By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
Key takeaways
- In 78 college players averaging about 19, bat speed was related to body size, grip strength, back strength and a backward overhead med-ball throw.
- The 30-meter sprint and standing long jump were not related to bat speed.
- Strength supports the swing. It doesn’t replace the swing or the Hitting Processor.
- High school and college hitters should train grip, back and full-body throws, then plug them into a complete hitter.
Not every gym number shows up in the box.
In a study of 78 college players, bat speed was related to body size, grip strength, back strength and a backward overhead med-ball throw, but not to the 30-meter sprint or standing long jump. Train grip, back and full-body throws, then connect them to the swing, because strength supports the swing but doesn’t replace it.
Train it: Athletic Development Masterclass →Some do. A study of 78 college players shows which ones.
1. What the study found
Researchers measured 78 college baseball players, average age 19.4, and recorded bat speed with a swing sensor. Then they compared it with body size, strength tests, a sprint, a jump and a med-ball throw.
Bat speed was significantly related to four things:
- Body size. Bigger players tended to swing faster.
- Grip strength. The hands are the last link in the chain.
- Back strength. The big muscles that hold posture and transfer force.
- Backward overhead med-ball throw. A full-body, ground-up power throw.
Two things were not related to bat speed: the 30-meter sprint and the standing long jump.
These are relationships, not cause and effect. Stronger players swung faster, but the study didn’t prove that adding strength adds bat speed. Still, it points you to where the gym time should go.
2. What it means in AHD terms
Bat speed isn’t in the arms. It’s built from the ground up: ground, hips, core, then hands. Look at the list again. Back strength holds the posture. A full-body throw trains the chain. Grip delivers it to the bat. That’s the whole chain showing up in the data.
Sprints and jumps still matter. They measure athleticism and lower-body power, which is why our AHD Test Day profile keeps the broad jump and 10-yard sprint. They just aren’t the numbers that track bat speed in this study.
Strength supports the swing. It doesn’t replace it.
78 COLLEGE PLAYERS
GYM NUMBERSTHAT MATTER.
- Grip strength: related.
- Back strength: related.
- Overhead med-ball throw: related.
- Sprint and long jump: not related.
STRENGTH SUPPORTS THE SWING. IT DOESN’T REPLACE IT.
3. Strength is one pillar, not four
Most hitters train one or two pillars. AHD trains all four: The Swing, Strength & Explosiveness, The Hitting Processor and the Mental Approach. Read more on the 4 Pillars of a Complete Hitter.
A strong hitter with a broken swing hits the ball hard, sometimes. A strong hitter who can’t see it, recognize it, time it, decide and attack it swings hard at the wrong pitch. Strength raises the ceiling. The swing and the processor decide whether you reach it.
And strength has to move through good positions. Mechanically Advantaged Angles, like a hip hinge, an athletic front side and bat lag, are how strength becomes bat speed instead of effort.
4. What to train if you’re a high school or college hitter
- GripCarries, hangs and grip holds. Our Test Day hang or chin-up number tracks this.
- Back and posterior chainRows, hinges and pulls done with good posture. This is what holds your setup angles.
- Full-body throwsBackward overhead and rotational med-ball throws for speed. Ground, hips, core, hands.
- Keep athleticismSprints and jumps stay in the program for movement and lower-body power, just not as your bat speed gauge.
- Connect it to the swingAfter a strength block, check swing video and bat speed. Feel vs Real: the number and the video tell the truth.
5. For parents and coaches
This study is college players. For high schoolers, I’d use it as a guide, with good coaching and good form. For younger hitters, age matters more than the lift. See Strength Training for Young Hitters by Age.
Coaches: when you test your team, don’t stop at the 60 time and the vertical. Add a grip test and a med-ball throw. Those are the numbers that tracked bat speed here.
Quick answers
Does grip strength increase bat speed?
In 78 college players, grip strength was related to bat speed. That’s a relationship, not proof that training grip alone adds bat speed.
Do sprinting and jumping improve bat speed?
In this study, the 30-meter sprint and standing long jump were not related to bat speed. They still matter for athleticism and lower-body power.
What strength training should high school hitters do?
Grip work, back and posterior-chain strength and full-body med-ball throws, done with good form and tied back to swing work.
Is strength the most important part of hitting?
No. Strength & Explosiveness is one of the 4 Pillars. It supports the swing, but it doesn’t replace the swing or the Hitting Processor.
Do med-ball throws help bat speed?
In the study of 78 college players, a backward overhead med-ball throw was related to bat speed. It’s a full-body, ground-up power throw that trains the same chain the swing uses: ground, hips, core, then hands. That’s a relationship, not proof, but it shows where gym time should go.
Research: Haruna R et al., “Strength and Conditioning Programs to Increase Bat Swing Velocity for Collegiate Baseball Players,” Sports (Basel) (2023). Findings are from the published abstract; 78 college baseball players and relationships rather than a training study, so applying it to high school hitters and fastpitch softball is coaching judgment.
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
This article is part of the AHD guide Bat Speed & Power Training. Start there for the full picture and every related article.
