Tag Archives: Injury Prevention

Baseball Off Season

Off-Season Baseball Training Info You Need to Read

It’s now the baseball off-season for most levels of baseball – youth, high school, college, and minor league ball.  If you are like most ballplayers, you are already thinking about next season and what you need to do over the course of the next 5-6 months to make it the best season of your career.  At Baseball Training Methods, we seek out the best information possible in regards to baseball strength and conditioning so that you don’t have to.  Below are three articles you should read as you begin your off-season baseball training.

Baseball Weight Training

How to Get the Most Out of Your Baseball Offseason Training –  There are a few things you need to do in order to set a great foundation for the start of your off-season baseball training program.  In this article, Mike Reinold will break down issues you should address prior to starting your off-season strength and conditioning including why you should take time off from throwing, why regeneration is important, and a better approach to rehabilitating lingering injuries.

To Play or Not to Play Multiple Sports? – Should young ballplayers play multiple sports or just baseball? Can playing multiple sports help your development as a baseball player and athlete?  In this article over on the Full Windup website, Phil Tognetti looks at the benefits of playing multiple sports throughout the year, and if you only play baseball, what you need to be doing in the off-season to maximize your athleticism and lower the risk of injury.

The Biggest Mistake Pro Baseball Players Make? – While some ballplayers are eager to get right back into the gym when the season ends, in reality, many high school, college, and pro guys look to the fall season as a time to take off for an extended period.  In this article, Eric Cressey makes the case for getting back in the gym as soon as possible.  It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to lift super heavy and condition until you puke, but at least start the ball rolling on your strength training and your recovery process from the previous season.

Train Your Core with Anti-Rotation Exercises

When it comes to core training for baseball, incorporating explosive medicine ball exercises is a great way to work on rotational power that can translate to greater power at the plate and better pitching velocity off the mound.

However, baseball players need to train for stability through the core as well.  Lack of stability through the pelvis, hips, and low back can lead to unwanted issues with the lower back and legs.  And when problems arise in these areas, it can cause a lot of frustration for baseball players.

One of the best ways to incorporate core stability training is with anti-rotation exercises.  Let’s take a look at a few examples that you can include in your next training session.

Quadruped Opposites

Quadruped opposites challenge balance and coordination while requiring good rotational stability of the core to maintain proper form.  It is great for athletes beginning a training program or for more advanced trainees to include in a pre-hab routine.

Stability Ball Rollout

The stability ball rollout requires excellent control of the hips and lumbar spine.  Many athletes will find that their low back wants to sag toward the floor or that their hips want to rotate. Stay tight through your middle throughout the movement as you would if you were holding a plank.

High Plank with Shoulder Taps

With High Plank Shoulder Taps, you want to maintain a neutral spine while resisting rotation and lumbar extension.  As you lift each hand to touch your shoulder, the intensity of the plank will increase, forcing you to work harder to prevent any rotation and maintain the plank position.

Wide Stance Anti-Rotation Chop

The wide stance anti-rotation chop is definitely a more advanced exercise.  You’ll need to have a good understanding of body awareness and be able to control various segments of your body separately.  Be sure to get those feet extra wide to challenge you even more, keep your hips and torso locked down, and only move the arms through the movement while preventing any rotation through your middle.

Stability Equals Strength

There is no doubt that baseball players definitely need core power to hit and throw harder.  But, it is core stability which can help balance out your training with all of those rotational reps you get from swinging a bat, throwing a baseball, or even dominating your medicine ball exercises.  Stability equals strength.  And staying strong and injury-free keeps you on the diamond and enjoying the game of baseball.