Winter workouts

[NCBBallFan]

What's everyone doing in the pre-season to get into playing shape for February 10th?

What kind of work-outs do you favor? How much throwing are you doing? How long did you shut-down this winter?

[Braves]

This is a great thread NCBBall. Unfortunately, we still are in the recruiting stage of getting student members. It will take about 2-3 weeks before they start posting with any regularity. Most of them aren't aware of our site and they still post on that dinosaur ( Clt.com ). I am starting an email campaign to the school's booster clubs as well as 20-30 players that I know.

Any help,any member can give us through ideas, suggestions or recruiting to help us to shortcut the normal methods of building a forum please let us know.

This board belongs to no one, yet it does belong to everyone.

We are the originals and WE will develop this board to support and inform players and parents on what's happening in HS baseball.

We are also very interested in what is going on everywhere in NC, not just in Charlotte

[SouthLoop]

Well, my son is not registered on www.thisboardrocks.com as yet and will soon register but I can answer this thread on his behalf at this time. And I really think that you might have originally said, “What’s everyone doing to stay in playing shape all year long for the serious baseball player”, as opposed to just, “What’s everyone doing in the pre-season to get into playing shape for February 10?”

My son has turned his selective sport (baseball) in to a year round program for himself to be the best baseball player that he can be according to his capabilities. He makes the South Meck baseball team’s roster and plays high school baseball from mid-February through late May then picks up with his summer team with 3 practices a week and competitive play and tournaments during the weekends in the summer time. He then usually takes off 1 month from mid-August to mid-September then plays with his fall team with 2 practices a week and competitive weekend play.

He then enrolls and works out at On Deck in the Winter Workouts there from early November for 4 times each week thru mid-December in the areas of physical strength, athleticism, hitting and agility with a qualified professional sports trainer, while also working very hard on his position drills as well. The off-season is when a player can really work on improving in areas that aren't conducive to his hitting and position skills. He then takes off mid-December thru the first week of January.

Now to answer your question “what’s everyone doing in the pre-season to get into playing shape for February 10th?” he is now enrolled at On Deck in the Pre-Season Training program which started with a 14-day throwing program and then plyometric and agility workouts as well as covering intensified aspects in the areas of hitting and position workouts which started 1/7 for twice a week and runs thru 2/8.

It is very, very competitive at South Meck with regard to high school baseball and to make the team these days, you have to play and practice hard all year long. There are still many good baseball players to date that do not make the varsity and jv South Meck baseball squads that could make baseball school teams in other Charlotte areas. It is important for a baseball player to work hard all year long to be prepared come high school baseball time at South Meck (as I am sure is the case at Myers Park, East, Butler and Providence as well) with regard to SW4A competitive play and if you want to give playing baseball at the college level a shot as well.

:applause:

[Braves]

I am glad to hear that your son is practicing a lot, Southloop. And On Deck has the perfect program for off season workouts.

You know, it's sad in a way how competitive HS sports are. It is very difficult for a student athlete to compete in multiple sports. Each one has become a year long process....but it's the nature of the beast now, if one is trying to get ahead. Because while you may be playing basketball, the one you are competing with is working out at On Deck or other places to stay ahead.

But I will say this, if you do play multiple sports, by the time you are a junior, you really need to commit to a particular sport.

Southloop, if you don't mind me asking, what position does your son play?

Oh....and one more thing Southloop:

WELCOME ABOARD

:xyzwave: :banana: :banana: :drums:

[playme]

My son just finished a 12 week conditioning program developed by Wichita State Univ.s Coach Rosenboom...lotsa..lotsa.. sprinting and running: working out on resistance cords...took two weeks off and is starting work outs for hs baseball...he hasn't broken a sweat as far as running and agility exercises...has been doing flat work to keep the pressure off the shoulder; he is ready for simulated mound work..

[highntight]

My son has been doing a long toss program three times a week to develop arm strenght and conditioning. We are thinking about trying weighted balls, does anyone have any experience or suggestions on there use? Thanks!:confused:

[Braves]

Originally posted by highntight
My son has been doing a long toss program three times a week to develop arm strenght and conditioning. We are thinking about trying weighted balls, does anyone have any experience or suggestions on there use? Thanks!:confused:

I have heard pros and cons on this subject. Here is a website that I think will help you.

weight training for baseball (www.weighttrainingforbaseball.com/)

[NCBBallFan]

It's a tough question. What you are trying to do is exercise the muscles in order to make them stronger. That's the premise of weighted balls. With normal weight training, the weight is in your hand at all times, this includes stretching with a rubber tube.

The difference in a 3 lb dumbbell and a weighted baseball is that the weight is leaving your hand while the arm is in motion. This may lead to sudden increases in arm speed during the exercise and result in injury.

Weighted baseballs have been around 20 years and have never "caught on". The only way I would use one is tossing softly to stretch the arm, not as a normal exercise program.

A study of swinging a weighted bat before stepping in the batters box was performed in Japan. They found that, even though the players believed they were swinging harder, in fact, bat speed was 3% below their bat speed when they did not use a weighted bat in the on-deck circle. I don't know the specifics of how the study was performed.

As with anything, you just gotta be careful and use some common sense. I have a link here to an interview with Dr. Gary Coleman who was the strength and conditioning coach for the Houston Astros. Down in the interview is his opinions of throwing weighted baseballs.

http://hsbaseballweb.com/coleman_interview.htm

[Applejack]

Conditioning is one of the most important things in sports.
In order to get in shape during the off season I would not only do the mandatory things for baseball but believe it or not, I played a lot of basketball for the cardiovascular.
I not only kept myself in top physical shape but it was something that I enjoyed.
I played a couple hours 3-4 times a week.
Swimming is also very good for the cardio.

[Up and In]

I read this book a couple of months ago titled THE RIPKEN WAY, by Cal Ripken Sr. It was one of many "baseball" books that I have read and without a doubt "must read book!" Anyways, one of the things that Cal Sr. mentions is that "People can talk about work ethic, but the more they talk about it, the less they do."

That quote is so true and it jumped out at me because in a way I have always thought that, but I just never knew how to word it quite right. To me it means that the work that you put into your game is for you and to better the team. If you look at Tony Gwynn, Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, Cal Ripken Jr., etc., they dont work at their game to impress others or to be labeled as a guy with "great work ethic". It comes natural to them. It is apart of them and their passion for the game. They outworked their opponents and the reached the top of the pyramid that every ballplayer in the world is apart of, whether they want to be or not, and only the strong survive. I, like every other ballplayer out there, have a dream to reach the top of the pyramid.

I really like this thread and enjoy hearing about all aspects of the game. I just wanted to share that quote and some insight of mine towards it.

But I gotta run, because during the 10 minutes that it took to write this reply, there are ballplayers out there who are working to beat me out for the job and the best job in the world that I will be competing for a year from now as well as ten years from now.

[Braves]

Great attitude UpinIn:

Something else to keep in mind. If you are focused and have the talent to go beyond college, while you are dating or going to the mall or playing Madden 2007, there are kids in the Islands who play baseball every single day. You are competing with the World, not just stateside. But with your attitude, you are on the right track.

[highntight]

NCBBALLFAN/Braves: Thanks for your info on the use of weighted balls, it looks like I need to do some more research on this befor using them. My son attended the Tom House clinic this weekend and I must tell you it was excellent. All the information was usable, simple and backed up with practice drills. I would highly recommend this clinic to anyone seriously interested in improving their pitching.;)

[Prepster]

Tom House's work in the area of pitching is phenomenal. Much of it can be accessed through a website devoted to an organization he has founded, the National Pitching Association.

National Pitching Association (http://www.nationalpitching.com/default.asp?xu=&ct=1)

[Village Idiot]

on the subject of books..."Sports Illustrated's Baseball" (or something like that) written by former University of Arizona head coach Jerry Kendall is a GREAT one for players and especially coaches alike. You can find it at most book stores. It covers everyhting from practice drills to game strategy...and everything else in between, all positions and situations. btw Coach Kendall has a couple of rings to bolster his knowledge of the game.

[Braves]

bump

[GloveSide]

My son has been doing a long toss program three times a week to develop arm strenght and conditioning. We are thinking about trying weighted balls, does anyone have any experience or suggestions on there use? Thanks!:confused:

There may be some good information on using weighted baseballs however I think the biggest problem with them is that they are not used properly. They may be good tools. I just do not know the best way to employ there use.

I advise against them. I prefer long toss with correct form and normally weighted baseballs. Thats something about the heavier weighted training baseballs. Correct form should be employed in all aspects of throwing. With the heavier weighted baseballs, possibly, players get out of correct form to try to compensate for the extra weight.

Again I just don't prefer them but that is not to say that they may not be good tools. Others may have better experience with them and can expand on their good points. I would say however that a well designed, progressive program is best. As in my other post on winter/off season workouts I like running and sprinting.

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.

[Awood08]

Ardrey kell has been on a long toss program since the second week of school. They had 8 man's and open fields up until the dead period which started 2 weeks ago. Right now everyone except for a few of the players are completely shut down from throwing during the month of November. For the next 5 weeks they will be hitting the weights hard two days a week while conditioning the other three. Everyone is on the same weight lifting program, which from personal experience, is one of the toughest programs I've ever done! It consists of squats, one leg squats, jump thrusts, core strength work, front lat pull downs, scapular excercises and that is just what we did today! Just what were doing over hear at the "kell" and I know that Providence does relatively the same thing.

[Braves]

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.

Yeah, my son's college program has adopted swimming in it's off season workouts

[Braves]

Ardrey kell has been on a long toss program since the second week of school. They had 8 man's and open fields up until the dead period which started 2 weeks ago. Right now everyone except for a few of the players are completely shut down from throwing during the month of November. For the next 5 weeks they will be hitting the weights hard two days a week while conditioning the other three. Everyone is on the same weight lifting program, which from personal experience, is one of the toughest programs I've ever done! It consists of squats, one leg squats, jump thrusts, core strength work, front lat pull downs, scapular excercises and that is just what we did today! Just what were doing over hear at the "kell" and I know that Providence does relatively the same thing.


AWood- Welcome to TBR...it's nice to have some great comments. I'm looking forward to much participation from you now and in the future.

[Play Ball]

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.


I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I have heard the repetitive rotating motion in swimming is not good for pitchers.

[Braves]

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.


I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I have heard the repetitive rotating motion in swimming is not good for pitchers.

I can see that, but I believe they use other type motions through the water moreso than straight over the top. I know of a college pitching coach that uses swimming as part of their workouts. Perhaps I can get him to respond to this.

[Play Ball]

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.


I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I have heard the repetitive rotating motion in swimming is not good for pitchers.

[Play Ball]

I can see that, but I believe they use other type motions through the water moreso than straight over the top. I know of a college pitching coach that uses swimming as part of their workouts. Perhaps I can get him to respond to this.


Thanks for the offer to check into it. I would be interested in the answer. I can see how butterfly, freestyle and backstroke could put alot of strain on the shoulders.

My son is tall with broad shoulders. He pitches and used to swim a great butterfly and backstoke. The same build that made him so strong in swimming has been so beneficial to his pitching. He gave up swimming a few years ago though because he didn't like it.

[Mudcat]

I guess when it comes to swimming we should not confuse a workout to strengthen and tone muscles with workouts preparing for competition. My daughters were competitive swimmers for years and those workouts were grueling.
When it come to winter conditioning a lot of the HS players in our area are using Darren Holmes facility in Arden. They have a great program stressing speed, strength, and agility. They also have indoor cages and room to toss the ball around but the workouts are great.

[PhillyDave]

What's everyone doing in the pre-season to get into playing shape for February 10th?

What kind of work-outs do you favor? How much throwing are you doing? How long did you shut-down this winter?

While weight lifting has it's advantages, and should be done, speed and agility training is at the top of my list. Carolina Baseball Center (CBC) has a great program that they offer. I know that there are quite a few ball players from the SW4A Conference that participate.

[MTH]

The American Sports Medicine Institute, Dr. James Andrews and company, now recommends that players shut down and do no throwing of any kind for a 3-4 month period each year. I'd be curious to know to know how many kids actually do this. My guess is very few.

On the weighted ball topic, Tom House, who is closely affiliated with Andrews and ASMI, now recommends the use of weighted balls. See his recent book, Fastball Fitness.

One person mentioned a study that indicated that weighted bats slow down bat speed, the implication being that weighted balls would slow down arm speed. The THEORY behind the weighted ball routines that House endorses is you use a weighted ball, only 6 ozs., to build strength, followed by a light ball, 4 oz., to build arm speed.

Does it work? I'm not sure. We have always done maximum distance long toss, along the lines of what Coach Rasmus advocated in an article in Collegiate Baseball a couple of years ago. But last year we decided to try the weight balls. My son normally shuts down completely for 3 mos., then we start long tossing in November. From Nov. through January of last year we did the weighted ball routine instead. His velocity increased from a top velocity of 85 to a top velocity of 89. Was this due to the weighted balls? I don't know. It might have been due to another year of age and growth. And he might have experienced the same increase with three months of max out long toss.

House cites studies that have documented greater increases in velocity for those who do the weighted ball routine than those who do nothing. But I have never seen a study that compares weighted balls versus max out long toss.

You may draw your own conclusions.

[Braves]

Bump for discussion

[Demaya12]

My son plays varsity football in the fall, so he's involved in that and some minor weightlifting. He also is involved on his fall showcase team on a limited basis due to playing football. He has done this same routine since middle school and it seems to work for him. He was one hit short of his schools all-time hitting record, last year. If he has a big baseball tourney in the fall to attend, then we will arrange to have a batting lesson to fine tune some things and take him to hit in the cages to get into a rhythm.

[texasleaguer]

how this thread might not look any different today that it did in '03 when it was first started. My son has been going to the On-Deck Winter Workouts for the past 2 years and the Epi Center now resides over this training at the On Deck Facility. They are also Sparq Certified now, which I think adds to the exercises that scouts might be looking for(?). Not really sure what folks think about the Sparq Training and if it gives these boys an advantage of some sort.
His HS is doing weights every other day with sprinting on the off days. His showcase team...wait, travel team, I mean.....Ugh! Well, that team does hitting once a week and core training/speed & agility once a week. I'm just glad he loves this sport so much and has his goals set right.

[Braves]

how this thread might not look any different today that it did in '03 when it was first started. My son has been going to the On-Deck Winter Workouts for the past 2 years and the Epi Center now resides over this training at the On Deck Facility. They are also Sparq Certified now, which I think adds to the exercises that scouts might be looking for(?). Not really sure what folks think about the Sparq Training and if it gives these boys an advantage of some sort.
His HS is doing weights every other day with sprinting on the off days. His showcase team...wait, travel team, I mean.....Ugh! Well, that team does hitting once a week and core training/speed & agility once a week. I'm just glad he loves this sport so much and has his goals set right.

It is amazing, isn't it. More and more colleges and pro teams are going away from distant running and going to the more explosive Sparq training. (except for pitchers)

[texasleaguer]

a young man is still caught somewhere in the middle? Primarily plays Outfield, but is usually 3rd or 4th in the pitching rotation. Coaches still have him going and doing what the other boys who play in the field 100% of the time are doing. When it comes to weights, I have heard that pitchers should do lots of reps with low weight. Main question though...Why do they suggest that pitchers not do the Sparq Training? Just curious. Thanks

[Goodfield]

I had recently talked with someone about the positive results of swimming in the off season. Im no expert but the idea about swimming for throwing strength improvement is interesting.


I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I have heard the repetitive rotating motion in swimming is not good for pitchers.



I know the White Sox pitchers use this in their workouts.

http://www.vasatrainer.com/