The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of six weeks of trunk-specific medicine ball training on instantaneous bat velocity in high school baseball players. This study served to establish whether or not medicine ball training has a value as a sport-specific training technique, as well as to add to the limited body of research examining the best way to prepare athletes for the highly sport-specific demands of baseball. The results of this study may also have applications in other sports that are largely rotational in nature, such as softball, golf, and tennis. This study also tested whether or not the medicine ball training program used increased the strength of the trunk muscles in the population examined. This study will be most applicable to high school age males who participate in baseball. The subjects in this study ranged from ages 14 to 18, a stage of development in which a significant amount of physical, mental, and neurological maturation is still taking place. Further, the skill level of many of these subjects is still developing pronouncedly, and is more focused on increasing the general skill base of the athlete, and less of refinement of particular aspects of skills.
