How to get the most out of
your baseball offseason
In part 1 of this 2-part article on how to get the most out
of your baseball offseason I offered the first two of my four recommendations.
Taking time off from baseball skills work should be priority
number one closely followed by mastering behaviors that are well within your
control (sleep, hydration, nutrition, and academics). For a more thorough
vetting of these topics please check out part 1.
Without further adieu here are my final 2 recommendations
for getting the most out of your baseball offseason.
Get a check-up/Get a clean
up
The offseason is the perfect time to clear up any lingering
issues that may have plagued you during the season.
Did your hips or hamstrings stiffen up?
Did you shoulder feel weak?
Do you feel flat
and fatigued or run down?
Are you hurt? Do you have any aches or pains?
Now is the time to get those things taken care of! And the
best thing you can do is to meet with a qualified professional and get yourself
assessed.
I assess all of my athletes prior to starting an offseason
program. I look at joint range of
motion, movement quality, tissue quality and posture. I also do a mind-set
check. I ask the athlete to reevaluate their goals and ask them how they felt
the season went and what they would like to improve. If you don’t know where you are (assessment) and you aren’t
sure where you want to go (reevaluate) it’s very tough to develop a strategy
because there’s no direction.
After the assessment and reevaluation process we will
develop the initial program that restores and rebuilds the athlete using
exercises that are targeted toward improving flexibility, body control and
awareness. Basically we are giving
them back what they most likely have lost after the long season.
Studies of pro baseball players reveal:
- They lose shoulder internal rotation (this is what happens on the follow through)
- They gain shoulder external rotation (this is the lay-back, cocking position, a case where more is not always better)
- They lose elbow extension (the ability to straighten your arm)
- They lose shoulder and scapular strength
- You will lose overall body strength and power
- Your posture and alignment will change
Build and maximize
your athletic qualities
This is the fun stuff right? After you take care of the 3
R’s it’s time to hit the weight room and the training floor to improve your
endurance, strength, speed and power.
In calendar form assuming you stop-playing ball after
September and have try-outs in early March your offseason should look likes
this:
·
October/November- get assessed and
get cleaned up! Your body and mind took a lot of abuse this past season you
need to take time to restore, regenerate, and rebalance your baseball/athletic
portfolio.
November/December- Work on your
movement efficiency. This is the stuff you learned from your assessment. Move
well before you move heavy stuff or run fast.
December/January- Develop your
work capacity/Endurance and your foundational strength with an emphasis on
optimal lifting technique.
January/February-The training will
skew more toward general speed and power development.
February/March- it’s almost go time
so now we turn our attention toward more specific speed and power development.
If you follow this sequence of events and do this right you
have the formula to have an outstanding in-season performance. And you’ll have
made huge strides toward meeting your goals on the field of play and in the
game of life.
If you’d like to learn more about our formula I’d love to
share it with you. Complete Baseball Performance was developed with the end
user in mind; young athletes that want to maximize their potential in the sport
that they love. Click here to learn how we will help you maximize your potential as a baseball player.
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