Rebel's Rack

Since starting to work with the baseball team at Ohio University, I have been introduced to one of the most simple, yet effective tools I have seen. It is called the Rebels Rack. It is made by Baseball Rebellion.

The point of this tool is to help hitters create the most efficient “turns” possible. The hitter puts the red metal bar across their chest, and then goes through their load, stops at separation, and then the construction of the bar forces them to create an efficient turn.

Our hitters use this almost everyday to warm up. Other hitters will use it more than others. Or even more on certain days when they want to feel a good turn if their swing doesn't feel connected. We have different drills that players can do with the rack as well.

Rebels Rack comes with an attachment called the bat rack. We can attach this to the rebels rack and this acts as an extension that represents the bat. The hitter then goes through his load like normal and then can stop at separation, or go through a “swing” at normal speed. At this point a coach will flip him the ball and the player must make an effective turn and hit the ball with the attachment on the end of the rack.

We also use the racks with resistance as well. A good drill is to tie resistance bands to one end of the rack and then tie the other end of the band to a net or a wall. The player can then go through their turns. This added resistance really helps the player feel a correct and efficient turn, while engaging the core muscles associated with that particular movement. The Rebels Rack is so popular with our players that is used in the on deck circle during scrimmages/games.(video below shows both turns with and without resistance bands).

There are countless drills you can do with this tool. One that I believe may go overlooked is training your timing with your turn while hitting. A simple drill to help with this is by having the player set up by home plate like normal, and then having a coach throw a pitch to the player. It is just like an at bat, but instead of swinging an actual bat, the player is just using the rack to time their “turn”. This can help with timing the start of the kinetic chain. Also in the video below, notice the second swing. This represents staying back and adjusting to an off speed pitch. When you are able to create a good turn, you can afford to be beat sometimes. Even if the pitcher fools you, or you're not on time, having an efficient way to be direct to the ball and have your body in a good position will still allow you to make solid contact.

The pitching staff at Ohio University has also found a way to use the rebels rack to improve pitching mechanics. They have a pitcher start from the stretch and then pause when the foot lands. By using the rack, the pitcher can put an emphasis on feeling separation of the shoulder and hip. (see video).

Baseball Rebellion has created a simple but very effective training tool for players of any age level. I think there are many benefits that come with using.The Ohio University coaches have done a great job of implementing this in our hitters'(and pitchers) daily routine.

For more information/videos on Baseball Rebellion click here