Every year we hear about Spring Training in the pros. Pitcher and Catchers are first to report, then it ramps up to preseason baseball games. Well, youth sports do not typically have a "Spring Training" for its athletes. As a matter of fact, some programs don't even have an off season to recuperate. We are approaching the beginning of the Spring season in travel baseball and my team always starts with conditioning. Not everyone has that opportunity, so it is up to you as parents and players to make sure your preseason conditioning is done to be ready to hit the field for day 1 of practice.
There are a variety of things that you can do to work on conditioning. I am going to share 3 of my own and Coach Justin from Ultimate Baseball Training has a video below outlining a workout regimen that you can use that includes 7 additional workouts for conditioning.
1. Long Distance Running
You can build your endurance and stamina by doing long distance running. In my off season post about workouts I said you don't have to run every day, but once or twice over the entire break is not enough. The recommendation was to set up a consistent schedule for training and include time for running and start with a short distance. How disciplined were you in the off season? If you have been running, you can hit your conditioning workouts hard from the beginning. However, if you took off the entire off season, start your conditioning workouts with a short distance and build on it everyday. The key is to have a targeted goal written down and hold yourself accountable to that goal by taking your progress.
2. 40-yard Dash Sprints
Doing sprints can also be really good for boosting stamina. All you need is an open space to run (make sure there aren't holes or other hazards). You can measure off 40 yards or estimate it with 40 paces if your stride is around 3 feet long. Sprints should not be done cold. Make sure you properly warm up and stretch first. Some light jogging or long distance running after stretching are good warm ups before doing sprints. Take care to make sure you do not hurt yourself.
3. Basic Calisthenics
Do not underestimate basic calisthenics when it comes to conditioning. Exercises like Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and Jumping Jacks are really good workouts to help with conditioning. You can expand the amount of reps over time as well as making the exercises more complex over time as well to give yourself more of a challenge.
Numbers 4 through 10 are outlined in the video below. In the video, Coach Justin from Ultimate Baseball Training outlines a workout plan for conditioning that does not require any equipment and can be done anywhere. These workouts can be done individually or as outlined in the video. You want to push your body to build muscle, but you do not want to overwork your body and injure yourself. Use your own judgement as to what is best for you or your player.
Outlined in Video Below:
4. Split Squat Jumps
5. Planks
6. Body Weight Pause Squats
7. Dead Stop Push-Ups
8. Rotator Cuff Exercises
9. Side Planks
10. 10-Yard Explosive Sprints
You can find Coach Justin on Youtube by clicking here.
Happy Training,
Coach Mike
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