Introduction

The two major skill components of baseball are throwing and hitting.  These movements primarily rely on generating a large amount of power and are rotational in nature.  Thus, players must properly sequence the transfer of energy from their legs to their torso and arms to execute these movements properly and with maximum power.  In addition, due to the repetitive nature of throwing, overuse injuries to the shoulder and elbow are often a concern (5).  Altogether, the strength programs of baseball players should focus on general athletic performance (i.e., strength, power, and speed), rotational power production, and decrease the risk of injury to common sites such as the shoulder.  

Flywheel training overview

Flywheel training has increased in popularity over the last decade in the MLB.  Flywheel training provides athletes with roughly a 1:1 ratio (concentric:eccentric) of resistive load.  Meaning, the energy that is applied by your athletes in the concentric (upward) phase is also applied equally in the eccentric (downward) phase.  When we compare the force to traditional training, FRT can yield similar outputs concentrically, yet much greater outputs eccentrically (1).  In addition, Exerfly's Motorized Technology gives you the ability to boost the eccentric repetition up to 80% greater than the concentric repetition, which challenges the athletes with even greater eccentric demands in comparison to traditional resistance training and non-motorized flywheel training.  

Flywheel training in baseball

Flywheel training has previously been shown to have dramatic increases on strength, power, and speed across all types of athletes through compound movements such as squats and split squats (see video below)  (1).  Although there are quite a few physiological mechanisms at play, the most prominent factors that influence these changes likely stem from improved utilization of the stretch shortening cycle, neuro factors, and favorable changes in hypertrophy (9).  

Deceleration

A very important and highly sought-after training adaptation that coaches utilize flywheel training for is its ability to improve an athlete’s capacity to decelerate (7).  A player's deceleration ability can affect their performance when fielding or cutting back to a base, and it also plays a critical role in pitching and hitting  (8).  For instance, pitchers must decelerate on their lead leg and immediately accelerate by extending their knee.  Pitchers who lack the ability to decelerate or absorb eccentric force may continue flexing the knee (i.e., collapsing front knee) or be limited in their knee extension, which can lead to a loss of energy and throwing velocity (8).  

Flywheel training does an exceptional job of training deceleration, as well as the transfer of force from eccentric to concentric, by forcing an athlete to absorb high eccentric loads (decelerate) and quickly transition into a concentric movement (accelerating the flywheel).  Furthermore, with the addition of Exerfly’s motorized technology, it provides a unique ability to recreate similar eccentric forces at game-like speeds.  Josh Seligman (former Head Strength Coach for the Brewers) highlights in the video below how motorized flywheel training can effectively develop deceleration ability, throwing mechanics and speed.

‍Rotational Power

Flywheel training is an amazing tool to increase rotational power with exercises such as trunk rotations or chops (see video below).  Exerfly’s equipment allows you to move higher forces with high speeds and is durable enough to withstand the impact of this movement unlike cable units.  Performing movements like trunk rotations with higher velocities on cable units can be challenging as the cable can jump, disconnect, or break away from the pully.  In addition, there can be a large lag time from concentric to eccentric and limited eccentric load at high speeds.  These issues do not persist with flywheel training, as the transition from concentric to eccentric is immediate regardless of speed and the eccentric load is proportional to the concentric load.  Both of these factors could contribute to improvements in the stretch shortening cycle and power production. In addition, these movements can strengthen the transfer of energy from their legs to their torso and arms, which is pinnacle when it comes to hitting and throwing (3).  Although the research is limited, the incorporation of rotational based flywheel exercises (2x per week, 3 sets, 6 – 8 reps) has previously been shown to increase rotational medicine ball throwing speed by 9.5 - 10% among tennis players following a 8 week flywheel training program (2).

Shoulder Health and Performance

Another way many pro coaches are incorporating flywheel training into their program is to improve their athlete shoulder health.  Shoulder external and internal rotations are great exercises to increase your athletes shoulder stability, strength, and performance (see video).  External and internal rotation weakness is one of the leading risk factors for overuse shoulder injuries (4), making them cornerstone exercises for all throwing athletes.  

The incorporation of flywheel shoulder exercises into a training program (see program below) has previously been shown to increase throwing speed by 6% and shoulder thickness by 22% following a 6 wk training block (6).  Flywheel training can be a superior way to perform shoulder exercises compared to bands or traditional resistance (i.e., dumbbells) due to  

1. Its ability to provide a large eccentric stimulus, which can accelerate strength gains, hypertrophy, and increase overall stability (1).  

2. Flywheel training is much easier to progressively overload than bands which can be accomplished by adding additional wheels or monitoring/targeting specific outputs (i.e. velocity/power zones or thresholds)  

3. Unlike traditional resistance, flywheel training offers zero gravitational dead spot, meaning resistance is continuously applied through the entire exercise/range of motion (Figure 1)

Conclusion

In conclusion, flywheel training can be a versatile tool to enhance performance and prevent injury.   The unique stimulus of creating high concentric and eccentric forces with fast speeds makes flywheel training an extremely effective way to build strength, deceleration ability, and rotational power which likely can lead to faster bat speed.  Additionally, its ability to improve shoulder stability and throwing speed makes it a valuable tool for any baseball specific strength program.   For more information or to request a demo, please contact us here today.  

References

1. Buonsenso, A, Centorbi, M, Iuliano, E, et al. A Systematic review of flywheel training effectiveness and application on sport specific performances. Sports 11: 76, 2023.

2. Canós, J, Corbi, F, Colomar, J, and Baiget, E. Performance outcomes following isoinertial or machine-based training interventions in female junior tennis players. Int J Sport Psychol 18: 123–134, 2023.

3. Howenstein, J, Kipp, K, and Sabick, MB. Energy flow analysis to investigate youth pitching velocity and efficiency. Med Sci Sports Exerc 51: 523–531, 2019.

4. Intelangelo, L, Lassaga, I, Gonzalo, E, et al. Is strength the main risk factor of overuse shoulder injuries? A cohort study of 296 amateur overhead athletes. Sports Health 19417381241298287, 2024.

5. Ishikawa, H, Cushman, DM, Tashjian, RZ, and Chalmers, PN. Examining the prevalence of sports-related injuries in collegiate baseball players. Orthop J Sports Med 13, 2025.

6. Maroto-Izquierdo, S, McBride, JM, Gonzalez-Diez, N, et al. Comparison of flywheel and pneumatic training on hypertrophy, strength, and power in professional handball players. Res Q Exerc Sport 93: 1–15, 2022.

7. Perna, P, De Keijzer, KL, and Beato, M. Flywheel resistance training in football: a useful rehabilitation tool for practitioners. Front Sports Act Living 6: 1434995, 2024.

8. Perrett, CS. The contribution of lower-body kinematics to pitching and hitting performance in baseball: utilizing the OpenBiomechanics Project. J Appl Biomech 40: 98–104, 2024.

9. Petré, H, Wernstål, F, and Mattsson, CM. Effects of flywheel training on strength-related variables: a meta-analysis. Sports Med - Open 4: 55, 2018.