter improved by 5-7 mph, which was only the beginning.

After working on the hitting keys with his father for three weeks, we met again for our second workout. It was obvious this hitter worked hard on each hitting key since our first session. We spent the second session refining his swing through observation and video analysis. I believe in coaching accountability, so I measured his bat speed again. We were eager to see if his new mechanics translated into “big power”.

Our eyes were not deceiving us. His bat speed JUMPED! Here are two screen shots that tell the whole story.

His swing now matched his physical gifts. This hitter could have lifted weights every day and would never have achieved these elite, D1 bat speed levels. At the end of the workout, I was happy to award him my 80+ Club and 90+ Club pins.

I wish I could work with every baseball and softball team and every hitter to prove how effective and simple my hitting keys are. This is obviously impossible. Hopefully, coaches, players, and parents will take time to either read my book or review the posts on this site.

My singular goal is to quickly transform good hitters into great hitters. Please feel free to send an email if you have any questions. I love interacting with hitting enthusiasts around the world.

Remember, always swing for the fences in life!

About Paul Petricca

In addition to writing this hitting blog, Paul is a hitting coach and the author of the book Hitting With Torque: For Baseball And Softball Hitters and his new children’s book Going Going Gone!. He is also a public speaker and provides unique customer engagement training through his company Torque Consulting. Paul teaches a Customer Relationship Management class to undergraduates at Wheaton College (IL)  and MBA candidates at Loyola University Chicago, and DePaul University.