Chapel Hill News Article — May 2008 — Sports Specific Training for Baseball By David Hansey
Sports Specific Training – Baseball
David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
As summer begins, I am returning to focusing on the sports specific training requirements for specific sports. I have chosen baseball this month as it is a popular sport for the weekend warrior as well as for kids and teens.
Good baseball comes from proper mechanics. It is not a sport of power nor it is a test of strength. Good baseball players are strong but there are many who are much stronger who are not as good at the game. Baseball, like golf and tennis, requires a specific skill set and very good body mechanics. Some baseball players just naturally have this but not most. Knowing how to throw a ball is basic. Knowing how to throw a ball far, hard and accurate comes from a combination of strength, force transfer, proper angle and balance. If you lack one, your throw (or hit) will have less accuracy and speed.
Many amateur baseball players make up for poor mechanics with strength. This option only gets them so far. First, it stresses joints such as the elbow and shoulder because you are not aligned properly. Well you say, that is how you were taught to throw (or hit). It may very well be but usually players have adapted those teachings to their own body and their own set of strengths and limitations.
Players with poor flexibility often overcompensate by throwing harder when they would have an equally strong, forceful throw if they were just better conditioned. Throwing and swinging a bat is mostly about force transfer. You need to transfer power from other parts of your body through your arm and to the ball. Any weaknesses in your body will reduce the amount of force transferred.
That is where baseball-specific strength training comes in. It is not enough for you to do a general strength training program. You need to incorporate your sport into your training not only to get better at your sport but also to avoid damage to your elbows, back and shoulders when you hit and throw and your knees and ankles when you field and run.
The first step is determining which muscles are weak and tight and how those impact your throw and swing. This can be done with a simple posture alignment test and movement test and takes less than 10 minutes. Any Board Certified Personal Trainer has the ability to do this for you and it is a very important first step when you first start training. It allows the trainer to design your personal training program to be specific for what muscles you need to strengthen and stretch in order to improve.
Don’t worry about needing to spend hours and hours in the gym. 2-3 strength training workouts a week which includes moves specific to your needs and to baseball should do it for most people. That and a few cardio sessions every week and you will notice dramatic improvements not only in your game but how you feel during the game, after, and the next day (no more sore elbows and stiff back).
