Baseball Training Methods: Articles

Run a Faster 60 Yard Dash Today

Sprinting speed is a priceless attribute to have on the baseball diamond. Speed is so important to baseball scouts and coaches that the 60-yard dash is the first thing evaluated at every showcase and tryout. The “60” can give coaches and scouts a solid idea of a player’s home to first speed, base stealing ability, and running speed from second base to home on scoring plays.

Most tryouts give players two attempts at the 60-yard dash, often running two players at a time. Run a time under seven seconds and coaches will take note. Over seven seconds? Then you’ve got work to do.

So how can you stand out by running a fast 60-yard dash?

Running Technique

One of the first things you can work on is your running form and technique. Better technique translates into more efficient sprinting. And when you are more efficient, you waste less effort and energy to accomplish your task. Here are two key elements in having better sprinting technique.

Arm Swing – Your arms should be bent at the elbow roughly 90 degrees. As you sprint, your arms should move from the shoulder joint and in a straight forward and backward motion keeping the elbows tucked close to the body. Any lateral movement with the arms can cause trunk rotation and will only serve to waste energy and make you less efficient in sprinting straight ahead. As your arm moves forward, think of driving your hand past your hip and up to face level. When your arm moves backward, pretend your hand is the head of a hammer and you are driving a nail down into the ground. Straight forward, straight back.
Knee Drive – Many ballplayers think they need to take short quick steps. Unfortunately, they just end up taking a lot of steps and do not cover much ground. Aggressive knee drive forward (not upward) elongates stride length will help you gain more ground with each step. This will also allow the athlete to apply more power to the ground at foot strike, propelling him forward.

Strength Training for Speed

While running mechanics are a big part of running faster, having a solid strength program can help you build muscle and power that will also translate to speed.

There are many ways to incorporate strength training into a baseball training program, but to really focus on developing speed, baseball players need to perform plyometric exercises and lift heavy.

Plyometric exercises can help train muscles to fire quickly and explosively. Ballplayers can perform 2-3 plyometric movements per training session, 2-4 times per week. Reps are usually kept relatively low to focus on power output and good form.

Examples of plyometric exercises include:

Jump Rope
Box Jumps
Squat Jumps
Broad Jumps
Single Leg Bounds (linear and lateral)

When it comes to lifting heavy, baseball players should incorporate squat variations and deadlifts, as well as single leg lifts such as lunges and step-ups. With heavy weight, you should be performing 3-6 sets of 1-5 reps for squats and deadlifts. For exercises such as lunges and step-ups, stick to the 5-8 rep range. Strong hamstrings are also a must and can be strengthened by incorporating RDL’s and glute/ham raises.

Conditioning Drills for Improving Speed

Finally, baseball conditioning is another way to work on speed development. Long distance running will not help you in your pursuit of speed. There is no baseball-specific value in running long distances. Remember, recording a fast 60-yard dash time is about being fast and explosive, not slow and steady. You can check out these three conditioning drills that are better than running poles, and remember to focus on arm swing and knee drive.

60-Yard Dash Secrets

These are only a few tips to help you in pursuit of a faster 60-yard dash time. If you are looking for more ways to help shave a few ticks off your 60, check out 60-Yard Dash Secrets. With this program you’ll learn how to adjust your steal-start technique for improved quickness, why the 60-yard dash is different than other speed tests, how to manipulate the variables in your favor, and how to improve your running mechanics even more for better 60 times, improved base stealing ability, and a faster home to first time.

Good luck!

3 Baseball Conditioning Drills Better than Running Poles

There is still a strong trend among coaches today to stick with long distance running as a form of baseball conditioning. Whether running poles on the warning track, or testing the useless 2-mile time, baseball coaches still believe that their players need an aerobic base to make it through nine innings of baseball.

However, if we really look at the game, we can see that baseball is a power and sprint-based sport. The action on the field occurs quickly, with bursts of acceleration and top speed followed by longer periods of rest. So when considering baseball conditioning, coaches should try to mimic the demands of the sport. Running poles or other long distances does not properly address the needs of the ballplayer. In a long distance run, an athlete will use moderate intensity over a long duration, thereby training his body to operate at a slower pace. The human body is very efficient at adapting to the stimuli placed upon it. So we have to be aware what we are asking the body to do. Do we want it to execute tasks slowly or quickly on the baseball field?

If you want to be quick and explosive, your conditioning needs to involve sprint work, sled pushes, medicine ball circuits, and other power-based movements. The amount of rest taken between various bouts is important too. In a sport where you can achieve nearly full recovery before you make another pitch, take another swing, or advance to the next base, you should be taking nearly full rest between sprints or other conditioning sets.

Here are 3 sample baseball conditioning routines better than running poles. First, complete a solid dynamic warm-up, or do these routines at the end of a good practice.

Build-Up Sprints or Flying Starts

Build-up sprints (or Flying Starts) begin with the baseball player already in motion. In the example below, you will run a total of 60 yards, but only the second 30 yards at 100% effort. Use the foul line as your starting point. Set up cones at 30 and 60 yards. First, perform a couple of light sprints at the end of your dynamic warm-up. When you perform the Build-Up sprints, begin your run at 50 to 75% effort. As you hit the halfway mark, increase your speed to 100% effort.

2 30-yard sprints at 50% effort
8 60-yard Build-Up sprints: first 30 yards at 75% effort, second 30 yards at 100% effort

After each sprint, use your walk back to the starting line as your rest.

Shuttle Runs

Shuttle runs allow you to work on your ability to start and stop and your ability to quickly change direction. Set up two cones anywhere from 10 to 20 yards apart. Begin at the first cone and sprint full speed to the second cone. Slow down, plant your foot and change direction, then sprint back to the start. You complete one rep by performing the total assigned distance between the cones. Here’s a good series where the total distance may is similar from rep to rep, but the distance between the cones varies, allowing for more or less change of direction.

2 x 30 yards – cones 10 yards apart
2 x 60 yards – cones 15 yards apart
2 x 60 yards – cones 20 yards apart
2 x 60 yards – cones 10 yards apart

Rest one to two minutes between sets.

Sled Pushes

Sled pushes are great for working on leg drive. You can load the sled with heavy weight to work more on your leg strength or you can go lighter to focus more on speed. Either way, sled pushes are a challenge. Depending on your current level of conditioning, shoot for three to six sets of 20-30 yards per push.

Basic Baseball Nutrition

Let’s face it. A majority of baseball players and coaches do not have a clue when it comes to baseball nutrition. Skinny players should eat more. Fat players should eat less. That’s all there is to know, right?

Unfortunately, there’s more to baseball nutrition than that. So, let’s take a look at the various roles that protein, carbohydrate, fat, and water can play in your baseball nutrition game plan.

Protein

Protein seems to get most of the hype when it comes to nutrition discussions for athletes. Even people who do not play sports understand that protein is an important part of any diet. For baseball players though, protein can help enhance on-field performance. But, how much protein should be a part of a baseball player’s nutrition plan?

Athletes require a higher amount of protein in their daily diets because they place a greater demand on their body when training or performing. So, while the average adult should consume about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, baseball players should eat 1.5-2.0 grams/kg of bodyweight. High-quality sources of protein include eggs, meat, fish, and chicken.

Remember, this is just a general guideline and every baseball player should evaluate his own nutrition plan and goals to determine the right amount of protein to include in his diet plan.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the body with fuel and energy, making them a huge player in performance as well. Carbohydrates can be found in a variety of foods including pasta, breads, cereal, fruits, and vegetables.

Baseball players usually don’t think about the amount of carbohydrates they eat. However, a solid variety of carbohydrate, protein, and fat is important in any baseball nutrition plan to support training and performance. Different athletes will have different needs when it comes to carbohydrates, but a general guideline for baseball players is about 5-6 g/kg of bodyweight.

Remember, baseball is a power and sprint-based sport. So baseball players do not typically train aerobically. This means that ballplayers do not deplete their carbohydrate stores as quickly as an endurance athlete. So, carbohydrate intake should be individualized based on sport, training program, and personal dietary needs.

Fat

Fats play an important role in building a solid baseball nutrition plan. Although fats are often perceived negatively, there is no valid reason to avoid fats altogether in your diet.

Fats serve many purposes in the human body, including but not limited to:

A source for energy
As insulation and protection of organs
Help regulate the uptake and excretion of nutrients
The formation of healthy cell membranes

So how does fat play a role in athletic performance? The biggest benefit of fat comes as an energy source during low-intensity exercise. As intensities increase, the body begins to gradually use more carbohydrate instead of fat as its main source of energy. So, as an energy source, carbohydrates are more beneficial to baseball players than fats. However, having a diet that is too non-fat or low fat can have negative effects on an athlete’s performance because it can lead to the under-consumption of various meats and dairy sources that provide athletes with excellent sources of protein and other essential vitamins and minerals.

With this information in mind, you should seek to have an adequate amount of fat in your baseball nutrition plan. After reviewing the total number of calories you need, you should plan on eating between 15-35% of your calories from fat. The higher percentage should be considered during longer periods of heavy training or higher intensity training. A lower percentage of fat should only be considered for athletes who need to lose weight in order to increase their performance. In rare cases, athletes who need to decrease high cholesterol levels should consider eating a lower fat diet, but this should be reviewed by a knowledgeable registered dietitian. Athletes that eat less that 15% of calories from fat run the risk of lowering their metabolism and decreasing their potential for increasing muscular strength and development.

Water

Water is the most abundant resource on the planet. Despite its great quantity, most baseball players do not drink enough of it. It can be argued that water affects baseball performance more than any other nutrient. If dehydrated, the athlete’s body cannot adapt as every physiological function will be impaired.

The human body can survive without food for about 30 days. Without water, the body can survive approximately one week. What does that say about the importance of water?

Staying hydrated plays a vital role in regulating cellular function and body temperature. Most athletes only replace about 50-60% of water lost during training or competition. Many baseball players only drink fluids when they are thirsty, but thirst is not a reliable indicator of hydration needs. In order to stay hydrated, you should consider drinking fluids before, during, and after exercise. Here are some basic guidelines:

Pre-training or pre-game – Drink about 16 fluid ounces two hours before activity. In warmer weather, this amount should be increased.

During activity – Drink fluids consistently and frequently. About 6-8 fl. oz. every 15 minutes should be consumed. When activity is less than an hour in length (i.e. a short training session), water should be the main source of hydration. However, if activity goes beyond 60 minutes, a sports drink (Gatorade) can be considered as it will help replace fluid as well as electrolytes and muscle-glycogen stores. (Most sports drinks contain tons of sugar which can rapidly raise blood sugar levels and can contribute to increased body fat. Drink them sparingly unless training is very intense or the session is extended longer than an hour.)

Post-training or Post-game – The baseball player’s goal should be to completely rehydrate prior to the next training session or competition. He should drink about 20 fl. oz. for every pound of body weight lost during activity.

Big League Nutrition

If you are looking for a baseball nutrition plan that can be individualized for you, then you need to check out Big League Nutrition. Not only will this resource go more in depth regarding protein, carbohydrates, and fats, it will also help you learn how much of each nutrient you need based on your body type. Furthermore, you will learn how to time your eating around baseball games, tournaments, and workouts to maximize performance in the gym and on the field.

Baseball Strength Training 101

Baseball Weight Training

Baseball is a unique sport with very specific physical demands placed upon each athlete who takes the field. Why is it then, that so many players, coaches, and parents are lost when it comes to baseball strength training?

Anyone who has been in the game long enough knows that baseball players need to be strong, fast, powerful, flexible, and durable. The best way to develop these attributes is to incorporate a year round strength and conditioning program.

There Is No Perfect Baseball Training Program

Many players and coaches are searching for the perfect training program. Unfortunately, you cannot find one. Every athlete has different needs based on sport, position, and basic individual differences. This is very important for baseball players and coaches to understand – no two players are the same.

However, there are some basics that every baseball strength and conditioning program should include:

Pre-hab work focusing on shoulder, hip, and back mobility and strengthening
Soft Tissue Work
Dynamic Warm-up
Power-based movements that include plyometrics and medicine balls
Basic strength movements such as the deadlift and squat
Rotational and Anti-rotational movements
Baseball Specific Conditioning
Flexibility Work

Again, these are basic foundations that you should look for in any baseball training program.

That being said, baseball players cannot expect to get in “baseball shape” and stay in shape by just playing the game. There needs to be consistent effort day in and day out. Off-season, pre-season, and in-season baseball training programs need to be implemented for maximum results.

Let’s take a look at what a an entire year looks like at the high school, college, and professional levels.

High School Baseball Strength Training

College Baseball Strength Training

As you can see, the high school and college seasonal breakdowns are roughly the same.

While college baseball has a uniform start date, the actual collegiate season could end in May or June depending on a team’s post-season success. However, most college ballplayers continue playing through the summer in collegiate summer leagues throughout the country. So, we’ll consider “summer ball” as in-season. The same goes for high school.

Pro Baseball Strength Training

When we look at professional baseball, again, we have a uniform start date at the beginning of April and depending on the post-season chances of a given team, the season could end in September or October. Granted, MLB playoffs have been extended and now end in November. However, a majority of players making their way through the minor leagues will finish their respective seasons in September. As for the professional pre-season, this is just noted by the beginning of Spring Training when pitchers and catchers report in mid-February.

Designing A Baseball Strength Training Program

Baseball Mobility

Looking at the charts above, we can see that there are three distinct training periods throughout the year. Based on what time of year it is, baseball players and coaches can design strength training programs accordingly.

The entire year should be set up in a periodized fashion that works toward consistency for the athlete while also allowing for variations to be made to exercise selection, sets, reps, and weight. Consistency is key in allowing the body to adapt to the training stresses placed upon it. Variation is important so as to keep challenging the body. If it does not challenge you, it does not change you.

Training Phases

To keep it simple, we can breakdown each “season” into its various months, where each month is a new phase of 4-5 weeks.

Baseball Strength Training Phases

Off-Season

Overall goals — Recover from previous season, rehabilitate existing/nagging injuries, develop a strength and conditioning foundation for the following training year

Phase 1 — Begin recovery work from the season that just ended. If needed, rehabilitate existing injuries. Begin a general strength program. Do not pick up a baseball – give the arm a break from throwing.
Phase 2 — Continue rehabilitation of any lingering injuries. Evaluate Phase 1 and make necessary changes to general strength program. Begin adding some medicine ball work and plyometrics. If all injuries are gone, begin baseball-specific conditioning work. Soft tissue and flexibility work needs to be consistent. Continue to hold off on any throwing.
Phase 3 — Unless injuries were season-ending, any nagging issues should begin to fade by Phase 3 (month 3). Again, evaluate the previous phase and edit/progress the program as necessary. Volume of power-based movements such as medicine ball work and plyometrics should increase. Certain precautions should be considered for any overhead lifting and heavy upper body work. Upper body pulling exercises should balance out pushing exercises. Depending on the individual, some pushing exercises could be eliminated. Soft tissue and flexibility work needs to be consistent. Outside of the weight room, throwing should begin near the middle to end of the month, and a long toss program should start to be implemented. Throwing can still be put on hold until Phase 4 as well.
Phase 4 — As the off-season comes into its final phase, the ballplayer should really be clicking on all cylinders now. Lots of medicine ball work. Volume of plyometrics can remain similar to the previous phase. Deadlift and squat variations should be a staple in the program by now. Continue to strengthen the back with pulling exercises. Bench press variations are okay, but depending on the individual it may be better to consider push-up variations that place less strain on the throwing shoulder. If you have not yet started a throwing program, now is the time to pick the ball and glove up again. Any throwing program should have the ballplayer throwing 3-5 times per week by the end of the off-season. That’s right, continue your soft tissue work. Your body will thank you for it later.

Pre-Season

Overall goals — Improve upon strength and conditioning foundation gained in off-season phase, develop more baseball-specific speed, strength, and power

Phase 1 — We really want to convert all that strength gained in the Off-Season phases to power. As the number of on-field practices increases, along with the athlete’s throwing program, we need to be smart about increasing power-based movements and baseball-specific conditioning such as sprints, sled work, shuttle runs, and medicine ball work. Continue to lift heavy with your bigger movements of deadlifts and squats. Soft tissue work and flexibility training will be your keys to recovery.
Phase 2 — Evaluate pre-season Phase 1 and make the necessary adjustments. There’s no need to get cute now or make any big changes. A few eliminations/additions of certain movements and exercises are all you need here. The season is only about 6 weeks away now.
Phase 3 — Typically a shorter phase of 2-3 weeks depending on when your actual season begins. But like Phase 2, just make a few adjustments and get ready to begin the season with an explosive start. Some coaches would suggest a de-load week prior to Opening Day to make sure the body is well rested and ready to go.

In-Season

Overall goals — Maintain strength, speed, and power from off-season and pre-season phases, maintain flexibility, maximize recovery between practices and games

Phase 1 — As the season has just begun, we usually take the beginning of the baseball in-season training program a bit lighter in terms of volume so the ballplayer can adjust to the addition of games to his schedule. As we get in to weeks 2 and 3 of this phase, we can increase a few exercises to 2 or even 3 sets. Again, it’s all dependent on the ballplayer and his individual needs. Medicine ball, jumping, and other power-based movements can continue to be performed although at a much lower volume. The fact that the athlete is now playing his sport should provide plenty of on-field movements aimed at quickness and speed. Mobility drills, flexibility work, and foam rolling should be an everyday habit.
Phase 2-3 — As we approach the middle half of the season, the athlete really needs to evaluate his particular needs. Are his strength levels staying consistent? Is he picking up nagging bumps, bruises, or injuries? Is he better suited to limit his strength training volume and focus on his recovery methods, or can he still work in a strength exercise or two? Whatever is designed must be easily adaptable to the athlete’s changing needs as the season wears on.
Phase 4-6 — Similar to Phases 2-3. Take an individual approach. Things that should be considered are whether or not you are in post-season play, your injury status, and whether or not you a regular starter or come off the bench. Be smart and finish the season on a high note.

With a structured plan for each phase, baseball players and coaches can focus their attention on the goals of a particular phase. Each phase should also plan recovery or de-load periods to give the body a chance to rest, repair, and become stronger. These rest periods can come between exercises during a specific training session, between training sessions during a training week, or even between training phases.

How Often Should Baseball Players Strength Train?

As discussed before, every athlete needs to determine his own recipe for success. Some ballplayers need to be in the gym four days a week. Others can accomplish their work in a three day per week program.

Furthermore, it may depend on the time of year. An in-season program may call for only one or two training sessions per week, where an off-season program can be four or five days per week.

Other considerations should include the number of baseball practices and games in a given week, whether or not the ballplayer is in-season for another sport, and if there are any injuries from which the athlete is recovering.

A Word on Baseball Nutrition

Baseball players can have the best structured training program and achieve results by staying consistent, however, they can still be limited by their nutrition plan or lack thereof.

Many ballplayers, coaches, and parents do not have the slightest clue when it comes to eating for performance. Again, there is no secret formula here, and every athlete will have to assess his own nutritional needs to find out what works best for him. But, here are some basic guidelines that every baseball player should consider when looking at a baseball nutrition game plan.

Begin everyday with breakfast.
Take a multivitamin.
Smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day is a better approach than having just three meals a day.
Include a protein source with every meal. The leaner the better.
Stay hydrated by drinking water. Watch out for empty calories in juices and sports drinks.
Grab a protein shake or bar after a strength training session in order to get rapidly absorbing nutrients into the body.

Baseball Training Methods

All of the information above can serve as a basic guideline to help you in your pursuit of performance excellence. However, this is just the beginning of learning how to train for baseball. Be sure to check out the Baseball Training Methods blog for more detailed articles regarding baseball strength and conditioning. The resource page is a fantastic source if you are looking for a particular program, a piece of training equipment, or other useful information.

Best wishes and good luck!