The abdominal muscles are used extensively by softball players and thus deserve to be the focus of any off- or in-season training program. While you don’t need to bulk your abs up to the level of a bodybuilder or boxer to play softball, keeping your abs toned and strong goes a long way in helping you to become an effective softball player. Strong and toned abs will give you the needed strength to perform many of the game’s tasks, such as batting, pitching and running.
Exercise Ball Crunch
The core muscles, including the abdominal muscles, play an important role in many softball tasks, such as batting, pitching and running. The exercise ball crunch, among others, is an effective exercise for developing these vital muscles. Lie on the exercise ball with the curve of your lower back firmly pressed against the top of the ball, keeping your knees bent and feet flat on the ground and allowing your torso to hang off the top portion of the ball. Keep your arms crossed across your chest or alongside the body to minimize injury to your neck. Slowly lower your torso into a stretching position, keeping your neck still at all times. This is the starting position. Contract your abdominal muscles while keeping the hips stationary and the waist flexed as you slowly raise your shoulders and torso upward until you feel a stretching sensation in your abs. Keep your lower back in contact with the ball at all times. Hold position for a second before returning to starting position. Repeat for up to 10 times.
Alternate Heel Touchers
Alternate heel touchers are done while in a lying position, the knees bent and feet flat, about 18 to 24 inches apart, on the floor. In the starting position, your arms are fully extended by your side. While crunching your torso forward to the left side, slowly extend your left hand until you touch your left heel and hold for a second, exhaling as you progress. Slowly return to the starting position, inhaling as you go. Reverse process for other side and repeat for up to 10 repetitions with one touch to each heel representing one repetition.
Cross-Body Crunches
Do cross-body crunches while in a lying position with your back and feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at about a 60-degree angle. In the starting position, your hands are at ear level or loosely behind your head. Slowly curl your body upward, bringing your right shoulder and elbow across the body while bringing the left knee upward toward the left shoulder simultaneously. The goal here is to touch your right elbow to your left knee while contracting the abs, and then return to the starting position. Reverse process to work the other side of the body and repeat alternating legs for up to 20 repetitions.
Frog Situps
Do frog situps while in a lying position with your back flat on the floor and legs extended. Bend the knees while placing your outer thighs on the floor and touching the soles of your feet together. Press the soles together tightly and bring them as close to your body as possible while keeping the thighs pressed to the floor. Cross your arms in front of you, touching each hand to the opposite shoulder. This is the starting position. Slowly curl your torso upward while exhaling and pressing your lower back to the floor to a position equal to about one-quarter of a full situp. Hold position for a second and then return to the starting position, exhaling as you go. Repeat for up to 10 repetitions.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Core Exercises -- 7 Reasons to Strengthen Your Core Muscles; Mayo Clinic Staff
- BodyBuilding.com: Frog Sit-Ups
- BodyBuilding.com: Cross-Body Crunch
- BodyBuilding.com: Exercise Ball Crunch
- BodyBuilding.com: Alternate Heel Touchers
- BodyBuilding.com; Core Conditioning -- A Scientific Approach to Abdominal Training for Softball; Marc Dagenais, B.Sc., MHK, CSCS; April 2003
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