Top 5 Medicine Ball Exercises for High School Catchers (That You Can Do By Yourself)

If you're a high school catcher looking for ways to improve your strength, endurance, and throwing power, then consider incorporating medicine ball workouts into your training routine. Medicine balls are a simple and effective tool for building core strength, improving coordination, and increasing power output.

If you don’t know who I am, my name is Anj Bourgeois and I’m the founder of Catching Made Simple. I transitioned from infield to catcher my Junior year of college, having never caught before, and now have a passion for teaching other catchers the fundamentals of the game.

I’ve helped hundreds of catchers get into a better stance, learn the fundamentals of the game, and understand where they are at as a catcher.

By the end of this article, you’ll know Anj’s top 5 medicine ball exercises for catchers you can do by yourself, take a closer look at the benefits of medicine ball workouts, and how you can incorporate workouts into your training.

Top 5 Medicine Ball Exercises for High School Catchers (That You Can Do By Yourself)

1. Rotational Slams

Why they’re good: Rotational slams are a great exercise for building rotational power and improving core strength.

How to do it: To do this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball with both hands. Rotate your body to the right and lift the medicine ball above your head. As you bring the ball down, slam it onto the ground and catch it on the rebound.

How many times: Repeat the exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

2. Knee Up and Throw Footwork

Why they’re good: Knee up and throw footwork is a great exercise for improving footwork and conditioning.

How to do it: To do this exercise, start on your knees with your toes untucked and your laces from your shoes on the ground. Hop up and then go back down, then hop up again and go back down.

How many times: Repeat for 3 sets of 5-10 reps.

3. Weighted Duck Walks

Why they’re good: Weighted duck walks are a great exercise for building leg strength and improving coordination.

How to do it: To do this exercise, hold a medicine ball and walk forward, bringing your knee down to the ground with each step. Repeat for the desired distance, then switch directions.

You can also do a variation of this exercise where you walk sideways with the ball.

How many times: Repeat for 3 sets of 20 yards down and back.

4. Keg Tosses

Why they’re good: Keg tosses are a great exercise for building explosive power and improving coordination.

How to do it: To do this exercise, hold a medicine ball with both hands and toss it into the air. Catch the ball on the rebound.

How many times: Repeat for 3 sets of 5-10 throws.

5. Scissor Chops

Why they’re good: Scissor chops are a great exercise for building rotational power and improving core strength.

How to do it: To do this exercise, stagger your feet and move the medicine ball back and forth through your core.

How many times: Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

The Benefits of Medicine Ball Workouts for Catchers

In addition to the specific benefits of the top five exercises listed above, medicine ball workouts can also help catchers improve their core strength, throwing power, and endurance.

By incorporating medicine ball exercises into your training routine, you can build the strength and coordination necessary to perform at a high level on the field.

How to Incorporate Medicine Ball Workouts into Your Training

When incorporating medicine ball workouts into your training routine, it's important to consider frequency, duration, and safety considerations.

Start with a few exercises that target specific areas of weakness (the 5 above are a great spot to start), and gradually increase the number of exercises and reps as you progress.

Next Steps to Becoming a Stronger Catcher

You came wondering how to use a medicine ball to become a stronger catcher.

Now you know my top 5 medicine ball exercises that I incorporate into my training and coaching to build stronger catchers.

At Catching Made Simple, I create content, courses, and coaching programs to help thousands of catchers increase their mobility, strengthen their mental game, and develop the physical skills they need to catch at a high level.

Book a call for a free 15 minute Catching Consultation with Anj if you want to get an expert take on what you need to do to get better.

And if you’re not yet ready to talk with me, check out these other resources:

• 7-Day Stance Challenge to get a stance like the pros in 5 min a day
• Take the Catching Scorecard to see where you stack up as a catcher