[ Baseball ]
Baseball and Softball are games of hand-eye coordination, speed, strength and agility, but moreover, it is a game of concentration and strategy. Deciding on which pitch to steal a base is easier when a player is in top shape and not fatigued from the sprint to first base. The AR Norwood program is perfect for baseball and softball players because it uses patented Athletic Republic protocols that generate measurable results in an athlete’s speed, strength, and agility. Many of the world’s professional and elite athletes have benefited from Acceleration programs.
Now you can train like a pro.
With the Acceleration program, the average athlete
will see a 2-4 inch increase in vertical jump, a decrease of 0.2 seconds in a 40-yard sprint, and a 50% reduction in recovery rates.
Below is a detailed overview of our Baseball/Softball-based programs:
Objectives
- Improve running biomechanics
- Increase explosive power
- Increase stride length/stride frequency
- Increase maximum sprint speed
- Increase anaerobic tolerance
- Improve foot speed/agility
- Improve eye-hand coordination
- Enhance posture/body positioning
- Improve overall strength to reduce the risk of joint and tendon injuries
Components of Baseball/Softball Training
- Dynamic Warm-up/Cool-down
- Speed Training
- Strength Training
- Cardiovascular/Endurance Training
- Polymeric Training
- Flexibility, Dynamic Balance and Agility Training
- Core Stabilization Training
Dynamic Warm-up/Cool-down
- Dynamic warm-up consists of activities to increase heart rate, blood flow, muscle temperature, and breathing rate. Warming up allows muscles to stretch more easily and joints to move more easily, thereby preventing pulling muscles, most commonly hamstring and quadriceps. Our warm-up also focuses on agility, speed development and flexibility.
- Cooling down ensures athletes relax their muscles and reduce next-day soreness.
Speed Training
- Players run on Athletic Republic Generation II Super Treadmills. These treadmills can reach speeds of 28 miles an hour and an incline grade of 40 degrees.
- Players are taught proper running mechanics at high speeds. Stride efficiency and power make a faster, quicker runner.
- Players also learn visually by seeing themselves in a mirror and by using Dartfish video motion analysis —something they cannot get on the field.
Strength Training
- Baseball and softball players need incredible upper body strength to hit farther, throw faster, and catch better. A sound weight-training program promotes stability and reduces the risk of injury.
- Players utilize resistance bands, free-weights, medicine balls, and physio balls to strengthen muscles, joints and connective tissues.
- The exercises are bio mechanically specific to on-field skills including muscle movements used in hitting and throwing.
Cardiovascular/Endurance Training
- Cardiovascular and endurance training at AR Norwood includes short interval/high intensity sprinting sequences on our Generation II Super Treadmills. By using the same energy systems and tactical movements utilized in baseball and softball games, athletes become fitter and faster.
Plyometric Training
- Plyometric training is an effective form of power training ideally suited to baseball and softball. Players perform specific plyometric drills for increased motor performance (coordination), explosive power, vertical jump height, lateral power and rotation, and landing strength.
- Plyometric training combines elements of both speed and strength in single movement patterns that include the Athletic Republic PlyoPress, cord technology, longitudinal and vertical jumps, box jumps, and medicine ball drills for upper body and middle body torso power.
Flexibility
- Baseball-specific and softball-specific flexibility exercises include static stretching, isometric stretching, and active isolated stretching (AIS). Improved flexibility helps to prevent injuries by assuring the muscles and tendons work together properly. It also makes the muscles more elastic for increased lower body explosiveness.
Dynamic Balance
- Balance is crucial to every aspect of both baseball and softball. Baseball and softball players perform a series of balance-specific exercises to strengthen their stabilizing muscles and allow for better muscular synergy and joint control.
- Training routines include unstable and stable lifts, dynamic balance movements with the Bosu ball and a variety of off-balance training aids.
Agility
- Agility is the ability to change speed and direction while maintaining effective control of your body. In order to improve agility, athletes learn a variety of agility drills, including advanced ground-based agility patterns and use of a speed ladder.
- Ground-based agility patterns are conducted on our indoor Field Turf, track, and wood court.
Core Stabilization Training
- Core stabilization is essential for proper posture, balance and stabilization. Functional exercises focus on spinal stabilization and increased proprioception (the ability to read and respond to changing conditions) during sports activities.
- Core training consists of dynamic, multi-joint exercises that use free weights, medicine balls and circuit training.