The Best Stretches & Mobility Exercises for Baseball Players

If you play baseball – your body is probably tight.

If you ask any baseball player from youth to college if anything hurts, the answer is inevitably yes. Tight shoulders and forearms. Chronically tense lower back. Restricted hips. The list goes on and on.

And justifiably so. Baseball is inherently tough on the body. If we zoom out and look at the game from an outsider's perspective we see:

• Baseball is explosive and repetitive in nature. Pitchers throw the same high-velocity motion hundreds of times, hitters rotate with maximum force, and fielders make the same movement patterns repeatedly.
• Baseball creates significant imbalances. Pitchers and hitters develop asymmetrical patterns from consistently rotating in one direction, creating muscle development and tension on one side more than the other.
• Baseball involves long periods of standing followed by bursts of maximum effort, creating unique patterns of tension in the body.

And yet despite chronic pain, tightness, and restrictions – most baseball players tend to neglect stretch and mobility work.

They're willing to spend extra hours in the cage, throwing bullpens, or in the weight room – but if they spent even 15 minutes per day on mobility work, they'd unlock their body, move and feel better, and enhance their performance.

That's the goal of this article. To cut through the fluff and give you the exact stretches that you can use to improve your mobility so that you can perform your best on the field and feel your best off of it.

The Science Behind Mobility for Baseball Players

Before we dive into specific stretches, it's important to understand why mobility work is so critical for baseball performance and longevity.

Baseball demands a unique combination of explosive power and fine motor control. To generate maximum force in throwing and hitting, your body needs to move through optimal ranges of motion. When mobility is restricted, your body creates compensations that not only limit performance but also increase injury risk.

Research has consistently shown that baseball players develop specific mobility restrictions based on playing position:

• Pitchers typically develop decreased external rotation and increased internal rotation in their throwing shoulder, along with limited thoracic mobility
• Catchers often show restricted hip mobility and tight anterior shoulder structures
• Hitters frequently display asymmetrical hip and trunk rotation capabilities based on their dominant side

These position-specific adaptations, combined with the general tightness that comes from the sport's demands, create a perfect storm for performance limitations and potential injuries.

That's why a targeted mobility program isn't just "nice to have" – it's essential for baseball players who want to perform at their highest level and extend their playing careers.

How to Approach Mobility Training

For optimal results, we recommend baseball players structure their mobility work in three distinct ways:

1. Daily maintenance (5-10 minutes): Hit the key areas that get tight from baseball - shoulders, hips, and thoracic spine
2. Pre-workout/pre-game (8-12 minutes): Dynamic mobility work to prepare the body for performance
3. Post-workout/post-game recovery (10-15 minutes): Deeper, longer holds to release tension and restore range of motion

With that framework in mind, let's dive into the "must do" mobility exercises & stretches for baseball players.

Lower Body Mobility

1. Toes Elevated Ankle Gliders

Target Area: Ankle dorsiflexion Execution: Place your toes up on a foam roller, wall, or dugout bench. Keep your heel on the ground and drive your knee forward toward the toes. Work to increase the range with each rep. Perform 10-12 reps per ankle.

Baseball Transfer: Your ankles might not feel tight (although they likely are) but should still be a priority because optimal ankle mobility has major performance benefits for baseball players. For pitchers, ankle mobility in the drive leg creates a stable base for power generation. For position players, it allows for a quicker first step and better lateral movement when fielding.

This is the most effective stretch we've found to improve ankle mobility. The exercise is simple but extremely effective.

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2. Active/Passive Hamstring Stretch

Target Area: Hamstrings Execution: Lie on your back with a band around one foot. Keeping both legs straight, use the band to pull your leg up to its end range. Hold for 2 seconds, then actively push against the band for 5 seconds. Relax and pull into a deeper stretch. Perform 8-10 cycles per leg.

Baseball Transfer: If you're a baseball player at any level, we know you have tight hamstrings. They don't feel tight? Well, can you touch your toes? Better yet, can you lay on your back and lift a straight leg until it's completely vertical? Working with thousands of baseball players, we know that answer without even asking – and it's probably no.

Hamstring health is essential to baseball players because optimal length not only prevents injuries during sprinting and fielding – but can actually enhance bat speed by allowing for a more complete hip rotation. While performance gains are great, we really emphasize hamstring work because even the slightest tweak can cause players to be off the field for weeks.

This isn't a common stretch, but we've found it insanely effective for baseball players because it creates both an active and passive release. Make sure that you're keeping both legs straight the entire time. If you're feeling a bend at the knee, it means that you've hit your end range. This is the range we're looking to improve.

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3. Couch Stretch

Target Area: Hip flexors and quads Execution: Place one knee in the corner of a wall and couch (or bench), with your shin vertical against the wall. Place your other foot flat on the ground in front of you. Maintain a neutral spine and squeeze your glute on the back leg side. Hold for 1-2 minutes per side.

Baseball Transfer: When it comes to a lower body stretch, this might be the GOAT and should be a stretch that Baseball Players are doing daily.

Sitting all day in class puts athletes in a flexed hip position that leads to chronic tightness through the front of their lower body – specifically the hip flexors and quads. Combine that with explosive rotational movements and you'll immediately start to get pain & tightness.

This stretch undoes that. Called the "Couch Stretch" because you can do it on the back of your couch, this stretch truly opens up the hip flexors and quads and can create instant relief for players. It might seem aggressive, but a 2-minute static hold (even while watching film) can completely release tension - while performing an "active" version (flexing into the stretch) for 10-15 reps can show noticeable improvements in hip mobility.

For pitchers, focus especially on your lead leg hip flexor, which often gets extremely tight from repetitive pitching mechanics.

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4. 90/90 Stretch

Target Area: Hip internal and external rotation Execution: Sit on the floor with one leg bent at 90° in front of you (external rotation) and the other bent at 90° behind you (internal rotation). Keeping your spine tall, lean forward over the front leg to feel a stretch in the hip. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides. Progress to 90/90 Hip Switches and eventually 90/90 Active Flow for more dynamic work.

Baseball Transfer: While most baseball players know hip flexor stretches – they rarely consider hip rotation exercises. The truth is, lacking hip rotation is often one of the most significant contributors to back, hip, and knee pain.

But even more importantly for baseball players – hip rotation is the foundation of both hitting and pitching power. If you can't rotate fully through your hips, you're leaving significant performance gains on the table. 90/90 exercises are the absolute best exercises for improving both internal and external rotation at the hip.

This is a versatile exercise that has dozens of variations – but it's easiest to just start with the basic holds. We call this the "90/90 3 Way Stretch" because we're essentially "hanging out" in three different positions here and trying to sink deeper into each.

While this is more passive, there's also insane value in doing active versions. These involve active mobility and force players to actively reclaim range by pushing against that end range of motion.

They might not seem like much, but these exercises are truly a game changer for hip mobility. Adding these a couple times a week and you'll find noticeable improvement in hip rotation - which translates directly to more power at the plate.

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Core & Trunk Mobility

5. Scorpions

‍Target Area: Lower back and thoracic rotation Execution: Lie face down with arms extended to the sides. Keeping your chest on the ground, bend one knee and rotate your hips to bring that foot toward the opposite hand. Pause briefly at the end range, then return to starting position. Perform 8-10 reps per side.

Baseball Transfer: Let's move up the chain to the low back – the most common culprit of musculoskeletal pain in the world.

Lower back pain isn't just for the 45-year-old office worker, it's a common complaint amongst elite baseball players as well. The rotational demands of baseball put tremendous stress on the lower back, especially for pitchers and hitters.

While understanding low back pain could be an entire book, let's skip the deep dive for today and just say that low back pain is often the result of tight hips, poor core strength, and improper loading/tension.

While baseball players should try to look at why their low back pain is happening, we have an exercise that can immediately release stuck tension – the scorpion stretch.

The release that most baseball players get from this exercise is insane. By keeping your chest on the floor you're forced to create mobility in your lower back. If you then take a couple of seconds to pause at the end of the rep (when your foot is touching your opposite hand) and relax into the stretch, you'll immediately start to feel those muscles release some of that chronic tension.

If you have a tight back from swinging or throwing, this is the one you need to be doing daily.

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6. Banded Lat Stretch

Target Area: Latissimus dorsi and side body Execution: Secure a resistance band to a high point. Grasp the band with one hand and step away to create tension. Kneel or sit with the band arm extended overhead. Sink your hips away from the band to create a stretch through the entire side of your body. Take deep breaths to enhance the stretch. Hold for 30-45 seconds per side.

Baseball Transfer: Let's continue to focus on the back with the next few exercises.

The lats (latissimus dorsi) are both the powerhouse and the workhorse muscle of the upper body. For baseball players, the lats play a crucial role in both the throwing and hitting motions. They're one of the primary muscles that transfers power from your lower body to your arms.

Because of the amount of workload put on the lats, they often hold a ton of tension. This often leads to them getting tight, short, and restricted and can wreak havoc on literally the entire upper body.

The funny thing is, most baseball players don't realize just how tight their lats are until they try this stretch. Then they get obsessed with it.

To get setup, we loop the band as high as possible and aim to create a "pull" through our entire side body by sinking our hips in the other direction. While we're here we really want to expand and open our rib cage – so we encourage players to take deep breaths.

When baseball players use this side body stretch after a practice or game they typically feel their entire upper body release. It's worth it.

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7. Banded Lat Stretch with Rotation

Target Area: Lats with rotational component Execution: Begin in the same position as the standard banded lat stretch. Once you've established tension in the lat, slowly rotate your torso by reaching as far as you can under your body & the rotation your chest open as much as you can. This is the same motion as a t-spine rotation/moose antler exercise (it's easier to understand via video than coaching cues)!

Baseball Transfer: This variation builds on the previous stretch but adds a critical component for baseball players – rotation.

By adding this rotational component, we're now working through multiple planes of motion and specifically targeting the patterns that baseball players need for throwing and hitting.

For baseball players, this creates a stretch that more closely mimics the actual demands of the sport and can help unlock power in both hitting and throwing motions.

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Upper Body Mobility

8. T-Spine Extensions

Target Area: Thoracic spine Execution: Lie face-up with a foam roller placed under your mid-back (not lower back). Support your head with your hands and extend backward over the roller. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then move the roller slightly higher and repeat. Work from the mid-back to the upper back.

Baseball Transfer: With the structural demands that throwing puts on the body, a lot of players get tight through both the shoulder and upper back.

Baseball Players are almost always tight and restricted through their thoracic spine region (often called the "t-spine" and making up the upper portion of their back). Not only does this affect performance by reducing the capacity for rotation and arm extension, but it also leads to further poor postures and movement limitations through the upper body.

This exercise creates extension through that upper back and stretches the various muscles that hold chronic tension through this region. Baseball Players love this stretch because they rarely enter t-spine extension and thus these are muscles that are rarely stretched.

This can easily be done at home with a baseball bat or PVC pipe off of your bed/couch. Make sure this isn't just being pushed into the lower back and that you're intentionally creating that extension through your upper back.

After a long day of practice, this exercise feels absolutely incredible.

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9. Side Lying Book Openers

Target Area: Thoracic rotation Execution: Lie on your side with knees bent at 90° and arms extended in front of you. Keeping your knees together and on the ground, rotate your top arm toward the ceiling and all the way to the opposite side of your body. Follow the movement with your head and eyes. Hold for 2 seconds at end range, then return to start. Perform 10-12 reps per side.

Baseball Transfer: Every baseball player wants to throw harder and hit with more power, but most miss the critical importance of thoracic rotation.

What's that mean? You can stretch your way to throwing harder and hitting with more power.

Not only can releasing the upper back and improving rotation lead to better mechanics, but it's also a phenomenal way to improve spinal health and release tight musculature that's causing tension and pain throughout the upper body.

This is our favorite exercise for both.

Here, we really want to emphasize the importance of rotating in our upper back by keeping our knee down on the ground and squeezing our abs to reduce using our lower back to find extra mobility.

For baseball players, the ability to separate the upper and lower body during rotation is essential for generating maximum power in both hitting and throwing.

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10. Wall Slides & Wall Slide to Raises

Target Area: Shoulder mobility and scapular control Execution: Stand with your back against a wall, elbows bent at 90° and backs of hands touching the wall. Slowly slide your arms upward while maintaining contact with the wall. For the advanced version, add a forward raise at the top by stepping away from the wall and raising your arms forward. Perform 10-12 reps with a brief hold at the top position.

Baseball Transfer: If there's one area baseball players need to keep healthy, it's their shoulders.

Wall slides help to improve scapular movement and overhead shoulder mobility, which is crucial for a healthy throwing motion. By working through proper overhead patterns, you can help prevent the shoulder impingement and rotator cuff issues that plague so many baseball players.

The beauty of this exercise is that it combines mobility work with proper movement patterning - teaching your body how to move correctly while simultaneously stretching tight muscles.

For pitchers especially, this is a daily must-do.

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11. Pec T Stretch

Target Area: Pectoralis major and minor Execution: Two ways to do this. We generally prefer the version in the video, where you're laying flat on your front, with one arm out to the side you push up with the other arm, creating a big stretch across your entire arm. Another popular version it to stand in a doorway with your arm at 90° (forming a "T" position) and elbow bent. Place your forearm against the doorframe. Step forward slightly with the opposite leg and rotate your torso away from the anchored arm until you feel a stretch across the chest. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides. Can be done actively by pressing into the doorframe for 5 seconds, then relaxing into a deeper stretch.

Baseball Transfer: If we work with 10 baseball players, we'll see 9 that have tight pecs and restrictions through the front of the shoulders that create the classic forward rounded shoulder position.

Part of this can be attributed to so much sitting and poor postures, but it's compounded by the inherent movements of baseball - especially for catchers who spend hours in a crouch and for all players who tend to develop anterior tightness from throwing.

A large portion of this chronic tension, tightness, and restriction through the front of the body can be released by releasing the pecs.

We love this exercise because it's an opportunity to really create release through both the pec major and minor along with through the front of the shoulder (you'll feel the stretch with wherever you're tightest).

You can use this stretch either actively (pushing up & holding for 4-5 seconds) or more passively (hold for 20s).

For baseball players, this can be a game-changer for shoulder health and throwing mechanics.

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12. Banded Shoulder Dislocators

Target Area: Shoulder mobility and anterior shoulder Execution: Hold a resistance band with both hands, slightly wider than shoulder width. Start with the band in front of your hips. Keeping arms straight, raise the band overhead and all the way behind your back, then return to the starting position in one continuous motion. Start with a wider grip and gradually move hands closer as mobility improves. Perform 10-12 slow, controlled reps.

Baseball Transfer: This might have an intimidating name, but when it comes to shoulder mobility for baseball players – it truly remains undefeated.

Baseball players get tight anteriorly through the pecs and delts, and the shoulder dislocator creates a stretch through that exact region. While you can do this with a broom or PVC pipe, we actually like the banded variation the best to give players the ability to change tension as they go through the movement.

You'll typically feel this wherever you're tightest. For some players that'll be through the chest and pecs, for others it'll be the shoulders. Just make sure you're going slow and controlled through the entire range.

Start with your hands further apart and then gradually move them inwards to increase the stretch – eventually you should be able to do this with a reasonably narrow grip comfortably.

For baseball players, this directly improves your ability to get your arm into proper positions for throwing, reducing strain on the elbow and shoulder.

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13. Forearm Flexor/Extensor Stretches

Target Area: Forearm flexors and extensors Execution: For flexors (palm up): Extend your arm in front of you, palm facing up. With your opposite hand, gently pull your fingers and hand back toward your body until you feel a stretch in the forearm. For extensors (palm down): Same position but with palm facing down, gently pull fingers toward the floor. Hold each for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times per arm.

Baseball Transfer: Baseball puts tremendous strain on the forearms, wrists, and elbows. From gripping the ball to the violent acceleration and deceleration of the arm during throwing, these smaller muscles take a beating.

Simple forearm stretches can make a massive difference in how your arm feels and performs. We recommend stretching both the flexors (palm up, gently pull fingers back) and extensors (palm down, gently pull fingers down).

These simple stretches can help prevent common issues like tendinitis and improve grip strength and feel for the baseball.

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14. 1 Arm Trap Raise to Swimmer Holders

Target Area: Integrated shoulder mobility Execution: Start on all fours or kneeling. Raise one arm with palm facing up, reaching as high as possible overhead. Then reach behind your back, attempting to touch your opposite shoulder blade. Finally, bring your elbow down toward the ground while maintaining the hand position, creating rotation through the upper back. Flow through these positions for 8-10 reps per side.

Baseball Transfer: Let's consider this a bonus stretch, but if you're doing it right it can be a massive pay off for improving your upper body mobility and throwing mechanics.

This combines both scapular control and shoulder mobility into one exercise.

You should start by lifting your palm to the sky and aiming to create as much range as possible overhead. Then you should reach behind you and try to touch your opposite shoulder (intentionally pushing your hand down your body to create extra range). Then you rotate through the upper back by taking your elbow down to the floor.

This is one that we include in all of our baseball player's programs because it's insanely effective in challenging multiple ranges of motion demands that baseball players need on the field.

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Implementing Mobility Work: Your Action Plan

Now that we've given you the 14 most effective mobility exercises for baseball players, let's talk about how to implement them effectively:

Pre-Game/Pre-Practice Mobility (8-10 minutes)

Focus on dynamic versions of these exercises with less time in each position:

• Ankle Gliders: 8 reps per side
• Active Hamstring Stretch: 6 reps per side
• 90/90 Hip Switches: 8 per side
• T-Spine Extensions: 8 reps
• Side Lying Book Openers: 8 per side
• Wall Slides: 10 reps
• Banded Shoulder Dislocators: 10 reps

Post-Game/Post-Practice Recovery (10-15 minutes)

Focus on longer holds and deeper stretches:

• Couch Stretch: 90 seconds per side
• Banded Lat Stretch: 45 seconds per side
• Banded Lat Stretch with Rotation: 30 seconds in rotated position, each side
• Pec T Stretch: 30 seconds per side
• Forearm Stretches: 30 seconds each direction, each arm

Off-Day Complete Mobility Routine (15-20 minutes)

Perform all 14 exercises with moderate holds and controlled movement

In Conclusion

After working with hundreds, if not thousands of baseball players – these are the exercises and stretches we routinely have baseball players tell us are game changers for their body.

Sometimes it's releasing tension, tightness, or restrictions. Sometimes it's just improving range of motion so that you can optimize your mechanics on the field. But either way, all baseball players should have some sort of mobility routine in their daily life.

We've not only built mobility into each one of our Relentless Baseball workouts, but we also give players the exact routines they should be following 2-3 times per week to improve their range of motion and movements.

That's why we created the Relentless Off-Season program – to give baseball players the exact playbook they need to enhance their mobility, build strength that transfers to the field, and develop explosive power for throwing and hitting.

It doesn't take much, but it does require action. So we encourage you to either do these stretches right now or create a list that you can follow & commit to yourself that you'll tackle them before bed.

Get stretching & get relentless!

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Frequently Asked Stretching Questions for Baseball Players

Want to learn more about stretching, mobility, and baseball? We've compiled answers to the most common questions we receive from players about mobility work.

What are the most important stretches for baseball players?

Let's screenshot this so you have the complete list on your phone:

1. Couch Stretch - For tight hip flexors from batting stance
2. 90/90 Stretch - For hip rotation essential in throwing and hitting
3. Banded Lat Stretch - For the powerhouse muscles of throwing
4. Pec T Stretch - For anterior shoulder tightness from throwing
5. T-Spine Extensions - For upper back mobility critical for arm slot
6. Side Lying Book Openers - For rotational power in hitting and throwing
7. Forearm Flexor/Extensor Stretches - For arm health and grip strength
8. Banded Shoulder Dislocators - For shoulder health and throwing mechanics
9. Scorpions - For lower back relief and rotational mobility

When should baseball players stretch?

Baseball players should use stretching and mobility exercises in four different ways:

1. Pre-Practice/Game Warm-Ups – These should be dynamic mobility exercises specifically used to improve range of motion and prepare the body for performance. Focus on movement rather than static holds.
2. During Practice – Between batting practice rounds or fielding drills, utilize "micro-mobility" moments to maintain quality movement. For example, do a quick set of shoulder dislocators between bullpen pitches or banded rotations between BP rounds.
3. Post-Practice/Game – This is prime time for deeper stretching. Your muscles are warm and your nervous system is more receptive to mobility work. Take advantage of this window by holding stretches longer (30-60 seconds) and focusing on areas that feel particularly tight from that day's activities.
4. Off-Day Dedicated Mobility – All of our programs include a guide of mobility workouts that players should do on off-days or separate from practice/games. While players can use "active recovery workouts" with bands and mobility work, you can also just do lower-key mobility stretches and foam rolling while watching a movie or game. Even 15 minutes makes a difference.

Should you do static stretching before playing baseball?

Static stretching is better after baseball than before.

Research has found that prolonged static stretching before explosive activities can temporarily reduce power output. Instead, we recommend dynamic mobility exercises that move through ranges of motion without long holds for pre-game/practice.

Save your static stretching (holds of 30+ seconds) for post-game or off-days when you can take advantage of warm, fatigued muscles. This approach allows you to truly relax into stretches and create that "slow down effect" that helps you release tension more effectively.

For pre-game, focus on movement preparation and dynamic mobility work that prepares the body for the specific demands of baseball.

Do you need flexibility for baseball?

Baseball players absolutely need flexibility to optimize their mechanics and prevent injury.

Often when we start working with a baseball player, they'll be surprised at the amount of mobility work in our programs. They know they should be stretching more for their health, but don't understand the role flexibility has in their performance.

After 1-2 weeks of consistent mobility work, players typically notice they feel better and have less chronic pain/tightness. Then after 3-4 weeks, they start to comment on how their throwing motion feels smoother and their swing feels more connected.

Improving mobility leads to:

• Increased rotational power in hitting
• More efficient arm path in throwing
• Better deceleration in the follow-through phase
• Improved fielding mechanics and range
• Enhanced recovery between games

It sounds like an exaggeration, but we've seen dozens of players "stretch" their way to throwing harder and hitting with more power. The key is consistency in your mobility work.

How long should baseball players hold each stretch?

It depends on your goal and timing:

• Pre-game/practice: 5-10 seconds per position, moving dynamically
• Post-game/practice: 30-45 seconds per stretch
• Off-days or recovery sessions: 45-90 seconds for deeper tissue change

For baseball-specific problem areas (shoulders, scapular region, and hips), longer holds of 1-2 minutes can create more lasting changes in tissue quality.

How often should baseball players do mobility work?

For optimal results, we recommend:

• Daily maintenance (5-10 minutes hitting key areas)
• Pre-workout/pre-game mobility routine (8-12 minutes)
• Post-workout/post-game stretching (10-15 minutes)
• 2-3 dedicated mobility sessions per week (15-20 minutes)

Remember, consistency matters more than duration. A 10-minute daily routine will yield better results than a single 60-minute session once a week.

For a more comprehensive approach to baseball-specific mobility, check out our Relentless Off-Season program, which integrates these exercises into a complete baseball development system.

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