So, what are you working on this off-season?

By now, I have been in touch with all of our Varsity returning players with areas to work on during the off-season.  I hope you are getting to it.  


I am committed to being better than ever in 2013.  What about you? 


I get asked a lot regarding what players need to be doing.  The short answer is ... it depends.  I know, there I go again. 


Most all of you need work on at least one (if not two or all) of the following:  1) arm strength; 2) core work; and 3) speed work.  Before addressing some of the individual elements of these three areas, let's talk about some general principles.  


First, make sure that you are alternating work in each area.  As an example, do sprints and core work on M/W/F and heavy throwing work (long toss) on T/Th/S.  You can certainly throw, run, or do other work on a more frequent basis, but your muscles/related muscle groups need time to heal and rebuild in order to get better.  


If you are working a weight, weighted ball, or other strength/conditioning program, adjust your other work accordingly.  Weights certainly have their place in baseball training, but bear in mind, that there is really no substitute for throwing in terms of building arm durability and strength. A lot of guys can throw every day because ... golly, they throw every day. 


If you are working on all three of the areas below (as many of you are), then consider mixing in two on one day, i.e., core exercises in between sprints.  


Throwing Work -- I would encourage you to consider long-tossing at least a couple of days per week.  For those wanting to improve your off-speed pitch, I would suggest spending the better part of at least one day doing off-speed long toss (where you throw your off-speed pitch at about 90-120 feet and work on the feel and grip).  Pitchers, at least one of the days that you throw either a bullpen, play 21, or work hitting your spots/target.  Make sure that you also are long-tossing to a target, as well, and only backing up when you have hit your target within a few feet a couple/three times before backing up.  We are training to throw, rather than simply chunk.  Make every throw purposeful. 


Speed Work -- You will note that I said speed work.  Whenever you are running, make sure you are sprinting or striding hard.  Keep it short and explosive.  I would recommend keeping your sprints at/under the farthest you will run on a baseball field.  I know that some other teams (there are fewer all the time) are jogging around slowly, but such work really benefits players little, if at all.  The only reason to be doing distance running if if you need to drop weight.  But ... think about it ... do you ever jog during a baseball play? We train like we play, and baseball is a game of controlled explosions with short rest intervals in between.  We are training baseball athleticism (rather than football, cross-country, etc.). Really, for our purposes, sprinting at 60 yards and under will work just fine.  For those needing to work on your quickness, practice exploding out of a ready position at 20 yards.  Work in core exercises between sprints for a workout that will really kick your tail.  


For exceptional results (particularly if you want to drop weight), run sprints with a weighted vest.  You absolutely can get faster ... maybe even a lot faster.  We have seen it done, so go do it again. 


Core Work -- The core essentially is the body minus the arms and legs.  It's where your center of gravity is located, and it is also the foundation for all the major movements necessary to succeed on the baseball field. Throwing, hitting, and running explosiveness and power start in the core.  Thus, it is vital to strengthen your core.  


There are myriad ways to this.  Here are some:  All manner of push-ups -- i.e, diamond, knee up (both after each pushup); squat run with weights, lunges (reach with weights), squat x-reach, leg lifts and bananas (reverse leg lifts, try holding for a minute), sit-ups and crunches, mountain climbers, towel hops (set of 50), steam engine (set of 50, with right elbow to left knee and vice versa).


And, oh, by the way, our ladder work is great for your core.  But you have to push it.  No coasting.  


Bonus Work:  Yes, bonus work.  Train your mind.  A lot of you I have addressed specifically about this, that is, to get better understanding certain aspects of the game.  But let's take it another step.  We talk a lot about the "mental game" but we still have a lot of work to do in this regard.  Each of you must own  it to make it yours ... to make it work for you.  


So, I'd like to challenge/encourage each of you players to read "The Mental Game of Baseball," by H.A. Dorfman.  If you have yet to read it, try it.  It will change your game and maybe your life in the process.  You will under stand the importance of having a routine and plan like never before.  


Also, I would like each of our high school pitchers to read "The Mental ABC's of Pitching," by Dorfman.  This book is a practical guide to addressing all manner of issues/challenges/situations that pitchers face.  This is a great book that for all pitchers to read ... and apply. 


Finally, if you plan on swinging a bat on the Varsity level next season, read "The Mental Game of Hitting," also by Dorfman.  This book marries up a mental game and "Moneyball" concepts and will help you better understand hitting so that you'll have a better chance to succeed in the batter's box in 2013.  


No, I am not related to the late H.A. Dorfman ... no commissions, either.  But he is the father of the modern mental game in baseball.  Pretty much all successful teams at the higher levels are employing the mental game.  If you want some other mental game or baseball reading, let me know.  


Besides reading the foregoing, I 'd also like to encourage you to watch as much baseball at all levels in the off-season.  I mean, what else are you going to do in your free time?  It's a great way to learn.  But ... watch as a student.  Watch aspects of the game that you need to learn.   You can learn something every time you are on a baseball field or watching a game. 


So, train your body.  Train your mind.  Accept nothing from yourself other than excellence.  Trust your teammates to take care of themselves.  Concentrate on being the type of teammate you want to be. 


If you have questions about any of this, let me know.  Ultimately, each of you has to decide how good you want to be.  As for me, I want to be excellent and I want players who want the same. 


See you on the the field ...