Baseball is a game of speed, coordination and power in which players must develop to hit home runs and be the first to reach a base before getting tagged out. The sport does not require players to do continuous activity over an extended period of time, like basketball and soccer. Baseball players must develop mobility and stability of the entire body first before developing speed, strength and power to prevent injuries and maximize performance.
Stability and Mobility
According to physical therapist Gray Cook, stability and mobility training must precede any speed, power or strength training because they are the foundations to all human movement. Stability is the ability to control movement while mobility refers to the freedom of movement. Both systems work hand-in-hand to provide quality movement and a baseline for strength, power, speed and endurance. Without a strong foundation, players cannot throw a fast pitch, sprint fast or hit a home run.
Stability and mobility training include core training (muscles in the trunk and hips), left-right asymmetry training and balance training.
Significance
Strength training enables players to have strong and stable joints to prevent tears in the tendon, ligaments and muscles. It also causes muscle fibers to grow, which increases their fat-burning potential, blood flow, oxygen delivery and waste removal rate. Muscular strength makes the fibers resistance to fatigue and injury.
Speed is how much distance players can cover over a period of time. It also requires them to be able to change directions quickly, which means players have to decelerate quickly before changing directions and accelerate quickly in the new direction.
Types of Strength Training
According to Vern Gambetta, director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, there are three types of strength that are applied to athletics: general, transitional, and specific.
General strength develops the fundamentals of movement, such as squatting, pushing, pulling and rotating. This level of training focuses on how much force players are exerting to perform the exercise, and does not mimic any baseball skills. Traditional weight-lifting with free weights, standing cable machines and body weight are some of the methods used at this level.
Transitional strength transfers general strength level into specific strength. The exercises done here are similar to sport movements. Medicine ball throws, resistance band training and jump roping are some of the methods used at this level.
Specific strength is characterized by movements that imitates a baseball drill, such as pitching, sprinting, swinging and sliding. This level of training requires high demand of speed, technique and coordination.
Sample Speed Training
There are numerous ways to train for speed in baseball. Two common methods are jumping rope and box drills.
Jumping rope develops a foundation of speed, muscular endurance, and rhythm while maintaining good posture and core stability. Players can jump in various positions, such as having their feet together, shoulder-width apart or one foot in front of another.
One basic box drill is players doing different movement patterns every time they change directions within the box. In the box there are four cones. Players sprint to the first cone, shuffle sideways to the second, jog backwards to the third and shuffle to the opposite direction to the last cone. The distance between the cones should resemble the distance in a baseball diamond.
Expert Insight
All baseball players should have a coach, athletic trainer, or qualified fitness professional to help them with designing a customized exercise program to prevent injuries and increase their performance and foundations. Training frequency depends on the experience level of the athletes, which can be three times a week for beginners or once a week for seasoned players.
References
- 'Baseball Part 1: Developing Maximum Power in Your Client's Swing During Off-Season"; Chris Pearson; 2002
- "Athletic Body in Balance"; Gray Cook; 2003
- "Baseball Part 3: Assessing and Developing Speed and Agility"; Chris Pearson; 2002
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