Baseball speed and arm care drills
First-step starts, timed runs to first base, leads and a band routine to warm up the arm.
How coaches assign drills- 3 drills
- All with no partner needed
- Every drill has a video clip
- 8–15 minutes each
3 baseball speed and arm care drills
Conditioning3:44Band Arm Care Routine
FixesThrowing hard with a cold arm
- 8 min
- Ages 10–18
About 8 minutes before every throwing session
Conditioning0:37First-Step Starts and Home-to-First
FixesA slow first step and slowing down before the bag
- 15 min
- Ages 8–18
6 starts and 4 home-to-first runs, 2 days a week
Conditioning1:22Dynamic Throwing Warm-Up
FixesCold, stiff arms on the first throws of the day
- 10 min
- Ages 8–18
About 10 minutes before every practice, game or throwing session
How to use these baseball speed and arm care drills
What these baseball speed and arm care drills cover
- Getting out of the box and around the bases faster.
- Keeping the throwing arm healthy through a long season.
Speed work at home
- All it takes is a flat stretch of grass and a phone stopwatch.
- Short starts from a half-kneel train a low, explosive first three steps.
- Timed runs to a line 60 feet away give a Little League player a home-to-first number to beat. On a 90-foot field, time the full distance.
- Rest a full minute between sprints so every run is at full speed.
Leads and steals
- For players in leagues that allow leading off: practice a primary lead, the shuffle into a secondary lead and the crossover step to steal.
Arm care: the band routine
- About eight minutes of light resistance band work: flies, rotations, rows and slow throwing motions.
- Do it before every throwing, pitching or catching session.
- Use a light band (a youth band for players 12 and under), do 10 to 15 slow reps of each exercise and stop if anything hurts.
- It pairs with the throwing drills and pitching drills.
Baseball speed and arm care drills FAQ
How can baseball players get faster home to first?
Work on the first three steps. From a half-kneel, sprint 10 yards, three on each side. Then time full runs to first base, driving off the back foot out of the box and running through the bag without slowing down. Rest a full minute between sprints.
When can youth baseball players take a lead?
In Little League Majors and younger divisions, runners cannot leave the base until the pitch reaches the batter. Leading off starts in the 50/70 Intermediate division and in most 13U and older leagues. Check your league's rules before practicing leads with younger players.
How do you practice leads and steals at home?
Put down a base or a towel. Take a primary lead with shuffle steps, weight on the balls of the feet, then practice the crossover step toward second on a clap. Add a dive back to the bag on a second signal. Keep reps short and fast.
What arm care should baseball players do before throwing?
A light resistance band routine of about eight minutes: forward and reverse flies, external and internal rotation, rows and slow throwing motions, 10–15 reps each. Do it before every throwing session, then start catch close and back up.
More baseball drills by skill
- Baseball hitting drills8 drills
Tee work and soft toss for a short, balanced swing that stays through the ball. Most of these need a tee, a net and a bucket of balls.
- Baseball fielding drills8 drills
Ground balls off a wall, short hops, quick transfers and fly ball footwork. A glove, a wall and a few tennis balls cover most of it.
- Baseball throwing drills4 drills
Arm path, footwork and accuracy work, from the towel drill in the living room to playing catch with a target.
- Baseball pitching drills4 drills
Overhand pitching mechanics and strike throwing into a net or to a parent catcher, with pitch counts that follow Pitch Smart.
- Baseball catcher drills4 drills
Blocking, receiving and footwork for youth catchers, most of it with a wall and a bucket of tennis balls.
Assign baseball drills to your team
Use the drills in this library or make your own. Coaches assign them as homework between practices, and players open each drill on their phone, do it and check in when they finish.
Get the Bravara app- 01
Pick drills or make your own
Start from the baseball drills in this library, copy one and change it, or write your own with steps, a YouTube video, your own photos and videos or a link to read. Then assign it to the whole team or to certain players and set how many days a week.
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Players do them at home
Players open the drill on their phone, watch the video or read the steps, do the drill and check in when they finish. They can upload a video of their work too.
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Players log a result
A drill can have one result to track, like strikes out of 30. Results stay private to the player and their family, and players earn XP and levels as they keep checking in.
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The coach sees who did it
Coaches see who has checked in on each drill and can react or reply to a player's check-in.
Assign baseball speed and arm care drills with Bravara Reps
Coaches assign drills to the team or to certain players. Players check in from home, log a result and earn XP as they go.
