Baseball training devices, systems and methods

A training bat for improving an athlete's swing comprising a barrel, a handle and a knob;

• wherein the handle has a distal ends attached to the barrel and tapers inward toward its proximal end;
• wherein the knob is located at the proximal end of the handle;
• wherein the barrel is cylindrical and has a wall at its proximal end where it is attached to the handle and an opening at its distal end;
• and,
• wherein the barrel houses one or more balls and its opening has an interior lip that prevents the one or more balls from exiting the opening unless a predetermined minimum amount of centrifugal force is applied to the ball.

A method for improving a baseball batter's swing comprising:

• providing a training bat having a barrel, a handle and a knob;
• wherein the handle has a distal ends attached to the barrel and tapers inward toward its proximal end;
• wherein the knob is located at the proximal end of the handle;
• wherein the barrel is cylindrical and has a wall at its proximal end where it is attached to the handle and an opening at its distal end;
• and wherein the barrel houses one or more balls and its opening has an interior lip that prevents the one or more balls from exiting the opening unless a predetermined minimum amount of centrifugal force is applied to the ball;
• gripping the training bat by the handle such that the knob is proximal to the batter and the barrel is distal to the batter;
• swinging the training bat to apply sufficient centrifugal force to cause one of the one or more balls to exit the barrel at a predetermined point in the batter's swing;
• repeating the step of swinging the training bat, adjusting the form of the swing if necessary, until the batter causes the one or more balls to exit the barrel at the predetermined point in the swing on a substantially consistent basis.

A training ball for improving an athlete's throw comprising;

• a standard size baseball having a first opening and a second opening on opposite sides of the ball;
• a rod extending through the center of the ball and having a first end protruding from the first opening and a second end protruding from the second opening;
• a first end cap at the first end of the rod having a width sufficient to prevent it from entering the opening from which the first end protrudes;
• a second end cap at the second end of the rod having a with sufficient to prevent it from entering the opening from which the second end protrudes;
• wherein the rod slidingly translates between a first position where the first end cap abuts the against the ball and a second position where the second end cap abuts against the ball.