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PERFORMANCECONDITIONING

A NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO IMPROVING BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PLAYERS

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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

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Welcome to Designing Your Conditioning Program- Fit to a T- Quick Starter Kit

No two conditioning programs are alike. If something "fits to a T" then it's perfect for your purpose and no one else. Wehave come up with a 7-T system to fit you to your T to get your athletes fit to perform at their best.

We have selected articles based on youth play to help you get started now. These articles are select as examples; your job isto make them fit to your T. Twice weekly you’ll be receiving additional articles to add to your 7-T system library.

Baseball and Softball Conditioning StatementThe basic skills and rules of the game for these two sports are similar and therefore the conditioning process is similar with

the two following two exceptions:1. The pitching delivery motion is different and therefore stress on the shoulder, recovery and other developmental factors are different.This difference will alter the conditioning process only to the extent of this difference. 2. For our purposes, baseball is predominately played by males, softball females. This gender difference, for the most part, shouldnot alter training and conditioning strategies.

However anatomical and hormonal differences do create modification to program design and therefore should be consideredin order to Fit your Program to a T.

T-1 Training Age/HistoryThis T is to avoid doing too much or the wrong thing. All too often advanced programs are prescribed to young, developing

athletes. All information present is assigned a training age beginning, intermediate and advanced.Training age is defined as:Beginning-Level athletes with training age of 0 to 2 yearsIntermediate-Level athletes with training age of 2 to 4 yearsAdvance-Level athletes with training age of over 4 years.

Training age year is continuous year-round conditioning beyond just playing baseball-softball.Training history is the summary of training age experience. If your athletes have trained on their own or with another coach

it’s important to learn what they have done. This will allow you to establish training age, habits, needs etc. Also history shouldinclude injuries and the response to rehabilitation.

Lean and Clean: A Long-Term, ComprehensiveApproach to Developing Young Baseball

Players- Early and Late BloomersDonovan T. Santas

Early and Late BloomersWhen young players reach the major league level there is a natural tendency to look to veteran players who have had a great

deal of major league experience. They will observe how the veterans prepare for play at this level and try to figure out what makesthem special.

These observations can be anywhere from how a veteran player carries himself, his personality and swagger, to on-fieldpreparation routine. It could be mechanics, conditioning or pure athleticism. The young players will take all these factors into accountand hopefully draw a conclusion as to what sets any particular veteran apart. Often it’s just drive and determination that sets themapart.

The question then becomes where can young athletes find good role models to experience some of these qualities and helpthem learn lean and clean? It’s easier for players already in the game—you are with them everyday. For the young players outsidethis environment it’s going to be more difficult to find an individual who sets himself above and does it the correct way. Role modelswill be different for many different reasons. So for the young players it may be a combination of various individuals—teammates,coaches and even parents that they turn to for a positive role model experience. It can make a big difference. However, an importantconsideration is how the young players react to role models and their level of maturity.

Understand the Maturation Process as it Relates to Baseball and Baseball ConditioningIn the little leagues a lot is dependent on how developed a young athlete is as a person. For some athletes starting conditioning

too soon won’t help them and in some cases may be a detriment. The youngest players have to be coachable enough to know theyare doing the activity correctly. At a young age it’s not a good idea to get too specialized with specific types of weight training reg-imens you see out there today. The younger athletes have to go where their body takes them and not try to force things too early. Thebottom line is some kids develop early, some later. I, personally, was a late developer. This is an important aspect of when to start a

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strength and conditioning program.Multiple sport activities allow players to develop more on nature’s clock. This is a good way of becoming a better athlete

without diving right into the weights. Soccer helps players with their footwork, which can transfer into field play. Also of help isthrowing different type of balls such as footballs to build arm strength.

Baseball Skill Development and Condition Considerations for Early BloomersThese individuals have good baseball skills early with an advantage athletically over peers of the same age. They will often

be stronger and perhaps taller and faster. They can start a structured strength and conditioning program at an earlier age under theguidance of a qualified instructor who has experience in working with younger athletes. The goal is to enhance early athletic abili-ties.

These athletes should start with bodyweight exercises before external load weight training. They should go at their own paceand not be pushed too hard even though they have an athletic ability advantage. As far as conditioning is concerned, which includesrunning and agility work, these should be done at a minimal level.

After a certain point the early bloomers rapid improvement in athletic abilities will start to diminish with their peers startingto catch up. When this happens it’s important to step up baseball skill work to maintain their advantage and not worry so much aboutthe weight room. These individuals probably have ample strength the do the skills effectively. They can become discouraged so theyhave to make a re-commitment to baseball skill work. This skill emphasis might be an investment in pitching lessons or hittinglessons. A lot of major league coaches and minor league players provide pitching and hitting lessons in the off-season and are greatresources. Baseball camps offer other opportunities.

Baseball Skill Development and Condition Considerations for Late BloomersThese people have more problems sticking with the game because of early frustration with the fact that they can see they are

not as advanced as their peers. For the late bloomers concentration of baseball skills early is the most important consideration. Gettingthe throwing motion right, etc. is important.

One of the problems I experienced growing up was minimal coaching. As a late bloomer I felt that had a negative impact. Iwasn’t educated on how to properly throw a baseball or swing a bat. I had to figure things out on my own. What this baseball skillfocus does is allow the young players to compete with athletes who, at the time, are bigger and stronger. Even though they might nothit the ball as far, they’ll be able to make contact. This will help them stick with it until they develop more physically. The physicalskills will be accommodated later on when their body is ready, which may be into the high school years.

How to tell the difference between an early and late bloomer is a great mystery. The way I figured out I was a late bloomerwas that in college I wasn’t the smallest but was pretty close. At the start, I was five feet nine inches and 150 pounds. I realized I wasbehind physically so I started weight training and developed fast putting on a lot of weight. It was ready to happen at that point. Ihad no structured weight-training program in high school so the gain might have come then rather than in college. This is what in-trigues me about the profession of strength and conditioning for baseball and one of the reasons I pursued it as a career. To giveothers the opportunity I didn’t get to develop fully as a player.

With physical ability levels lacking initially for the late bloomers, lack of self-confidence can become an issue. If a childcan see improvement and get stronger, this is a great boost in confidence. They can start to feel it transfer onto the field. The bigthing for coaches and parents is to make sure the children are trying their hardest. The beauty about conditioning is that if you workhard results will come no matter what.

Training Considerations: Instant Weight Room with TubingAreas of the back, core and legs constitute the emphasis of training young baseball players. Most athletes are developed on

the anterior side (the muscles you see when you look in a mirror). Players should start with body weight and progress to resistancedevices.

The first thing athletes should do is start squatting with body weight and progress to weight vests and medicine ball squats.For core strength, players should look beyond the traditional “on the floor” exercises such as the crunch. Core stability is one of thefirst things the players should address. Simple bridgework on the floor and with physioballs is a good start.

For the back, one of the forms of resistance that the players can use is tubing. We have found this to be an effective, portable,do anytime/anywhere method of training. We travel with it even in the big leagues. I call it my instant weight room. Presented belowis a quick routine that players can do for the back, including shoulders. The underlining principle is to do anything that includes apull. This is an important movement for baseball players. There is a wide variety of pulling motions that can be done at different an-gles. Detailed in the program presented are various exercises that can be variations of the simple standing row.

Programs should be individualized because the needs of each athlete are different. Therefore, we present a variety of exercisescoaches can choose from based on the pulling motion. It is by no means a complete list but offers a good variety and shows how acoach can create. These exercises can be done as a circuit or in a traditional set/reps/rest fashion.

By starting at the right time and being consistent the players, early or late bloomers, will realize results and gain the abilityto reach their full baseball potential.

How-to Tubing ExercisesProper progression is important. Resistance and assistance is determined by increasing tension of the cord, which is done by

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decreasing its length.

Safety/Progression Considerations• No cord should be stretched beyond twice its original length.• Be sure cords are securely tied, hooked or snapped in place at all times. Routinely inspect

cords for cuts, nicks and rough spots.• When performing assisted exercises start by stretching the cord to only 50 percent of its orig-

inal length. If a player can perform the exercises with perfect technique, then increase thelength.

Standing Row (Figure 1)• Secure tubing and tie them off facing forward.• Extend arms and hands straightforward.• Back is flat and in a neutral position; abdominals tight.• Feet are together and knees bent.• Pull the band to the chest.• As the tubing is pulled toward the body, rotate at the wrist from pronation (knuckles up) to

(knuckles neutral) or supination (knuckles down).• Return to starting position.

Standing Row at 45º (Figure 2): Execute the same procedure as the standing row only:• Secure tubing and tie them off at a 45º position, facing forward.

Standing Row Archer (Figure 3): Execute the same procedure as the standing row only:• Stand with one foot forward holding the tubing in one hand at the same side as the forward

foot.• Draw the hand back and step back with the same side foot.• Bring the hand to chest position.• Repeat with the other hand.

Standing Row Straight Arm Pull Down (Figure 4): Execute the same procedure as the stand-ing row only:

• Secure tubing by tying them off overhead facing forward.• Extend arms and hands overhead.• With elbows slightly bent, pull the band down past the hips as far as possible working a full

arching range of motion.

Standing Row with a Squat (Figure 5): Execute the same procedure as the standing row only:• Feet parallel and slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed forward.• Under control but quickly, bend hips backward; bend knees and ankles and pull in resistance

band.• Descend until tops of thighs are parallel to floor.• Straighten hips and knees to return to upright position while returning tubing to extended

position.

Tips for doing the Squat:• Do not bounce at bottom position.• Do not bring knees together coming up.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 4

Figure 3

Figure 5

T-2 TimeTime has two factors:A. Time of yearB. Time available on a daily basis.

Start with a calendar and mark your off-season, pre-season, in-seasons. This calendar is unique to your program. Next fillin your Competitions/Practices/Conditioning/Recovery schedule for each season/week/day. Be sure to include and how much timeyou can devote to conditioning. If conditioning is part of practice be sure to put this in. Don’t forget recovery days!


To start a program here is a great overview to get stated.

Lean and Clean: A Long-Term, Comprehensive Approach to Developing Young Baseball Players,

Working with 12-Year-Olds Jose Vazquez

Three Factors in Developing Young PlayersI started in strength and conditioning working with young athletes. This happened through my working with and coaching

youth baseball. Working with these young kids gave me the foundation of what I do today in working with players at the MajorLeague level.

This experience was on a long-term basis by starting with a team of 12-year-olds and working with them until they were 15and 16. During this four year period I got to see players develop through their puberty playing 70 to 80 games a season. This wasmost equivalent to a minor league season. Our training started in November and lasted until the end of summer. I observed firsthand the effects and relationship of baseball with training and conditioning.

Working with 12-Year-OldsAt this age the thing that jumps out at you is the players’ overall lack of coordination when doing traditional conditioning

exercises. It seems that young boys today don’t spend as much time outside playing and doing physical activity. From my experiencesgrowing up, a lot of the coordination I achieved was simply by playing stickball out in the back yard. Today, if youngsters aren’tplaying organized sports they are playing video games. This lack of coordination was seen by their inability to maintain balancedoing simple body weight squats, lunges or agility drills such as basic running techniques, change in direction, skipping and jumping.However, the good thing about these athletes was their curiosity about training and conditioning. They realized that to do well atbaseball they had to do something extra beyond just playing baseball.

Years ago weight training was taboo at all levels of baseball—now these 12- and 13-year-olds have it in their heads that “ifI’m going to be a baseball player I have to get bigger, faster and stronger, and weight training is the way to do it.”

Another factor I need to bring to the reader’s attention that is both good and bad, the parents. They are eager to have theirboys train and condition. Some parents believe that if their son goes through a strength and conditioning program they are going tothrow a 95-mile per hour fastball and be a #1 draft pick. We know that it doesn’t work that way. The positive aspect of this was thesupport I received from the parents with the program. This combination was both encouraging and challenging at the same time.Parents can be a player’s biggest help or worst enemy. The three factors: lack of coordination, player eagerness to train and condition,and parent involvement helped me establish a plan.

Factor #1: CoordinationThe first question on this issue is where to start and the answer is at the beginning. It’s surprising that with some players,

even on the Major League level, you have to begin with some very basic fundamental movement skills. We start with pushups,bodyweight squats, skipping, jumping on and off a box, and proper running techniques including basic arm swing. For some reason,baseball players to a large extent don’t know how to use their arms. They round first base looking like a plane doing a crash land-ing.

There is a tendency for coaches to take short cuts and not devote time to these very basic skills. Many times its becausecoaches lack a basic understanding of these skills and their importance. Coaches need to develop an eye for good mechanics throughrepeated observation. For example the squat—the coach needs to learn how to break this movement down to its simplest form. Startwith foot position, relationship of the angle of the back and hip, and knee alignment as the players squat down. Watch if the kneesflair out or remain straight over the toe as the players reach the bottom position. In the bottom position, are they sitting into it orbending forward placing stress on the back? Coaches need to develop a check-off list to look for critical points in all basic movements.There are people who put out information on functional tests that do this. Be sure to see the Basic Movement Check-Off section ac-companying this article for more information.

There are also agility tests, such as the T-test that coaches can use once the athletes have mastered basic movement skills.These tests give the coach ideas and information on right to left dominance. For example, in the 10-yard dash a player who startsstanding balanced on the right side (which is the position the is predominate in baseball) may have a better time than if standing onthe left. This could indicate a possible muscle imbalance between the right and left side. These tests are useful but a trained eye isthe best measurement stick for the coach to test basic movement skills.

There is an educational background to help coaches eyeball these skills so coaches should become familiar with these skillsbefore setting out to correct the players. The Basic Movement Check-Off will provide coaches with a good starting point. Then, justlike in baseball, it becomes a matter of repetition. The more you do it the more familiar you become and confident in making thenecessary adjustments.

If a coach is not comfortable with teaching these movements s/he might want to consider seeking outside help. The bestidea is to find someone who is familiar with baseball and conditioning. A great place to start is on the collegiate and professional


levels. These individuals are paid as full time professionals to teach these skills and can help you refine your skills of observation asto what to look for. Ask questions. I’ve learned a lot from meeting these types of people and asking them questions. I’ve found thatthe majority are willing to help and share their ideas.

Factor #2: Training and Conditioning and Wanting to Get BetterThe challenge in this area is to blend conditioning with the sport of baseball. One of the current trends happening is that

young, developing players associate weight training and conditioning with baseball—this is something new. In the old days this wasnot the case. Little League training consisted of playing catch before the game. Now the mentality is to train and condition. Strengthand conditioning is now part of baseball practice. This new mindset helps coaches in dealing with players in their training. If the as-sociation isn’t there it’s very hard to convince a player that doing squats is going to help him or her with hitting because it doesn’tlook like hitting. However, if you have strong legs and train them on a consistent basis, it’ll help you endure 162 games.

If the association is there with players, they will have training success. The group of kids and their parents I worked withhad this mentality. There was no selling on my part. They were convinced that training and conditioning was part of the big pictureand that picture included weight training, sprint and speed/agility work, hitting, throwing and taking ground and fly balls. It allbecame one.

The next issue that needs to be addressed is the difference in training and conditioning based on the season. I had kids foralmost the entire year. We trained harder in the off-season but it was explained to them that once the season started, training wouldbecome less a part of the big picture. The emphasis became more to maintain. Work changes based on demands of the game and thepositions they play.

Creating the association of baseball to training and conditioning is a big balancing act. In the coaches and players mindsthere are things that look like baseball and things that don’t look like baseball at all. I feel my success as a strength and conditioningcoach for baseball has come when I’ve been able to communicate how things that look like baseball will benefit, but more importantly,how the things that don’t look like baseball are going to help. With the “look like baseball activities” I constantly remind the playersas they do the exercises how it will help. If they are throwing a medicine ball, I’ll relate that to how it equates to hitting. In runningsprints, we get in a position that mimics running from first to third. Being a former baseball player has helped me get this messageacross. I equate what I did back then to what we are doing now and it fits together. This is the information that I reinforce with myplayers.

Non-specific baseball movement takes a little more explanation. I have to relate how the exercise will improve strength andpower and relate this to the game. I also relate the exercise to the mind-body connection, which is a big part of the game. Playersmay have to step out of the box and remind themselves to stay back to hit the ball to right field. In doing the squat, you have to keepthe back straight and go through a sequence of movements to perform the task correctly. It’s the same mind-body connection andtelling yourself and your muscles what needs to be done to get the job done. It’s still making that important connection.

Factor #3: Dealing with ParentsMany parents lack patience—they want things to happen, yesterday. They want to know why their child isn’t proceeding as

fast as they would like. The parents are pushing, which in some cases, may lead to a player experimenting with performance enhancingsubstances such as steroids.

These parents have unrealistic expectations and have lost a sense of reality. Games at the higher levels of youth baseballhave an almost professional feel to them. The players train and condition; the parents pay for them being on the team and they travelall over. It becomes more than fun.

When playing and training for baseball there has to be a sense of enjoyment. As a young player I enjoyed the training part.I’d go out and make having fun part of my training. Parents often forget that baseball is still a game and that training and conditioningis just part of the game. If a kid doesn’t like either, the parents can push all they want but there will be a point in time when theplayer will stand up and say, “no more.” From a coaching standpoint this type of athlete can become very difficult to deal with. Youknow his actions are not coming from within but from the parents in a forced way. The athlete will not train with enthusiasm as op-posed to those whose efforts come from within. Form my experience the positive aspect is that the athlete will be gone from the pro-gram quickly. Of the 12 kids I started with seven went to college and one made it to the majors as a first round pick. All eight hadtalent—one had major league talent. This was a matter of genetics not that this individual trained harder.

Though this experience I’ve developed a philosophy that I tell the parents: “If my training happens to coincide with your ge-netics you’re going to see some results. I can guarantee that s/he will become strong but I can’t guarantee s/he will become a better baseball player.” You can’t expect miracles. If the parents are both five feet two, it’s highly unlikely that their child will be six two—there aren’t any players at the Major League level that are five two. This is the reality. It’s what you do with the genetics that willdetermine how far a player will go. Being the strength coach and baseball coach in one, this message was easy for me to explain tothe parents.

Another thing I explained is that baseball is a cruel sport. As the competition gets higher and higher, people get weededout—that’s the way it is. You get a coach who doesn’t think a player can play and that’s it. I explained that you paid to be on thisteam, but it’s a different story when you have to go and try out. You will have to impress somebody. Somebody is going to have tolike you and believe you have potential. Once you’re out there you’re going to have to perform.

Going into high school, if you play for a bad team you’ll make the team and play. If you go to a state champion school, itmay be your senior year before you get a chance to play. Baseball is not a fair game in the way the evaluation system works. There’s


a lot of politics. You have to remember that this is not for everybody. You’ll run into things that will shake your world. You have todecide if you like the game or not.

As the players move up to high school, college and beyond, all this will take care of itself. These are the realities of thissport that must be put into perspective. I wish I had these explanations give to me when I was growing up. It’s important to explainto the kids what the realities are and keep things in the open. Parents appreciate this approach. I remember that the parents and kidswho had realistic expectations were the ones who came back and thanked me for what I did for them. The training, conditioning andstrength work is a part of it but not the ultimate determining factor. So train to be lean in a clean environment and good luck.

Basic Movement Check-Off

Jumping MechanicsTo learn how to jump and land properly it’s important to understand the proper mechanics of the jump. The three contributing

joints of the body are the hip, knee and ankle. Visually think of these joints as having three large rubber bands at the location of eachjoint. These rubber band increases in energy as they are tightened. As an athlete crouches down, this puts the rubber bands (muscles)in a stretched position. The result is a stronger contraction or movement of the muscles that are stretched crossing the hip, knee andankle. The end game is an increase of force into the ground, which raises the center of gravity to the max. Here’s the progression thattakes place:

1) Arm Swing - This action raises the center of gravity to the max before takeoff and then transfers momentum to the entire bodythus increasing ground reaction force.2) Trunk Extension - This is where the most power is generated. The muscles of the hip are the largest and strongest in the body.Therefore, they have the most impact on height of the jump and proper jump mechanics.3) Knee Extension - This area is where most injuries occur. Proper alignment with the feet and hips is critical.4) Ankle Extension - Serves a minor role in jump mechanic force production.

Landing is the opposite sequence from takeoff. The order is reversed starting sequentially with the ankle, knee and hipbending to absorb force. The takeoff is a chain reaction sequence where one segment begins decelerating as the next segment beginsaccelerating. Proper jumping technique is a result of effective movement in which timing and coordination

of the muscles accelerating and decelerating in the different segments of the body is sequenced properly. This must be taught andemphasized constantly, especially for beginning young female athletes.Jumping TechniqueSet Up

• Feet/hips are shoulder width with toes slightly ahead of the knee or slightly rotated out with feet under the knees.• Motion should be fluid using hand and arm swing.• Jump should be done flat-footed upon initial ascent, rotating up onto balls of the feet.• Back should be neutral and flat. Small of the back should not be arched inward. This is done by titling the pelvis forward to po-

sition. Stomach muscles are tight.• Avoid rounding the shoulders on take off.• Head is forward looking, chest up.

Action• Lower the body into a squatting position with knees, hips and ankles at a 90-degree angle, arms and hands

swung behind hips. Knees straight over toes, not out to the side.• Swing the arms and hands forward and up extending at the hips, knees and ankles to full body extension

with hand and arms straight overhead.• Land on balls of the feet focusing on a quiet landing by flexing the hips, knees and ankles to a 90-degree

angle.• Practice a soft, quiet landing.• On landing, avoid knees coming together.

Learning Progression of Proper Change of Direction through Jumping Technique

Step 1The task here is to get the feet in proper position to change direction in proper sequence. Start with

learning proper jumping.Jumps in Place. Use proper jump techniques as described.Tuck Jumps. Use proper jump techniques as described only on ascent, bring the knees as close to the chest as possible (See Figure1).

Figure 1


Step 2The next progression is learning change of direction on flat surfaces.

Pivots• Feet/hips are shoulder width, toes slightly ahead of knees or slightly rotated out with feet under the knees.• Back should be neutral and flat. Small of the back should not be arched inward. This is done by titling the pelvis forward to po-

sition. Stomach muscles tight.• Head is forward looking, chest up.• Pivot right to left on balls of the feet, rotating at the hips and leading with the hands. Then pivot left to right.

Step 3The next progression is to add sprints to jumping and direction change activities.

Four Directions to Sprint• Do Pivots to a sprint of five yards then combine with backpedaling and forward sprints in random sequence.

JP 5 Jumps to Sprint• Do Jumps in place and sprint five yards upon landing. Increase acceleration once good landing techniques are mastered.

Jump Pivot to Sprint• Do Jumps in place and pivot upon landing, then sprint five yards right to left, left to right, backpedal and forward. Once technique

is mastered, the coach can instruct athletes as to which direction to go upon landing.

Step 4While maintaining good jumps and change of direction mechanics, introduce baseball-specific skills at game action speed

work. Bring in sport-specific implements such as a ball. Perform the skill at the end of the sprint. You can be creative integratingbaseball skills that challenge the athletes.Squat (See Figure 2)

• Feet parallel and slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed out slightly with abs in a static (contracted position), pelvisin a neutral position.

• Clasp hands behind head, eyes straight ahead.Going Down:

• Under control but quickly, bend hips backward; bend knees and ankles.• Inhaling, descend until tops of thighs are parallel to floor.

Coming Up:• Exhale as you straighten hips and knees to return to upright position.• Eyes focused straight ahead.

Tips:• Do not bounce at bottom position.• Do not bring knees together coming up.• Avoid pelvis tilts forward—this puts stress on the back.• Stabilize the spine with the abs allowing maximum mobility at the hip joints.

Sprint MechanicsBody Position:

Alignment of the body is specific to the running requirements.In acceleration, there is more forward lean especially at the beginning.

At top speed the body is more upright.Arm Action:

Arm Swing range of motion is back to the triceps parallel to the ground, forward to the fist at eye level.Swing is straight with hands relaxed and just touching the pockets.

In acceleration, the motion is shorter, more piston-like.At top speed, smooth.

Leg Action:In acceleration, extend the ankles, knees and hips simultaneously (triple extension) to produce the greatest force possible

against the ground. To stop quickly, bend the ankle, knee and hip for control.At top speed, rather than pushing against the ground, run over the ground without full triple extension.

Figure 2

Planning the Off-season Husker Baseball-2008 Summer (Off-season) Workout

Mike Arthur

Planning the Off-season


This is the final part of our summer workout program. Presented is the program with the methods we use to establish workload.

For example, to use the poundage chart, on Monday when you do the Bench Press, it calls for 2 sets x 10 reps. Go to thepoundage chart. Find columns one and two under the 3x10 column. Look down the columns until you find the poundages you thinkyou can accomplish (example, 170 & 180). The first set you would do 170 for ten reps and on the second set you would do 180 for10 reps. On Week 2 and after do 3x10.

This would give you a predicted 1RM of 260 pounds. Record the 1RM in the space to the right of Dumbbell Bench Pressand under Week 1. If the poundages are easy, increase your 1RM the next workout. If the poundages were difficult and did not allowgood technique, reduce the 1RM the next workout. An arrow can be put in that same column next to the poundage to indicate whetherto increase or decrease the 1RM the next workout.

Beep TestAll new incoming student athletes must take the beep test before participating in any conditioning or practice session. The

objective is to determine any unknown heart problems that would prevent a new student athlete from participating in any conditioningprogram and/or sport practice. Each athlete must attain a minimum VO2 level, based on their bodyweight.

The beep test consists of running a twenty meter (21.5 yards) shuttle down and back. It is progressive in nature, where itstarts off at a slow pace and each minute gets a little faster. The first minute seven intervals are run (140 meters). During the ninthminute eleven intervals are run (220 meters). A CD player is usedand beeps to pace you for each twenty meter interval.

I suggest running the twenty yard shuttle run (twenty yardsdown and back). This will get you used to making the turns. Run thisfor 10 minutes at a time keeping track of how many 20 yard intervalsyou can run. Do this twice a week. Running 80 to 100 twenty yardintervals in ten minutes is a good goal that is if you can keep count.Always start off slow and try to gradually pick up the pace over the10 minute time span. Always touch one line with the right foot andthe other line with the left foot. This is so you don’t run in a circleby pushing off the same leg each time you turn.


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University of Nebraska’s Three WeekOff/pre-season “Flex” Program for Softball

Laura Pilakwski

The following program is devoted to the ultimate goal of developing softball/baseball specific power. For this reason it canbe considered a “pre-season” program. But because of its flexibility in its design it can also be preformed as part of an “off-season”program. It can also be used during the summer prior to the start of fall ball or in the winter prior to the start of the collegiate season.By combining strength development with power this program offers the coach a great deal of training possibilities. This programcan be changed based on the needs of the athletes, the time of year, how much time there is to train and many other real worldrealities that effect training and the conditioning process. The program is organized into modules, strength development, speed andagility development with position conditioning added at the discretion of the coach. The base program calls for lifting and the speedand agility done twice a week, Monday strength Tuesday speed/agility/conditioning with rest on Wednesday and the sequence re-peated Thursday and Friday. But lifting can be done only once a week if time is limited or speed/agility/conditioning is to be em-phasized.

Another option is the twice a week approach. This can be done the following ways. The first is on the same day lift and doconditioning/agility/speed later in the day for an hour each. Or another way is to do the entire workout at the same time, two hoursstraight. Although not ideal from a recovery standpoint, real world considerations may mandate this strategy. Based on coaching decision, thespeed/agility/conditioning can be done first with lifting second or vise versa.

The four day a week approach has the advantage of better recovery and more quality work with better focus.

ProgressionThe program is based on three week cycles. In collegiate softball the time allotted for the pre-season is usually three week.

But the flex program can be extended up to an additional three week by increasing the volume and intensity of this time frame andrepeating the exercises from the first three weeks.

Working in Softball Skills Depending on the group of athletes the coach may want to work in softball skill with some of the speed/agility/conditioning

work done. An example can be found in day two where stealing starts are prescribed. Here we may advocate having the player indifferent position they might be in during a game. They can also do position starts where they start from, for example, in a catcher’scrouch explode up an chase down a ball in a bunt situation. Each team member can be in their field position and upon the pitch ofa ball move in a softball specific pattern based on their position. The cue is the pitch. The coach can also add in some footwork drills based on what s/he feels the players need to work on. Softball skills work can beintroduced in progression. In week one day two the coach might do three stealing starts and finish with position specific movements.

Adding More ConditioningThe beauty of this flex program is that a coach may, early in the three week cycle add more con-

ditioning to the speed/agility/conditioning part of the program. We do this in the form of 40 yard dashintervals. The work to rest intervals are usually one to ten, so the emphasis is still on speed. But thecoach can reduce this work to rest ratio down to one to five depending on the volume of work or whatthe coach’s goals are. This can be varied from doing 20’s, 40’s, 60’s and from time to time up to 100’s.The work to rest stays the same. As a general rule the long the distance the more emphasis on condi-tioning, the shorter the distance the more on speed.

To add an agility element we’ll do cut backs where the go the required distance (up to 60 yards)cut back and do a sprint return to the starting distance. Another variation is the ladder the sprints, 10out and back, 20 out and back, 30 out and back etc. If the conditioning is emphasized the coach maywant to separate conditioning from the speed/agility/conditioning and do the conditioning on off days.The softball skills we described earlier can be introduced later in the program so the athlete is performingsoftball specific movements in an interval fashion. One rule of thumb we use is to do the conditioningat the end of the workout.

The flex program has endless possibilities. The exercises we present can be changed based onthe equipment available, administrative set up considerations, personal preference of the coach to namea few. We have changed the exercises as our program has evolved but the module we use has stayed thesame (See Charts One and Two).

Planning the Pre-season

Workout One

Shoulder Raises 3x10

Hang Clean 3x5

Squat 4x5

Bench Press 3x5

RDL 2x10

Seated Low Row 3x10

Core Abs

Workout Two

Shoulder Raises 3x10

Hang Clean 4x5

Front Squat 3x5

Incline Bench Press 4x5

DB RDL 2x10

DB Row 3x10

Med Ball Abs

CHART 1


Agility/Speed/Conditioning Exercise Distance GuideBuildups40yardsFlying 10s, 20s, 30s 40 yardsStealing Starts 20 yards (Start on stomach with hands out, either head firstor sideways)Hollow Sprints 100 yards (10 yard intervals & 20 yard intervals, jog 10 sprint10 jog 10 sprint 10...)Stadium Steps (40 steps) or Sprints (60 yards)Backpedal/Sprint (Sprint 10 yards, Backpedal 5 yards, Sprint 10 yards,Backpedal 5 yardsMirror Drill (catcher specific blocking…)Pro Agility (left 5 yards…right 10 yards…back 5 yards)Ladders (15-10-5…15-10-15…10-5-10…20-15-10 all sprinting)Line Jumps (10 front/back…side to side…and 15 yards one leg along line)

4 Cone Drill (sprint…shuffle…backpedal…shuffle and sprint…carioca…backpedal…carioca)

How-to Agility/Speed/Conditioning Exercise

Buildups (Figure 1)Purpose: Improves acceleration.Procedure:1. Start off with a standing start andgo into a slow run.2. Gradually build up speed until youare at full speed at 40 yards.3. Once full speed is achieved at 40yards, gradually slow down over the final 20 yards.Key Points:1. Make sure athlete does not accelerate to fast or slow.2. Have athlete run at full speed when 40 yards is reached.3. Avoid running at full speed after 40 yards is reached.

Stadium Steps (Figure 2)Purpose: This drill develops explosiveness and stride length.Procedure:1. Concentrate on driving off the hind leg extending completely at the ankle,knees and hips.2. Drive knees and heels up as your leg carries forward3. Hold your arms at 90 degree angles with a straight swinging motion.4. Drive elbows back and up on back swing. On forward swing hands shouldcome level with the shoulders.5. Walk back to the boom of the steps.6. Run the next set of steps as soon as you reach the bottom.Key Points:1. Getting triple extension at the ankles, knees and hips.2. Using good arm action.3. Getting good drive with the legs.

Flying 10s (Figure 3)Purpose: Improve acceleration and stride frequency.Procedure:1. Start running at half speed building speed at each stride for the first 30 yards.2. The acceleration should be continuous throughout the first 30 yards.3. By the time you reach the 30-yard mark, you should be running at full speed (flying).4. Continue to sprint for 10 more yards.Key Points:1. Do not accelerate too fat or slow; the build up should be constant for 10 yards.2. Sprint the entire second 10 yards.

CONDITIONING/SPEED/AGILITY WORKOUT

Week 1 Day One Day Two

Warm Up Warm Up

Buildups 4 Buildups 4

Flying 10s 4 Stealing Starts 6

Stealing Starts 6 Mirror Drill 6

Hollow Sprints 2 Line Jumps 3

Stadium Steps or 5 Pro Agility 4

Sprints 5 Ladders 3

Total Reps 21 Total Reps 26


Warm Up Warm Up



Flying 20s 4 Mirror Drill 6

Hollow Sprints 3 Pro Agility 4

Stadium Steps or 6 Line Jumps 4

Sprints 6 Backpedal/Sprint 4



Warm Up Warm Up



Flying 20s 4 Mirror Drill 6

Flying 30s 2 4 Cone Drill 4

Hollow Sprints 4 Backpedal/Sprint 4

Stadium Steps or 7 Ladders 5

Sprints 7


CHART 2

START

FINISH

60 Yards

40 Yards 20 Yards

Constant Buildup of Speed Slowing

Figure 1

Figure 2

40 Yards

START

FINISH

Constant Buildup of Speed Full Sprint

30 Yards 10 Yards

Figure 3

P E R F O R M A N C E C O N D I T I O N I N G B A S E B A L L / S O F T B A L L - F I T T O A T Q U I C K S TA RT E R K I T PA G E 1 3

Flying 20s (Figure 4)Purpose: Improves acceleration and stride frequency.Procedure:1. Start running at half speed building speed at each stride for the first 30 yards.2. The acceleration should be continuous throughout the first 30 yards.3. By the time you reach the 30-yard mark, you should be running at full speed (flying).4. Continue to sprint for 20 more yards.Key Points:1. Do not accelerate too fast or slow; the build up should be constant for 20 yards.2. Sprint the entire second 20 yards.

Flying 30s (Figure 5)Purpose: Improves acceleration and stride frequency.Procedure:1. Start running at half speed building speed at each stride for the first 30 yards.2. The acceleration should be continuous throughout the first 30 yards.3. By the time you reach the 30-yard mark, you should be running at full speed (flying).4. Continue to sprint for 30 more yards.Key Points:1. Do not accelerate too fast or slow; the build up should be constant for 30 yards.2. Sprint the entire second 30 yards.

Hollow Sprints (Figure 6)Purpose: To Improve acceleration.Procedure:1. Athlete starts by running at half speed for 20 yards.2. The athlete then sprints at full speed for 20 yards.3. The athlete then slows back to the original half speed and runs another 20 yards.4. The athlete then sprints at full speed for 20 yards and then runs at half speed another 20yards.Key Points:1. Athlete changes from half to full speed at designated points.2. Athlete accelerates to full speed.3. Sprint at full speed for the required distance.

Four Cone Drill (Figure 7)Purpose: To Improve change of direction, footwork and flexibility in hips.Procedure: 1. Start on the right side of the square and run forward.2. At first cone make a reverse pivot by throwing your right shoulder clockwise.3. Carioca to the next cone.4. Reverse pivot and backpedal to the next cone.5. Reverse pivot and carioca to the finish.Key Points:1. Make sure the athletes are facing the proper direction when doing the carioca.2. Make sure the athletes back pivot.3. Have good acceleration and deceleration while sprinting to the first cone.

Ladder Drill (Figure 8)Purpose: To develop agility and conditioning. Procedure:1. Begin in a three-point stance on the start line.2. Sprint to the first line (five yards), touch the line with your right foot, and return tostarting line and touch with the left foot.3. Sprint to the second line (ten yards), touch the line with your right foot, and returnto the starting line and touch with the left foot.4. Sprint to the first line (five yards), touch the line with your right foot and return tothe starting line.Key Points:

50 Yards

20 Yards

START

FINISH


30 Yards

Figure 4

60 Yards

30 Yards 30 Yards

START

FINISH


Figure 5

20 Yards 20 Yards 20 Yards 20 Yards 20 Yards

half

speedhalf

speed

half

speedfull

speed

full

speed

100 Yards

FINISH

START

Figure 6

Reverse PivotReverse Pivot

Reverse Pivot

Carioca

facing this

direction

5 or 10 yardsBack Pedal Run

Forward

Start

Carioca

facing this

direction

Figure 7

Shuffle FacingThis Direction

15

5

10Push off with your

left foot each time

you reach this line

Push off with your

right foot each time

you reach this line

Figure 8


1. Always have the athletes touch the line at the five-yard intervals with the right foot and the starting line with the left foot. This isso the athletes push off with each leg and don’t run in circles.2. All runs are at full speed.

Backpedal/Sprint (Figure 9)Purpose: To Develop agility, conditioning and change of direction.Procedure:1. Begin in a two-point stance standing with your back to the start line.2. Backpedal to the first line (five yards), touch the line with either foot, and sprint to the startingline and touch with either foot.3. Backpedal to the second line (10 yards), touch the line with either foot, and sprint to the start-ing line and touch with either foot.3. Backpedal to the first line (five yards), touch the line with either foot and sprint to the startingline.Key Points:1. Keep low on the backpedal.2. All runs are at full speed.3. Good acceleration coming out of the backpedal.

Mirror Dill: Athletes pair up position-specific. Cones are set 8 yards apart. One player starting at a cone may do movements specificto a catcher such as exploding out of a deep crouch position, shuffle to the right. The partner does the same movement mirroring theactivity. The first athlete is trying to fake the other player out in a race to get to the opposite cone.

Pro Agility Drill (Figure 10)Purpose: To improve footwork, change of direction and reaction time.Procedure:1. From two-point stance straddle the middle line.2. Sprint to the right line and touch it with the right hand.3. Push off forcefully and sprint back across the middle line to the left line and touchthat line with your left hand.4. Sprint back to the right, finishing at the middle line.Key Points:1. When running to the right, always touch line with the right hand and when runningto the left always touch line with the left hand. This insures that the athlete will push offwith opposite feet.2. Make sure the athletes touch the lines with their hands.3. Up to five athletes do the drill at the same time and race. 4. An athlete or coach and stand in front and point to the right or left to start the athletes.5. Stay low when changing directions.

Note: Three way shoulder is done more as a warm-up a shoulder routine can be substituted if a player has a particular shoulderissue.

Figure 9

5 Yards

Start Facing

This Direction

Touch Line With

Left Hand

Figure 10

5 Yards

Planning the In-season

Lean and Clean: A Long-Term, Comprehensive Approach to Developing Young Baseball Players-

In-season Conditioning for the Select Team PlayerAllen Wirtala

It is important for the young player to start a program as soon as possible. Most players at the major league level have beendoing something for 15-20 years. Players who come into our minor league system may not have been in a good high school programand we start them on a program immediately so that it becomes a good habit. The goal for every young player is to create good con-ditioning habits early. It gets easier as the young player moves up the competitive ladder because the facilities are better and moreaccessible. It is tough at this level to get a good workout in on the A-level because the facilities are not there. Stadiums in the majorleagues have a visitor’s weight room close to the club house.

At an early age, lifting should be done with bodyweight activities (pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups) and minimum resistance ac-tivities (rotator cuff exercises) to get the muscles fired in ways they are not necessarily accustomed to. All exercises should focus


getting the athlete on the right path in creating good habits, proper progression and training year-round.

The Sports Mix- Integrating Select Baseball with Other SportsSelect baseball incorporates players from 10-14 years old playing 60-75+ games April thru July. The focus on this group is

to play competitive baseball as much as possible to improve baseball skills. Once baseball is over, the athletes play competitivelymore than in other sports. This reduces or even eliminates the opportunity for the athlete to develop strength and power through re-sistance training. Is there a place to condition the athletes during this time? At the professional level, the player plays six monthsa year and conditions six months a year to play baseball.

The situation is different at the youth select level. The first consideration in a program is to choose exercises that cross overinto other sports. This means doing basic, large muscle group exercises to develop a good strength/power base. You should dorotator cuff exercises if you are a football quarterback and baseball pitcher. If you are playing sports year-round, there is little chanceto get out of conditioning when strength training is done year-round, regardless of the sport. Some things are done differently andothers are similar. Building in some rest periods throughout the year may get overlooked. It is important not to have the athlete doa lifting program 12 straight months out of the year. It would be ideal to have a one-month buffer between sports when a two-weekrest period is given without any lifting or sports activity. The final two weeks are devoted to getting ready for that sport as it ap-proaches.

In-season Select Baseball Training There are three types of activities that an athlete can do: baseball skill training (essential at this age), general strength training

(squats) and more specific conditioning (speed/agility work that builds on the basic strength/power base). You cannot put strengthover speed development or vice visa at the younger level because the two are equally important. They must be trained and developedsimultaneously.

A typical select week might be a Tuesday practice/game, a Thursday practice/game with multiple games during theweekend. The athletes should have the chance after the practice session to get in a workout. This allows for all the skills work tobe done first since this is a priority. The single game/practice scenario probably is not that strenuous. Learning cut-offs, rehearsinggame situations and hitting/fielding are the focus or skills work, not running 110 sprints. This allows the athlete to get in a goodworkout afterwards with enough energy to spare. The coach could do a lower body workout on the Tuesday and an upper bodyworkout on Thursday with core/abdominal training with agility/speed each of the two days. They do not require much recoverytime. The total time should be no longer than 30 minutes. This play would allow for recovery day on Monday, Wednesday andFriday.

Actual programs would be dependent on the equipment available. The workout could be very similar regardless of posi-tion—players at this level usually play multiple positions. Exercises selected should be broad. The bench press is not done often atthe professional level, but balance muscular development is important at the young age. Chest work should be included in the upperbody day. Press movements are also important in the upper body sequence. This activity may not be done to any extent at the majorleague level, but it is important for the overall balance development for the young player. The coach can select single- and double-legged activities for the lower body. Power should also be incorporated and doing simple vertical jumps are an easy activity. Oneexercise I recommend for lateral movement is what I call the “Ricky Henderson.”— single leg jumps side to side for distance (seeFigure 1). Ricky did these all the time when he was with the Mariners. Squats and lunges can be done for strength. Besides workingupper and lower body strength, balance training should also be incorporated at this level.

Physio ball work, medicine ball, tubing, bodyweight and dumbbell training can all be used, but this can vary widely basedon what is practical for your situation. The key is to combine the strength, power, speed, agility and balance work into a singleworkout. Start with exercises that deal with general strength/balance, move to the explosive power activity, finsh with speed/agilityand save balance for the end. This is a logical progression for designing the workout.

Figure 1Ricky Hendersons Movement:

• Standing on one leg, the athlete will jump laterally in the opposite direction, trying to go as far as possible. • The athlete lands on opposite foot, sticking the landing. • Repeat in opposite direction.

Tips: • Warm up with a few lateral hops and stops, then progress to consecutive lateral hops. • Swing the arms to increase distance and use the arm on landing for control.• It is important for the beginner to land softly and without a “baby bounce”. • Do not move to consecutive hops until you can consistently land the hop and stop.


Recovery

Overreaching vs. OvertrainingUnderstanding the Difference

Randall L. Wilber

Coaching Observation “More performances are spoiled by slight overtraining than by slight lack of fitness.”

“An athlete who is 50% conditioned for an event will do better than an athlete who is 0.5% overtrained.”-Bobby McGee

Understanding the difference between overreaching and overtraining are important considerations for the coach in the de-velopment and planning for their athletes. One can lead to optimal training advances, the other can lead to disaster. Overtrainingis the worst case scenario for the athlete, but it is the more easily defined of the two. Overtraining is a long-term effect that goes forweeks and possibly months and doesn’t seem to be reversible with normally scheduled recovery periods. Performance suffers chron-ically, which means the athlete may have to end the season because they are not able to recover from the effects of overtraining.

In contrast, overreaching is a smaller, less serious version of overtraining. It is a period where performance suffers, but typ-ically only for a couple of days. The effect is expected because it is the result of several days of hard training. It would be expectedthat performance would suffer, but only on a temporary basis. Overreaching is reversible after a normal, planned recovery rangingfrom a few days up to a week. The impact of overreaching is that it is a very necessary, positive aspect of training—particularly atthe elite level. When working with elite athletes, one should remember that the body must be stressed in order for it to adapt, getstronger and ultimately perform better. The line between overreaching and overtraining becomes finer as the athlete advances alongthe developmental continuum. It is important to note that the amount of stress before adaptation that can occur is lessened for thebeginning and recreational athlete.

OVERREACHING-Short term (days)-Reversible with recovery-Positive training adaptation - necessary to improve performance especially at elite level.OVERTRAINING-Long term (weeks, months)-Irreversible with recovery-Negative training adaptation - performance suffers chronically - competitive season is over.

Characteristics of Normal RecoveryRecovery is essential in the overreaching process and overtraining avoidance. The recovery process is a highly individualized

situation. This is especially true for the recreational or beginning level athlete who works 40-50 hours a week and the sport partic-ipation is not their job. This is where the coach plays a key role. Knowing the athlete’s recovery rates and how hard the athleteworks on a given day helps the coach determine how much recovery to give the athlete before the next hard workout. The coachshould be on the lookout for signs in the lack of both physical and psychological recovery. It might be the fact that the athlete is notable to successfully complete the initial stages of a hard work out. This is a good sign that the athlete is not recovered and not readyto complete the scheduled hard workout. If this early difficultly is observed, the coach can either end the workout or choose alter-native activities that would be less stressful on the athlete. This will hopefully facilitate recovery so that the athlete can come backthe next day and have a successful hard training session.

There are things that a coach can monitor, such as sleep, which can also give some insight to recovery or the quality of re-covery that does not require blood work. These topics will be addressed in a future article. A lot of gauging recovery is intuitive bythe coach. This stems from knowing their athlete well from a training/recovery perspective and being able to make the “no workout”or “reduced intensity workout” calls quickly. This takes discipline for the coach. If a workout is taken off the board, the coach musthave the maturity and confidence to avoid feeling that the athlete has missed a quality workout and that it must be made up. Thecoach should avoid this thinking and realize that the athlete needs to recovery naturally and in their own time. It is accepting theidea that it is necessary to sometimes take one step backwards to move two steps forward.

Acute Overload and OverreachingTable 1 illustrates the intensity, volume duration, frequency continuum and the relationship of acute overload and over-


reaching. The trick is to advance from acute overload (half full bucket) to achieve overreaching (full bucket), but avoid overtraining(tipping the bucket over). This table illustrates that training is a continuum with both positive and negative zones. The athlete shouldstrive to keep their bucket at least half full without tipping it over. I liken the acute overload to today’s workout. The athlete has astructured, challenging workout (acute overload) which is designed on a micro (weekly) cycle to stress the body. If this acute overloadis done correctly over several days, you have positive physiology adaptation and minor performance improvements. A track athletedoes a workout of 10 x 400 meters at race pace with minimal recovery. That is a hard workout that is an acute overload bringingabout positive physiological adaptations. The workout is designed to help the athlete run a faster competitive mile at some point inthe future. If you take this further for several workouts that are similar but not back-to-back and with proper recovery, we now getinto the part of the continuum that is overreaching. We may have several weeks of the 10 x 400 meters, but other workouts similarto it are designed to push the athlete to the overreach line, from positive adaptations to optimal physiological adaptations and per-formance. The key word is “optimal,” whether the athlete is at a beginning, elite, or Olympic level. Trying to optimize training foroptimal competitive results is the center of every coach-athlete relationship. The balance imposes physiological stress through work-outs which are designed to allow stress without being overstressed or overtrained.

Seasonal ConsiderationsThe next question or challenge is to apply this acute overload and overreach model to the different training seasons, pre-in-

and off-season. As the seasons change, the nature of training changes. Accomplishing acute overload is an easy task that anyonewho can write a workout or a week’s worth of workouts can accomplish. The challenge is that a season can last several months.The concepts of periodization and designing the systematic workout properly lead to the ultimate goal—having the athlete give theirbest performance at the most important competitions. This is more difficult than designing the single-week workouts.

Creating a workable, optimal season plan is difficult under any circumstance. The biggest challenge for the coach and athleteis to do it effectively the first year. This does not mean the first year will be disastrous, but a lot of things can happen as the coachand athlete learn about each other. The first year should serve as a blueprint for the coaches to understand what they can do with thelong-range plans. This is in terms of how hard they push an athlete and when to rest an athlete in order to bring them to peak per-formance. A lot of coaches tell their athletes that the first year is a learning curve and that the athlete should hang in there for theyear. But there is an exponential increase in that learning curve from year one to year two. The intuitive coach will look at whatareas need improvement and design seasonal strategies. It is a huge challenge to take the athlete from one acute overload to severalover a few weeks’ time which overlap with pre- and competitive seasons. It is best for the coach to err on the conservative side sothat the results are positive, but not optimal. This leaves the athlete with a positive feeling. That will build trust in what the coachis doing. If 80% of the goals are met within the first year, this will be a great way to improve the blueprint without making drasticchanges to the blueprint. That way, 90% of the goals can be achieved the next year. This is a great way to build a long and lastingrelationship. The athlete must realize that it is important to be mature and disciplined in the decision-making process. There should be that un-derstanding between coach and athlete that this is a commitment. It will take some time. The analogy can be made that a husbandand wife date a few years before the relationship is optimized. The same is true of an athlete.

Symptoms of OvertrainingIdentifying overtraining is not a simple, quick fix where one thing will serve as a bull’s-eye to identify the condition. Over-

training is a complex picture that is changing by the year because of research with many gray areas. The more information for acoach, the more characteristics can be evaluated, determined and checked off. The coach will also be better able to make judgmentsas to whether an athlete has overreached or overtrained.

Performance Symptoms-Consistent decrease in performance compared with:

+earlier in the current season +at the same point in the previous season

-Prolonged recovery after WOs & competition-Reduced toleration of training load - inability to complete WOs-Decreased muscular strength-Loss of coordination-Deterioration of technical skills

This is an area where a coach can observe a great deal without the reliance of medical/laboratory testing and data. This iswhere the coach of the beginning athlete should focus on how the athlete is responding to both the training and competitions. Onecan hope that the training is telltale enough to indicate problems before the athlete gets into the competitive environment. If a be-ginning-level athlete enters a competition in an overtrained state, their result may be poor and this novice will be dealt a psychologicalblow that will be difficult to get over. This creates doubts with the coach, the program and whether the sport is for them. Watchingthe early performance of a workout can immediately tell the coach that the athlete is not ready for the work to come and can beadjusted accordingly. The coach can cut the workout short, change the intensity or send the athlete home. If this continues, it is agood indication that the athlete may be on the road to overtraining. If the coach acts with maturity and discipline, many overtraining


situations can be avoided before they become serious. Performance symptoms are the first line of intervention indicators. These early indicators occur even at the elite level. I have seen coaches here at the training center send athletes who have

been ranked number one in the world home right after warm-up. If the athlete is not ready for the scheduled stress, the stress appliedwill do more harm than good. The coach can make the mature, disciplined decision to send the athlete home to let the body get theadditional rest it needs. The stress will then be applied at a later date.

Physiological Symptoms-Increased HR at rest, during submaximal exercise & recovery-Increased O2 consumption during submaximal exercise-Reduced maximal exercise capacity-Decreased blood [HLa] during submaximal & maximal exercise -Decrease in total body weight and body fat-Poor sleep and chronic fatigue-Loss of appetite and GI disturbances-Muscle soreness -Increased muscle & joint injury

One of the areas that a coach can explore rather easily is sleep. The athlete can be asked to chronicle not only how muchsleep they get, but also the quality of that sleep. This can be easily done with a diary. Another area that can be evaluated rathersimply is appetite and diet. All the other areas require a laboratory set-up to measure.

Immunological Symptoms -Increased susceptibility to colds/flu/allergies-Swelling of lymph glands-Bacterial infection-Abnormal WBC differential

( lymphocytes, eosinophils) -Minor cuts heal slowly

These too require a laboratory set-up, and some are rather sophisticated. From my experience as a coach, the area thatalways pops up at the time of major competitions are illnesses such as colds and the flu. This is a time when athletes seem to be themost susceptible to these types of illnesses. Lifestyle changes such as contact with people during this delicate time can help reducethe chances of illness.

Biochemical Symptoms-Reduced muscle glycogen concentration-Elevated serum cortisol-Decreased serum ferritin (Fe depletion)-Mineral depletion -Menstrual dysfunction (oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea)-Decreased bone mineral density

These symptoms are based on objective blood tests or other fairly sophisticated tests. The menstrual dysfunction is one thata coach can monitor as long as the athletes are honest and candid. Blood chemistry can be a good investment for some intermediateand beginning-advanced athletes because it is not overly expensive for the objective information that is obtained.

Psychological Symptoms-General apathy and lethargy-Lack of concentration-Mood changes-Decreased self-esteem-Fear of competition-Gives up when the going gets tough

A good sensitive and intuitive coach can pick on most of the items in this list. If the coach checks off five or six items onthis list and three or four items on the performance list, then the coach should be aware that overtraining may be occurring. Adjustmentmust be made quickly. If the coach sees an athlete who is normally very competitive complaining and/or lethargic during warm up,this can be a huge red flag.

There is a distinction between fear of competition and anxiety that the coach should have a handle on. This is anotherintuitive scenario. Competition anxiety is something I would equate to putting on a game face. The athlete is serious, focused and


anxious to get started. There is a challenge ahead, but the athlete is confident that s/he is ready to meet that challenge. The competitionis tough, but the athlete is up for the competition because that is why they are an athlete—to compete and give it their best. The fearof competition is the “what-am-I-doing-here?” look or the “ I-don’t-want-to-be-here” look. Body language is lethargic and the faceis fearful—not a game face. Another indicator of fear is expressed verbally. The athlete makes excuses for poor results in advanceof competition. The words “I can’t” come up frequently. This is an especially good indicator for athlete who otherwise is very pos-itive.

Table 1 adapted from: Armstrong, LE, and JL VanHeest. The unknown mechanism of the overtraining syndrome: cluesfrom depression and psychoneuroimmunology. Sports Medicine, 32: 185-209, 2002.

Undertraining Acute OverloadOver Reaching

Overtraining

Some training adaptations and smallperformance increase

Full training adaptations,high performance in-

crease

Training adaptations stop,performance decreases

Zone of positive training

BucketBucketBucket

Bucket

Minimal training adaptations, performance

the same

Increasing Training VariablesTable 1

T-3 ToolsThe type of equipment you have to condition with is unique. It will determine if you use a weight room, the diamond or a

combination of the two.

Add to Your Exercise Menu with these Simple Off-the-Wall Exercises

Ed Dudley

The main reason I do these exercises is to “mimic” everyday movement patterns in sport—throwing, swinging, being offbalance, coordination, etc. These movement are all compound, demanding total body muscle recruitment in a functional pattern.These exercises also add variety and challenge the athlete.

Some of the top high school and college wrestlers in the country come from Iowa. I think one of the major reasons is becausemany of these athletes are “farm boys” or at least worked on a farm. Throwing bales of hay, lifting odd objects, etc. made these kidstough and “everyday” strong!!

These exercise can be done individually as part of an overall program or selectively for an “off-the-wall” day in the weightroom.

One-Handed Tire FlipEquipment: 11x24 tire, 150-pound truck tireStart/Movement:

• Squat, grasping edge of the tire.• Extend at the hip and knees, lift tire on its edge and flip.• Alternate using left and right hand.• Do 45-60 seconds.

Tips:• Do one-handed if tire is too light for two hands.• Use 90% legs.

Tire PoundEquipment: 11x24 tire, 150-pound truck tire

For the female athlete at the intermediate to advanced level of training, use a 6-pound sledgehammer, 8-pound for male ath-lete.


Start/Movement:• Be sure to slide hand down to opposite hand at the end of the handle.• Repeat opposite side.

Tips:• Go for distance, usually 20 to 40 yards or until athlete's form starts to

deteriorate. • If athlete is struggling with one hand, they can use both, until strength

and form improve. • Use entire body to drive the hammer down, generating power through

the hips and legs.• Go as fast as possible, without losing form.

Machine Pull with RopeEquipment: Rope is 1 ¼ inch for female athlete (men 1 ½ inch), length is approximately 30 feet. Machine weightabout 180 pounds. Weight can be added to the machine if necessary.Start/Movement:Variation one – Seated with the rope fully extended.

• The athlete sits on the floor, at the far end of the rope, with the rope between their legs.• Lean forward and grip the rope with both hands.• Dig heels into the floor, legs slightly bent• Lay back, extend the legs and use the entire body to pull the machine.

Tips: • Pull the entire length of the rope, until machine touches feet.• Go as fast as possible.• If the athlete is having problems with their feet slipping and pulling the

machine. Block one or both of their feet with your own.

Variation 2 - Walking Drag• Grab rope with both hands, 3 or 4 feet from the machine.• Lean back and walk backwards, pulling the machine.

Tips:• Walk at a steady to fast pace.• Keep back flat and use leg power.• Drag for distance, 20 to 30 yards.• This is the easiest variation, you may want to add weight to challenge.

Variation 3 - Arm Pull• Extend rope to full length.• Leaning back, in a standing position, pull the machine towards

you, hand over hand, using grip, arm, and upper back strengthonly.

Tips:• Try keeping your body in the same position for the entire pull• Pull at a steady, even pace.• Try and pull the entire length of the rope.• This is the hardest of the 3 variations – you may need to drop

weight - or have someone give light assistance from behind.

Sand Bag Lunge Equipment: Bags can be purchased through equipment company catalogs or you canfind heavier ones through army surplus stores. Weights vary, and bags have side grips.Start/Movement:

• Place a 40-pound bag under the chin.• Take one step forward with lead leg as long as you are tall, keeping knee and toe in

straight alignment.• Lower trail leg until the knee almost touches the floor; pause.• Push off of lead leg; maintain straight leg and body alignment.• Perform a lunge three times in the same position, step forward and repeat three times

with the other leg.


Sandbag High Pull to ChestStart/Movement:• Grab the sandbag on each side.• Stand holding bag at hip level.• Bend your knees and simultaneously with the knee extension, raise the bags up to your armpits while comingup on your toes. • Hold your body in a vertical position and do not lean your trunk or head forward.• Keep your arms at your sides.

Sandbag Shoulder-to-Shoulder Push PressStart/Movement:

• Grasping the sides of the bag power clean the bags to one of the shoulders, thenplace hands on the center of the bag.

• Stand with the legs straight, drop into a jumping position, keeping heels flat.• Immediately reverse direction, fully extending the hips. • Finish the movement by pressing the bags overhead. Be sure to initiate each repe-

tition with the hips fully extended before dropping into the jump position. • Catch to the other shoulder and repeat.

Sandbag Clean and PressStart/Movement:

• Grab the sandbag that is on the ground on each of its sides.• The athlete explodes upwards from the starting position, through extension of the legs-

hips-back, then executes a powerful shrug at the top. Turn the elbows quickly underthe bag in a pull-press motion while re-bending the legs to get under the weight.

• Hold your body in a vertical position and do not lean your trunk or head forward. • Keep your arms at your sides. • Push-press overhead and return, slamming the bag to the floor.

Water Jug Lunge Equipment: Plastic water jugs are filled in five-pound increments to various amounts, providing a variety ofresistances. The tops are plugged. The thick grip and the water’s movement challenge the athlete to stabilizethe body. Start/Movement:• Water jug is placed on the shoulder. • Take one step forward with lead leg as long as you are tall, keeping knee and toe in straight alignment.• Lower trail leg until the knee almost touches the floor; pause.• Push off lead leg, maintain straight leg and body alignment.• Perform a lunge three times in the same position with the front leg on the side ofthe shoulder with the jug, switch the jug to the other shoulder, step forward and repeatthree times with the other leg.

Water Jug Bear Hug LungeStart/Movement:

• Hold water jug tight to the chest.• Perform a lunge three times in the same position, reverse with the other leg, turn and perform a walking

lunge back to starting position.


Water Jug Standing Inverted PressStart/Movement:• Hold the handle straight, controlling the jug. • Press overhead and repeat to the other side.

Farmer WalkStart/Movement:

• Holding a jug in each hand, walk as fast as possible while controlling the jugs.

Two-handed Kettlebell SwingsStart/Movement:

• Grab handle with both hands and set feet at a wider than shoulder stance.• Keeping the back flat, bend the knees and swing the bell between the legs.• With an explosive extension of the hips and knees, swing the bell up to face height.• Let the bell swing back down to the starting position and repeat the process.

Tips:• You should never feel like you are lifting the bell, it's all swinging momentum• Don't bend too far forward, at the bottom of the movement.• The driving force of this movement is the hips. Make sure you drive them forward as the bell swings up.• Keep weight evenly distributed on your feet, at the bottom of the movement.• Shift body weight to the heels, as weight is driven up. Body should be leaning slightly back, at the completion of the swing.• Can also be done with a one hand swing, once the two hands has been mastered.

Kettlebell Push PressStart/Movement:• Clean the bells to shoulder level, palms facing forward. • Push-press with extension of the knees.

Kettlebell SwitchStart/Movement:

• Athlete stands with feet wider than shoulder width, knees bent.• The Kettlebell is held to one side, in hanging position.• Athlete extends the hips and knees, explosively pulling the bell to above the waist and toward the other side.• Athlete quickly switches hands, catching the bell with the other hand.• Bell is lowered to starting position and the movement is repeated to the other side.


Kettlebell Swing WalksStart/Movement:

• Do Kettlebell swings, taking a step as the bell moves out. Tips:

• As the athlete becomes stronger, this can be done with one hand.

Kettlebell Bent PressStart/Movement:• Bring the bell up to the shoulder and press, bending to the side opposite of the Kettlebell.• Repeat to the other side.

Kettlebell Hang Clean to Push PressStart/Movement:

• With a bell in each hand from a hang clean position, palms facing forward.• Clean the bell to shoulder level, then push-press with extension of the knees.

Kettlebell One-Hand SnatchStart/Movement:

• Use the squatting position, the bell is between the knees, mid-calf depth.• Explosively swing the bell forward and up through extension of the legs-hips-back. Next, execute a

powerful shrug at the top to a fully extended arm position, straight overhead.

Where to get 'off the wall' training stuff

Sandbags: http://tinyurl.com/yc2fxm These are top of the line bags, and the only one I recommend for durability, handles, etc....One could also go to the army surplus store and buy can-vas bags for this purpose.

Tug of war type ropes: Omaha Sling (a company inOmaha). I recommend 1 and 1/4" for females and 1 and1/2" for males.

Truck Tires: Any tire store that sells truck tires will giveused ones away for free.


Sledge Hammers: Any hardware store for six, eight, and 10 pound sledges.

Water cooler bottles: Whoever has a water cooler - order extra full ones, keep the empties. Add the water to desired weight andseal tops with silicone caulk.

T-4 TeachingThe exercises you select must be taught using perfect technique whether you teach it or have outside assistance.

Introducing the Power Pull: Enjoying the Benefits of Explosive Lifting for

Baseball/Softball Without the Risks and HasslesHarvey S. Newton

The explosive lifts, more commonly known as Olympic-style weightlifting, are important to the development of anypower/power endurance athlete. This includes baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball players. Why? Because they are all ground-based sports. Players’ need for ground-based strength training movements is based on the conditioning principle of specificity; theyshould train like they play. Their sports are explosive and we believe that explosive lifting has good transfer similar to these sportsin the execution of the “triple extension.” This refers to the simultaneous extension of three joints: the ankle, knee, and hip. Traditionalweightlifting (Olympic-style) lifts require this same explosive extension, with resistance; so again, the lifts are specific training forthese sports. However, these lifts are advanced, not introductory lifts that may create teaching challenges for the coach.

Coaches’ Hesitation About Explosive Style LiftsGiven the positive results these lifts bring, it’s important to explore what coaches need in order to proceed. First is flooring/fa-

cility concerns related to dropping barbells, as done in weightlifting halls. This is the #1 reason clubs don’t want this type of lifting.But don’t worry, there is no need for athletes from other sports to drop weights. For the most part, these athletes are not aspiring tobecome Olympic weightlifters. Since these athletes do not aspire to become competitive weightlifters, they will NOT be lifting max-imum weights so there is little need for concern over flooring issues. That said, athletes must be taught to properly lower weightsand some sort of platform area is needed just in case of missed lifts. Proper weightlifting equipment minimizes many concerns. Thebiggest expense is good bars and this is where one should NOT scrimp. Use of rubber bumper plates is recommended, but not ab-solutely necessary. Some form of squat rack/power rack is helpful. Most high school PE facilities today include the necessary gear.

A major concern is having access to a qualified weightlifting instructor to teach these exercises. Sports where overheadskills are preformed such as volleyball, soccer and baseball/softball, coaches might be reluctant to have their players do full Snatchand Clean-and-Jerk lifts. The primary concerns are possible stress on the shoulder with the barbell overhead and stress on the elbowjoint in racking the power clean. Non-weightlifting coaches often state these are the major concerns, especially with heavy loading.

A final concern involves the time needed to master the full competitive lifts with a fair degree of efficiency, which is oftenwell beyond the scope of most programs. There just isn’t enough time to properly teach this supplemental activity to athletes focusedon their chosen sport.

The Dumbbell SolutionSome conditioning coaches advocate the substitution of dumbbells in place of barbells when doing explosive lifting. Use of

dumbbells can address muscle imbalances and should not present much of a problem for most athletes. Nevertheless I can’t thinkof too many good reasons to use dumbbells for the snatch or clean-and-jerk exercises. One concern is the difficulty in controllingboth arms against separate loads. This can be a challenge and will not make for a better athlete. Another problem with dumbbells isthe usual failure to produce triple extension benefits. Dumbbells do not give themselves well to the ‘double knee bend’ techniqueneeded to maximize the benefits available from these lifts, if performed with a barbell.

While dumbbells are fairly inexpensive, a team would require many dumbbell sets of near-similar weights. There is littledifferentiation between players’ level of strength. Depending on the number of athletes being trained at the same time, a coach mightneed as many as 10 to 12 pairs of dumbbells at the same or close to the same weight.

Most dumbbells today are not adjustable and few, if any, have revolving sleeves. This makes dumbbell application for thequick lifts very limited.

Dumbbell use has some application, but perhaps mostly in assistance movements. They can be a fun diversion but the classiclifts should be taught and primarily performed on a barbell. Dumbbells can create false hopes and expectations.

The Sub-Maximal Effort SolutionMany sport coaches advocate the use of explosive style lifts but only with sub-maximal resistance. Sub-max is absolutely


necessary for learning technique. Technique cannot be learned with heavy weights, so for drilling technique, light weights and fairlyhigh (5) reps make sense. Many reps does NOT translate to maximum strength and power results. Most athletes who use these liftsare shot putters or football players, so moderate weights are the order of the day and may benefit women and juniors; however, powerproduction is lessened with sub-max loads, depending on the exercise. Traditional explosive lifts are designed to be performed withmoderate to heavy loads. This can be a problem for coaches of juniors and women, due to popular misconceptions explained later.

What is a sub-max load? Sub-max load is normally anything under 90% of 1-RM. Let’s assume non-weightlifter or combativeathletes will never need to know their true 1-RM, so any lift will most likely be sub-max. Sub-max loads CAN produce more power(and limited pure strength improvement) if the object of the sport is light (volleyball, baseball/softball, soccer). Sports requiringheavy objects or strong opponents require nearer to max loads, at least some of the time. For our purposes, maximal load performedat maximal speed will develop the greatest amount of power. The question becomes, how much is necessary based on the demandsof the sport and level of athletes? This can be tricky. Determining the right load to use is difficult.

Getting StartedThere are six things that need to be addressed to start an explosive lifting program: knowledge, equipment, teaching skills,

a program, confidence and support.

KnowledgeAs with any sport or activity for athletic improvement, at least the coach (if not the athlete) needs to totally immerse him or

herself in learning the nuances of the sport. Many so-called ‘experts’ are not that knowledgeable and far too many certified fitnessprofessionals know little, if anything, about this form of lifting. Knowing what is best for your athletes is most important. Coachesmust either learn a great deal about this form of training before using it with their team OR they must secure a well-qualified personto teach the lifts.

EquipmentAs discussed above, it’s best to have the team train at a location that has the necessary equipment. This may be a high school

or college weightroom or something like a sports performance training center.

Technique Teaching SkillsWhole lift technique must be taught first and it may be months before anything other than technique is taught. This presents

a problem in terms of keeping athletes motivated. It also can present an unbalanced program. It is necessary to include other significantstrength-building exercises at the same time one teaches advanced (explosive) lifting techniques.

Beginning Training ProgramThe following exercises can be safely introduced to athletes with a solid foundation of strength training behind them. Ad-

vanced exercises should NOT be introduced to total novices. Some of these exercises (with heavier intensities) make up a more ad-vanced program as well.

Overhead SquatPress/Push Press/Power JerkSnatch Pull (high blocks)Power Snatch (high blocks)Possibly other variationsOther necessary S&C exercises

There is no program that will address all needs and all scenarios.This is ONLY for a beginner learning Olympic-style explosive lifts. This player is assumed to have done at least six months

of preparation work, with myriad exercises for total development. Special consideration has been given to upper body pushing andpulling (multiple joint), squats, front squats, lunges, back extensions and abdominal exercises. When learning explosive lifts, repsare max of 5; sets can be multiple up to 7-8. Not all exercises are used in all workouts. Resistance is minimal with proper techniqueusually taught with broomsticks, dowels or empty light bars. When learning the lifts, 3X weekly is appropriate, with additional‘shadow’ lifting at home on off days.

Confidence/SupportOne must have a long-term approach to learning and training the explosive lifts. These are complex, highly coordinated

sports skills that need to be properly learned. Non-weightlifter athletes’ motivation may be quite low for this type of training as theirtraining priority is usually their sport.

“Can I teach this?” This is a necessary question with no easy answer. It is possible, but somewhat unlikely that an averagecoach can effectively teach Olympic-style lifts in the proper way. Most sport coaches need to enlist solid support. First, become ed-ucated. Second, create a total sports performance program that addresses your needs. Third, create a means for having the lifts ef-fectively taught and supervised. This probably means finding someone well qualified (no easy task). These lifts are highly complex


and it’s beyond me how so many novices seem to think they know how to properly teach the lifts. Teaching the lifts improperlygreatly reduces their value and may introduce safety issues. Athletes of coaches reading this article should NOT get hurt in theweightroom. Similarly, they should not waste time and effort attempting advanced lifting techniques half-heartedly. Don’t attemptto teach that which you do not understand. Get outside help!

Program ConsiderationsDepending on the age and development of the athletes (this varies tremendously and all scenarios require different training

contingencies), one should:• Set a base (during which explosive technique MAY be taught).• Develop appropriate strength and power in order to be able to adequately execute advanced moves.• Use explosive lifting at the appropriate time of the year (need for a periodized program).• For established athletes, use explosive lifting as their primary, year-round approach to strength and conditioning training.

This procedure with a young player could take several years to accomplish. With a senior athlete or college student, adequatetime to both prepare properly and learn technical skills is seldom available. Properly learning explosive lifts prior to reporting tocollege can be a blessing, for coaches and athletes alike.

A Simple Solution—The Power PullImplementing the full snatch and clean-and-jerk lifts for non-weightlifters, although potentially very bene-

ficial for many, is a huge challenge and a big gamble. If you look at the starter program it can be a very intimidatingproposition—one that is best left to the major college strength program with a wealth of teaching resources and equip-ment. But the benefits of these movements are just too great to ignore. What is the coach to do?

Some strength and conditioning coaches will advocate the hang power clean with or without finishing witha rack of the bar with the elbows. Others may use only a high pull type of movement from the floor, hang, or blocks(rack). This lift does not include the final receiving position of the bar on the shoulders. Lifting from the hang (notthe ground) has its own problems, namely a lot of stress on the lower back due to fatigue.

Well-intentioned coaches quite often teach the hang position improperly. This causes all sorts of techniqueand efficiency problems that can lead to poor results or injury for non-weightlifter athletes.

The solution is to focus on one exercise that gives you the most bang for your buck. Some-thing that is easy to learn, produces the most absolute power, is safe for all athletes to do, doesn’trequire a lot of equipment and can be done with heavy loads—the power pull. Athletes don’t haveto lift catch the bar, which puts stress on their elbows or push the bar overhead (snatch) or catchthe barbell on the shoulders (clean).

The power pull (or high block pull as I call it in Explosive Lifting for Sports) can be doneoff blocks, pulling stands or from a power rack using a barbell and non-bumper plates. Athletes ofvarious heights need to be able to do this exercise with the barbell at the same relative position,which can be a challenge. You’ll have athletes of various heights, so have available an adjustablepulling station or solid mats to raise the athlete and ensure getting into the right pull position (matsare not necessary if you have access to an adjustable power rack). An alternative would be to havethe ability to raise or lower the height of the blocks. You’ll need to be able to quickly adjust eitherthe pulling station or the athlete up or down a few inches. This requires creative blocks or solidmats for athletes to stand on.

Blocks or a power rack eliminate the concern of having the weights damage the gym floor.The environment is controlled and safer. For the purpose of this sport it’s not necessary to pull theweight into a rack position or overhead. Now all we will do is simply execute an explosive tripleextension with the near simultaneous firing of the muscles that extend the hip, knee and ankle.The bar only needs to travel a short distance.

Learning the Power PullThe movement is simple with two basic things to remember. 1) Jump explosively with the

barbell and 2) don’t use your arms. The starting position is an athletic “power position,” ready tojump. The positions to consider are two: from the clean position and from the snatch position. Inthe snatch position a lighter weight is used and the bar is in a high position at the start. The barstarts near the crotch or top of the thighs. After an explosive vertical jump, the bar ends up justbelow the chest bone (sternum). The arms are not involved—the athlete is taking advantage of thelighter weight and the momentum generated with the jump. The explosive jump will cause the barto rise this high, but don’t have athletes focus on a big arm pull….this needs to be a big jump.

In the clean position the bar is at mid-thigh because of the narrower grip, which also allowsmore weight to be used. After the explosive triple extension as one jumps the bar travels only toabout navel height. Again, don’t emphasize a big arm pull.

In either case, if your athletes can pull the weight higher than the stated target zone, the


weight is probably too light. As far as loading is concerned, a general guideline to use is that if the athletes can pull the weight to thesternum or above, the load is too light. If they can’t pull it to the navel or slightly above, it’s too heavy. This makes determining howmuch weight to use a simple task.

All lifters will benefit from using pulling straps. These require a little instruction, but they are necessary in order to lift ap-propriate resistance and gain the proper benefit.

Also, the term jump does NOT mean to come off the floor—we are NOT interested in losing contact with the floor. Jumpviolently (there’s no time to create any force production over time) and then rise on the toes and shrug the trapezius muscles of theupper back. The athletes should be able to hold a balanced, on ‘tip toes,’ position momentarily before lowering the weight in onesmooth motion back to the pulling station.

Doing the power pull is a great alternative to Olympic style weight training.

The New, Right Way of Teaching the “King of Exercises” (Squat) to Athletes

Ken Kontor

For years strength and conditioning coaches have treated the squat as royalty, making it the corner-stone of their strength and conditioning program for athletes. This was done for good reason—the squat isa multiple joint, ground-based exercise that involves many major muscle groups working the legs and coresimultaneously, thus making it a time efficient activity. It is and a key component in improving explosivepower from the strength side of the power development equation. Coming out of the squat position is specificto many movements in sports such as firing off the ball in football and jumping in volleyball to name two.The title of king is well deserved.

But not all is well in the kingdom of squat. Athletes are misusing the exercise and are becoming in-jured by doing squats. Trudie Milner, Practice Administrator for Atlantic Sports Health, a Morristown Me-morial Hospital (Morristown, NJ) has seen an alarming increase of squat related injuries.

“Because we are a sports program we see a variety of different sport athletes. In the academic yearstarting last September I was amazed at the number of kids coming to us for rehab who suffered significantback injuries (from squatting) as a result of unsupervised weight training in high schools and clubs. Theseinjuries are severe enough to jeopardize the playing careers of these young athletes.

It was so alarming that we assembled a team of different doctors to see these athletes including apediatrician, internal medicine specialist and orthopedic doctor. We find this a terrifying situation and onethat parents and coaches need to be aware of. The age of kids getting involved in competitive sports is gettingyounger and the intensity in which kids are competing is much higher. As professionals, this is somethingwe are now addressing.”

The reason for this problem is two-fold. Certainly, improper loading is a culprit but is easily correctedif there’s proper supervision. If technique breaks down, reduce the load. The other problem, poor technique, is more complex. Theroot of the problem is not only are the athletes doing the squat wrong but also conditioning professionals are teaching it wrong!

For years the squat has been taught using the classic coaching rules based on the sport of power lifting. In working withthese athletes whose only goal was to lift maximum poundage, the technique was acceptable because the squat was the primaryfocus. However, applying these techniques to the general athletic population has its drawbacks. Athletes generally aren’t built likepower lifters who are short levered. Squats are not a primary focus for most athletes whereas gaining functional strength to preventinjury is a primary goal with performance enhancement secondary. It’s not how much but how applied.With all the complexity involved with athletic development, the squat has to be carefully integratedinto total athlete development in order to prevent injury, not cause it. A collegiate strength and condi-tioning coach and former power lifter and world record holder has evolved teaching the squat to makeit safe for athletes. The following is his rationale.

“One of the most basic of exercises, the squat, is often the cause of many back problems. Thisis because proper mechanics are not used when performing the squat. Most coaches tell athletes to keeptheir backs tight and chest up. The intention is good—to prevent back injuries—but it is the very causeof back problems. When an athlete hears the words “keep your back tight or chest up,” what musclegroup do you suppose he contracts? In picture (1) the hip flexors are turned on in an attempt to keepthe back straight. Notice how the lower back arches. It is impossible to squat into a deep position withthe back arched. The hip and spinal joints lock up and doesn’t allow mobility.”

“In picture (2), the lifter is able to keep an upright position and get deep. Notice how the backis in a flat position. This is an example of greater hip and spinal mobility when the pelvis is in thecorrect position. In the second picture, the athlete was told to keep his abs in a static position (distancebetween ribs and pelvis maintained), especially as he gets deeper. Now the hamstrings can keep the

Notice how the lowerback is arched (a gapbetween the lower backand straight edge) whena straight edge is placedon the back.

(1)

Notice the straight edge is flatagainst the back leaving nogap.

(2)


pelvis level as the squat is performed. The abs stabilize the spine and allow maximum mobility at the hip joints. The back musclesreact by lengthening to control the forward lean, keeping the center of gravity over the feet, similar to cables on the shaft of a crane.”

Compare the two pictures. Note the gap between the bar held against the lifter’s back and his back in picture (1). In picture(2) the gap is gone and the back is in a neutral position. Which is more “athletic” and functional to sport movement? What positiondo you want your athletes’ in? Let’s look at the wrong and right way of teaching the squat using the correct coaching cues to yourathletes.

Carefully compare the two methods and adapt the right way that’s best for your athletes.

Teaching the Squat to Athletes the Wrong WayNote: The wrong coaching cues are stricken out.

Start• Use rack, with supports at mid-chest level.• Be sure spotters are in position.• Grasp the barbell palms down, slightly wider than shoulder width.• Step under bar, feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.• Place the center of the bar on the upper back so it is balanced, resting securely across back of shoulders.• Elbows pointed back, eyes straight ahead, chest up, squeeze shoulder blades together.• Straighten legs to lift the barbell off rack and step backward, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed out slightly

with slight arch in lower back and tight.

Movement• Under control bend hips backwards, bend knees and ankles.• Keep bar over middle of foot to heels, feet flat on the floor.• Inhaling, descend slowly until tops of thighs are parallel to floor; pause.• Do not let knees come together on descent.• Keep back straight and chest up.• Exhale as you straighten hips and knees to return upright under control.• Keep hips under bar, eyes focused straight ahead.• Back as flat as possible.• Knees over ankles.

Tips• Do not bounce at bottom position.• Do not bring knees together coming up.• Do not speed bar up at the top.• Stay tight throughout movement.

Teaching the Squat to Athletes the Right WayNote the new, right coaching cues are underlined.

Start• Use rack, with supports at mid-chest level.• Be sure spotters are in position.• Grasp the barbell palms down, slightly wider than shoulder-width.• Step under bar, feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.• Place center of the bar on the upper back so it is balanced, resting securely across back of shoulders.• Elbows pointed down, eyes straight ahead.• Straighten legs to lift barbell off the rack and step backward, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed out slightly.• Fill lungs with air (the creation of intra thoracic pressure) and hold.• Attempt to exhale forcefully but close nose and mouth air passages so that air is not allowed to escape (the creation of intra ab-

dominal pressure, Valsalva maneuver).

Movement• Under control, squat down as if sitting down on a chair.• Descend under control until tops of thighs are parallel to floor.• Keep feet flat on the floor and knees in alignment with feet.• Important: maintain the intra thoracic/intra abdominal pressure created at the start. Try to keep back relaxed the back will take

care of itself.• Upon start of the ascent, exhale forcefully using the abdominal muscles to return to the upright position.• Keep eyes focused straight ahead.


Tips• Control, do not bounce at bottom position.• Knees together coming up. The thigh adductors are hip extensors in the low position and help get you through the sticking

point.• Do not speed bar up at the top.• Keep abs tight Stay tight on the descent and ascent using abdominal pressure and not the tightening of the lower back.• Avoid the shifting of weight predominately to one leg. This indicates a muscle imbalance.

Final Look- The King is Dead Long Live the KingWith all the misinformation on teaching the squat which potentially can lead to injury of the athlete the question becomes,

is keeping the squat as a viable part of your conditioning program for athletes worth it? Learning the new technique prescribed inthis article is a major undertaking and will challenge many conditioning programs. Current thinking and conditioning practices inthe collegiate and professional levels is that single leg exercises such as the lunge and step up are more functional to the athlete inmany instances. Certainly the loading for these exercises is less than a barbell squat. The king, the squat, may be dead but it’s im-portant to find a alternative to work these major muscles groups in a ground based environment- long live the king!

T-5 TestingFind out where your athletes are at and what they need to develop.

10 x 30 Yard-90 Feet- Recovery TestFor Baseball/Softball Fitness

Mike Arthur

The primary objective of conditioning is to improve the energy capacity of an athlete to improve performance. Trainingmust occur at the same intensity and duration as you play in competition in order to develop the proper energy system predominatelyused. Baseball is a sport that requires short intense burst of energy. Therefore the conditioning for baseball should include activitiesthat are extremely high in intensity and short in duration. A typical activity in baseball is the sprint from home to first base. Theconditioning level of a baseball player is determined by how quickly he can recover from a high intensity, short duration activityand don another high intensity short duration activity (such as stealing second base).

The 10 x 30 yard (90 feet) test is an easy way of measuring "recovery abilities" for the high school, collegiate and professionalplayers. The distance tested is specific to baseball (90 feet) which is the distance between home and first. The test can be modifiedfor softball by testing the home to first distance for this sport. The athlete has one minute to recover before running the repetition.

Name 30 Time 95% of 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ave % of 30

Catcher 3.91 4.11 3.96 3.89 3.96 3.96 3.98 4 3.98 4.02 4.05 4.04 3.98 98.14%

Catcher 4.05 4.25 4.19 4.17 4.15 4.19 4.22 4.21 4.19 4.23 4.2 4.22 4.20 96.50%

Infield 3.74 3.93 3.81 3.82 3.88 3.84 3.87 3.91 3.98 3.99 3.9 4.01 3.90 95.87%

Infield 3.79 3.98 3.79 3.81 3.78 3.8 3.85 3.87 3.86 3.89 3.87 3.87 3.84 98.72%

Infield 3.8 3.99 3.94 3.95 3.92 3.93 3.97 3.97 3.96 4.02 4 3.94 3.96 95.96%

Infield 3.8 3.99 3.86 3.95 3.88 3.93 3.9 3.95 3.94 3.95 3.92 3.92 3.92 96.94%

Infield 3.8 3.99 3.98 3.95 3.95 3.96 3.95 3.92 3.98 3.95 3.92 3.91 3.95 96.28%

Infield 3.85 4.04 3.94 3.82 3.95 3.94 3.94 3.97 4 4.01 4.03 4.08 3.97 97.03%

Infield 3.96 4.16 4.01 3.97 4.01 4.02 4.04 4.04 4.05 4.08 4.11 4.07 4.04 98.02%

Outfield 3.78 3.97 3.88 3.86 3.85 3.85 3.89 3.82 3.81 3.83 3.82 3.84 3.85 98.31%

Outfield 3.8 3.99 3.87 3.94 3.95 3.95 3.96 3.96 3.99 4.04 4.01 4.06 3.97 95.65%

Outfield 3.84 4.03 3.86 3.92 3.88 3.93 3.9 3.9 3.96 3.95 3.98 3.93 3.92 97.93%

Utility 3.82 4.01 3.85 3.91 3.87 3.98 4 4.07 4.01 4.04 4.03 3.99 3.98 96.10%

Utility 3.88 4.07 3.86 3.89 3.9 3.92 3.96 4 4 3.98 4.02 4.04 3.96 98.05%

Utility 3.93 4.13 3.98 3.94 3.96 3.94 3.98 4 4.03 4.08 4.1 4.06 4.01 98.08%Utility 3.84 4.03 3.88 3.92 3.9 3.95 3.89 3.97 3.91 3.94 3.92 3.95 3.92 97.88%

Averages 3.85 4.04 3.92 3.92 3.92 3.94 3.96 3.97 3.98 4.00 3.99 4.00 3.96 97.21%


Before the test is administered the coach should have a "best time" recorded for each athlete at the 90 feet distance.

Procedure: • Using cones measure a distance of 30 yards (90 feet) or use home to first if the field is available.• The athlete sprints 30 yards and is allowed one minute for recovery.• During the one-minute recovery the athlete walks back to the starting line. • A total of five athletes can be tested at a time.• This is done for a total of 10 repetitions. • The coach records the time for each repetition.

Objective: The goal of the athlete should be to have a mean average of 95% of the "best time" score. If he can attain an average ofgreater than 95% he is in good shape for the game of baseball.

The following are position specific scores of collegiate baseball players.

T-6 Total WorkloadDetermine your Total Workload to insure your athletes develop in a progressive fashion with adequate recovery by controlling

practice/competition work with conditioning work. This is a challenge because of the busy life athletes lead today. The ultimateresponsibility of the strength and conditioning program must be that of the baseball-softball coach. This is done by establishingyour calendar (T-2) that identifies and integrates total work load based on competition, practice and strength and conditioning training.Competition should include scholastic and club play. Practice should consider strength and/or conditioning activities done on diamondincluding warm-up and throwing etc. Strength and conditioning should include training with the school’s/club’s strength and con-ditioning coach and other training outside the baseball-softball coach’s control such as at a private gym. In the case of a multi-sportathlete the baseball-softball coach should have the additional task of communicating with other sport coach(s) as to the progress ofthe athlete. The final outcome is to provide adequate recovery based on total workload to allow the athlete to progress physically,improve baseball-softball skills and reach their full athletic potential through this seamless integration process.

Conditioning InterviewRole as a Strength Coach

Sean Marohn

The difference between a good strength coach and a great one is the ability to communicate with the diverse groups withina baseball organization. This communication can be called style. The following interview with Sean Marohn of the Cincinnati Redsaddresses the ins and outs of creating a good communicative coaching style.

PC: Sean, how would you define a coaching style and the communications involved?

SM: A coaching style is how you, the strength and coaching coach, develop in your communications to the staff and players. It alsoinvolves your ability to relate the science you have learned and the ability to teach it to the staff and players while coming acrosswith the passion of what you do.

PC: Since we are talking about communication and its application to strength and conditioning, one of the things I see as anissue in good communication is the lack of a common professional language within the strength and conditioning profession.The legal and medical communities have it but when you talk about core strength or functional training, those have manydifferent meanings or interpretations. How does this effect communications?

SM: This is where good communication comes into play. You really need to know your staff and athletes so you can effectively uselayman terms or be as scientific as you need to be so that the information is getting through.

PC: How do you know that they understand?

SM: I ask, do you understand what I’m saying? If you have a good relationship they are going to tell you yes or no honestly. If theydon’t understand then you as a strength coach have to make sure that you find a way they can understand.

PC: Let talk about how you communicate with the skills coaches (hitting, pitching). Since their job is to determine total work-load with strength and conditioning an important part of that, how does that work?


SM: The approach is similar to that of the athletes. You have to approach them as to what you are doing and how your adjustmentsare bettering the players for the next day. This is important since in baseball there’s very little recovery. It is important that I knowthe workload on the field; this will give me a better idea of where I might need to add, subtract or adjust the program for a specificathlete so that when he goes back onto the field he is at 100 percent. When one gets with the skills coaches you need to get a feel ofwhat their priorities are, their backgrounds and what they know and believe in. This will help the educational and communicativeprocesses.

PC: How do you educate yourself as to what happening on the field?

SM: The skills coaches can write down what they do but the key factor for me is that I go out and watch. As you know it changeson a daily basis as to whether a player is struggling with a skill such as breaking for a fly ball. As the athletes come in I ask the skillcoaches what they feel. Maybe they had done a little extra work and the skills coach will let me know. Knowing this, I ask the athleteshow they are feeling. If I get somewhat the same answer, I know how to plan a program. If the answers are different, then it’s therole of the strength coach to integrate. In this case, the skill coach might say that so and so is looking great and handling it but whenyou talk to the player, he might say he is totally gassed. You then go back and maybe back off with that player and communicate tothe skills coach as to why. This communication goes a long way in building trust.

PC: So it all comes down to trust. Complete this sentence, I know my skills coach trusts me when…

SM: When he sends his athlete to me without question. At the start of the day a skills coach may say to me, we are going to do thisand this, what do you think? You know as a strength coach you are becoming integrated into the routine. They know what your doingis helping the athletes on the field.

PC: How do you handle what I call the “flavor of the month” situation? A skills coach might attend a clinic and catch an ideaand come to you for your thoughts on putting it into the program?

SM: The first thing I do is ask how it relates to their athletes. In other words, “what are you trying to get out of your athletes that thisidea is defining”? This conversation will take them down the path of total workload, rest and recovery. Once it’s in this perspective,the baseball side will always win and they will come to realize that this just may increase the workload too much.

PC: How do you plan for and work in recovery?

SM: It’s important to look ahead and see what’s coming and then work in rest and recovery as a priority. Rest and recovery is justas important as the workload itself. You may need to change on a daily basis. You plan everything out then have a 12 to 9 extrainning ball game and that changes everything. If you don’t plan appropriate recovery, the players are set up for failure. It’s as simpleas that.

PC: To enhance this relationship with a skills coach, have you ever tried becoming a training partner with a skills coach?

SM: I have. Many times they will come up to me and asked to be put on a program. This is a great opportunity to build communi-cations on a one-on-one basis. You can explain why you are doing some of the things and actually go through the movements.

PC: How does field test fit into this communications coaching style process?

SM: Athletes want to compete and they come in wanting to better their testing. I’m more interested in the players’ progression yearto year and, hopefully, making it to the big leagues. This progression includes maintaining good balance and injury prevention.Testing is important to establish benchmarks that can be used during the rehab process should an athlete be injured. It allows one tosee where the athlete is at.

PC: Do you measure the maturation process of determining early and late bloomers? A lot of finger pointing can be avoidedif the staff understands this process. What are your ideas?

SM: We do address maturation with our younger players. Our biggest concern is how early do we get them and what have they donebefore coming to us. This really makes a lot of difference on how we approach their program. You may have an athlete in the minorleague system for six years but after the first year, you should have a good idea of where things should go and whether or not theyhave peaked or have a ways to go. There are huge differences between an athlete going from a four-year college, a rural area in thestates at age 18, or a Latino player who is 16 and a half.

Baseball is becoming truly international. I have players from Germany, Australia, Columbia, Venezuela, Panama, The Do-minican Republic and Taiwan. Strength coaches have to educate themselves as to some of the traditions and habits of the athletes


based on their culture. This includes nutrition as well as training.

PC: How do you communicate leadership within the weight room to help advance your program through peer motivationand is this something that occurs in the sport of baseball?

SM: I think it’s important in the fact that it builds team chemistry and unity. Some athletes don’t think of themselves as leaders butthey are and it’s the role of the strength coach to bring this quality forward. If other players are feeding off this leadership you havea great situation.

PC: Let’s talk about goal setting. How do you match sports skills goals with athletic skills such as speed and power, etc.?

SM: The first thing is that you have to put it what you’re trying to communicate into layman terms specific to baseball. We may betalking about lateral speed whereas the baseball term is range. This better defines what the skills coach and the strength coach arecommunicating to each other. The more the strength coach gets into scientific aspects of his field then the better off he will be usingthe words and terms used in baseball. I try to stay within the baseball terms and in order to put into context what I’m trying to ac-complish. An example might be, “we are working on first step explosiveness to improve base stealing abilities.”

The biggest thing with my skills coaches is that I may ask them, “what do you see?” They tell me and then I’ve got to beable to translate what they see. This all comes back to communications and trust because you have to come back to the skills coachand your athletes and regurgitate what you are doing for the athletes on their terms. The strength coach can say speed, power, strengthbut it has to be related to the skills coach and the position a particular player is playing.

PC: How do you deal with egos? By this I mean a skill coach may be a famous player who might have the “I know it allbecause I’ve performed at the highest levels” mentality.

SM: Things are evolving in our game. These former players are more and more seeing the benefits of what we do. They are becomingmuch more respectful of what we do. The thing I like about working with these “old school” guys is the responses I get when I askthem, “tell me what you think. Don’t tell me you don’t like it; tell me why you don’t like it.” My intent is not to have a debate butrather sit and talk about it in order to open the line of communication. If you can show a positive outcome of what we do and theyare a part of it, they are going to buy in. That’s all part of evolution. If you keep banging your head against the wall and tell themthey are wrong, things will never change. You have to understand that 20 years ago it was taboo to be in the weight room. If youdon’t understand that, then your approach will be way off. If you go and do something and they ask why, explain it in detail.

Here’s an experience I had. A pitching skills coach asked me, why do you stretch? Then the question was why do you needto move when you stretch rather than stand still or do agilities? I asked him to come out and stretch and do agilities with me. Heshowed me what he did as a pitcher and why he did those things. We dabbled back and forth and by two to three months into theseason he was hooked. He wanted to know more and more. Now if I have issues of getting something across with a player, I sendthat player to that pitching coach and he’s great with them in getting it done. It really comes down to education. If you are a greateducator you’ll be a great coach. The more you educate, the more you communicate the more questions you are going to get. Peopleare afraid of what they don’t know. In any sport if you don’t know something you are going to mock the heck out of it. If you canmake education part of the routine then it takes away the fear factor. The key to a good coaching style is that if you can teach it andgo out and do it, you’ll be successful. By the same token; as a strength coach, if you never go out and watch a game or the playerstaking infield or batting practice and watch their workload, how do you know how to adjust for it?

PC: How does the time of year change your communications and style of coaching, especially as baseball skill work increasesas the season approaches?

SM: To start, during the off-season I communicate my athletes four or five times mainly to see how they are doing, where they areat in their program and how they are feeling. The answer changes every time I talk to them. There are a lot of factors such as wherethey are at in their maturation process that dictate a program. This program lasts eight to 10 weeks starting in October. When wereach January we get more baseball specific whether it is total body lifts or increased running. I visit the pitching coach, hittingcoach and field coordinator and ask them when they want their players either to start throwing (pitchers) or do baseball-specificthings (position players) and when they want to start their skill stuff. They give me their calendars and I work around them. As wemove to February and March and to spring training the transition process is complete. This process should be as seamless as possibleso that when they get on the field they are ready to go.

PC: Let’s talk about something a little different and how you communicate with what I call the “grey zone” of related supportstaff, the performance team of the trainers, sports medicine doctors, nutritionist, psychologist, etc. How do you work withthese external groups?

SM: It comes back again to communication and trust and whatever decisions that are made are in the best interest of the athletes.The thing about working with these externals is that everyone wants to do their own thing in their area of expertise. It may be the


right thing or not but it’s important that everyone understands each other’s role. It’s important to understand the how and the whyand take into account the big picture as to what is best for the athletes.

PC: What other areas would you like to cover?

SM: One important thing that one needs when developing strength coaching skills is that personalities are going to play into it. Ifyou are not open, neither are your athletes. They will reflect how you approach them.

PC: Is this something that can be learned?

SM: Like with anything else in life you know you are doing the right thing because it works. You run into people in baseball and cantell if they are going to be successful or not. You have to figure this out for yourself and test the waters. A good strength coachingstyle is not one dimensional. You will have a great deal of difficulty when all you have done is one thing or done it just one way. Youhave to reach out and discover what else is out there. This is the best way to develop your coaching style.

PC: Would you then say that working with other sports such as volleyball, for example, would help you in this process ofavoiding being one dimensional?

SM: Absolutely. If you have the opportunity to work with another sport, go for it especially as you are gaining experiences and de-veloping as a professional. It just adds more tools in your toolbox that you can use as a strength coach.

PC: What about your approach on what you do?

SM: I think approach is key whether it be with your skills coaches or your players. Beyond communications and trust, approach isabout their personalities. How do you approach a skill coach or athlete when, in your opinion, what they are doing is wrong withoutbreaking them down and then having to try to build them up? Does a player want to be yelled at or just worked with? You have todevelop an approach to get the most out of your athletes based on their personalities and what they respond to.

PC: When you get information from the skills coach on what a player needs to work with; i.e., speed, power, strength, etc.,what is your approach to the player?

SM: Gaining the right approach is all about experiences and the only way to gain from experiences is to continue to do it. If you areafraid to go in and experience something, you are probably going to fail as a strength coach.

PC: Let’s address the issue of youth baseball. In today’s world parents push their athletes into situations where they havethem go into a gym to train strength and conditioning without any communication with the skills coach. This lack of com-munication can create some sticky issues. Would you agree with this and what are your recommendations in this area?

SM: When I worked with this one of the important things I did was to sit the parents down and explain what we are doing and why.When you start talking about what will help, what will hinder, and what will affect a player’s progress, they will listen more than ifyou go into a neighborhood gym and work with a personal trainer with no baseball experience. This person may say, “we’ll haveyour son squatting 250 pounds in two months” but they don’t lay out the potential risks with such a goal. You are talking aboutstrength but is it the kind of strength necessary for a 13-year-old baseball player?

The best thing is to be the go between the parents and skills coach and ask them what they are looking for and what theywant for their child. You become the communicator. If the parents insist on going the personal trainer route, and some do, then I givethem a questionnaire for the personal trainer to fill out and if they can’t answer the questions, it’s time to walk away. Here’s an ex-ample: let’s say you have a 14-year-old catcher and after spending a little time with that athlete you come up with the followingquestions: • Ask about the importance of flexibility.• What would they do if the child’s growth plates are not healed?• For a catcher, what do they consider volume?

PC: I want to thank you for your time. Can you leave us with a summary statement about some of the many things we havetalked about?

SM: To be a successful strength coach you need to invest time and energy in working with your athletes. You do that they will takenotice. If you make them feel inferior or if you demand their respect, you are going to fail. You have to make the effort to ensurethey know you are there for them and their success is all that matters.


From an MLB Strength and Conditioning Coach'sView Point: Perceptions of What We Should Doand the Reality of What is Done—Worlds Apart

Nate Shaw

As an MLB strength and conditioning coach I’ve often wondered what the general perception of what a major league sportsmedicine team is and how it functions. I realized that there are probably a lot of people that second, third and fourth guess everythingwe do. I have personally heard and been asked questions like: Why does one team have so many injuries? Why can’t they avoid asimple thing like a hamstring pull? How come you can’t fix Cy Young’s shoulder?

While doing some recreational internet surfing I came across a blog of an alleged internet “conditioning guru”. This particularguru was “evaluating” a program from one of our PBSCCS members. This CSCSR is an MLB 20+ year veteran. He has written abook or two about his methods and his experiences during his tenure. A Major League Strength Coach with 20 yrs of experience hasdefinitely been effective enough to at least survive that many years! This Internet Guru (IG) proceeded to undress this coach. Re-buking and tearing every detail apart. He expounding on many different issues—why Mr. MLB was wrong and what IG would doto get the job done right. Interestingly, (of course!) as I continued to read the blog I came to learn this guru had his own fool proof“results oriented” method of training for sale. Not surprising, an immediate conflict of interest soured his creditability and broughthis methods into question.

Comparing Apples to OrangesUpon closer examination, the “RESULTS” IG was touting were based on a small sample size from a very different age group

from MLB players. IG’s “proven” program was based on athletes between the ages of 10- to 18. IG was advocating how he and hisprogram were able to increase throwing velocity. A Major League Baseball player and 12 year old may have some things in commonlike favorite video games or a LOVE for Pizza, but certainly a training program would be different.. Wouldn’t it? These two pop-ulations have some basic overlapping similarities like the game is played on a diamond, but are vastly different developmentally.The biggest probably being one player is about to get Zits (puberty, growth spurt, man strength, ETC), and the other is done withZits… Increasing velocity? Is that a goal of every MLB player? Maybe, maybe not. With IG in mind I thought it might be ofinterest to discuss some of the variables a MLB strength and conditioning coach might deal with on a day-to-day basis and providea better understanding of the process of why we do what we do.

It’s All About Perception: Traditional Conditioning vs. the Reality of RoutineIt’s important to understand what goes on at the top level. The perception by some of what we do would surprise a lot of

people in the conditioning business. It’s all about routine. On a “normal day” our game is at roughly 7pm. Our coaching staff arrivesat the ball park at 12 and the athletes start to arrive at about 1. The day begins with pre-batting practice, treatments, and workouts.Most often the starting pitchers from the other days in the rotation lift weights and condition. Position players often use this time tolift and condition as well but some players like to lift post game, and my experience has been that of accommodating everyone asmuch as possible. That’s a lot of training variation under one roof. Let’s talk about pre-game workouts. Often the exercises selectedare aimed at facilitating the ideal motor patterns and muscle usage prior to that days exertion test (Game). This pre-game routinealong with almost daily play is what really sets baseball conditioning apart from traditional programs. Recovery is at a premium, sowe tend to error on the conservative side of volume and intensity. There really is not great time to really “Crush it” in the weightroom. With the game in a few hours this is definitely not the time get overzealous with exercise prescription.

Beyond Lifting WeightsLifting is only a small part of the entire process. Lots of soft tissue work like massage, stretching, cupping etc. is done prior

to batting practice. Batting practice is divided into 3 or 4 groups—one hitting, the others shagging fly balls, taking ground balls orworking in the cage. BP is a rigorous hour of physical skill preparation. The groups rotate through all of the stations and then headin. After batting practice there is a small window before actual pregame warm ups begin. This time is typically used to refuel witha variety of foods and then it’s time to go out and stretch pre-game. Pre-game exercises are specific exercises and routines involvingflexibility and a core temperature increase. After a full afternoon of physical activity catching, running, throwing to bases, it is timeto compete for your job- playing the game for approximately the next 3 hours.

Post game players who haven’t had the chance to lift get the opportunity. These exercise programs consist of exercisesaimed at beginning the recovery process. We typically handle each player differently underneath a general baseball umbrella. Thisis the general time when it is ok to push a little more volume and intensity on the players. That holds true unless there is a day gamethe next day. If this is the case volume and intensity dial- up goes right out the window. We probably hit the showers around 11pmand get ready to do it again tomorrow.


Don’t Forget the TravelThis process goes on day after day with a League mandated break every 21 days. It is important to realize that in season a

player will never have a Fri, Sat, or Sun off. Only Mondays and Thursdays are possibilities, and often these are spent on the road,or traveling to the next city. Through the course of 7.5 months we will get roughly 4 days off at home. The schedule itself is brutal,the actual process of traveling which involves eating on the road, getting in late, flying and bussing, would make anyone very tired.The circumstances are always variable. It is difficult to adjust to, at least until you go numb and can’t recall which day of the weekit is, or the what the number of your hotel room is.

Language ConsiderationsI am not sure that our friend IG is remotely aware of any of these details. An addendum to his attack on the coach, part of

what the guru mocked was the coaches not knowing how to speak Spanish to accommodate the training of Spanish speaking athletes.Latin American players are a huge part of the game of baseball, now and forever. Most strength coaches have the capacity to at leastcommunicate “weight room” Spanish. To infer that all strength and conditioning coaches need to be fluent in conversational Spanishis really unrealistic. IG made it feel like there were no efforts made on our part based on one video. Communication is a two waystreet, and learning “weight room” English might be of benefit from a team prospective.

Periodization (if you want to call it that) on the FlyIncluding spring training we are with these athletes on average 210 days a year. IG may have an idea of what he thinks will

work, but I would place a higher value on a colleagues experience handling players of all types for 20 Major League seasons for theanswer to my questions. A variety of strength and conditioning coaches know the Xs and Os of training using the big security blanketof periodization, but there’s more to it than that. No matter what the periodization chart says, there are some days where an athletewill have an issue that makes training that day counter-productive based on the realities of routine I’ve just explained. As a resultthe best strength coaches are the ones best at adjusting and being enough of a people person to know when and how to adjust. Ifthere are plans for a 3 x 8 squat routine for an athlete on August 12th and the program was planned in April, you can forget it. Youcan’t predict a double header or not having access to a weight room (some MLB teams don’t have visiting weight rooms). Access tocertain pieces of equipment is by chance on the road. Periodization goes right out the window. You can’t predict how a player willfeel and what type of stresses he will be under or the amount of on-field play. And you certainly cannot predict compliance!

Practical PeriodizationBeing a strength and conditioning coach is not difficult, but it is has its challenging moments. There are a lot of icebergs to

navigate. We can talk about what could be done all day with any guru but the vast numbers of variables quickly turns the “could bedone” into what has to be done to survive. I haven’t even mentioned the in’s and out’s in dealing with the front office and manage-ment—that can be a whole story. The bottom line is the players have to play and they get paid to play, not lift weights.

What should and can be done is determined by many factors. Examples can be how the athletes feel; the health of the athletesand injuries that might be nagging them; the position coach and the practice/play volume of baseball; the decisions of the manager.All of these are personnel and personality factors (internal). Then there are the external factors of schedule, travel, diet, etc. Thesevarious factors make traditional periodization impossible. It’s important to realize that strength and conditioning is on the low endof the totem pole. Baseball skills always take precedence.

It is critical to monitor the volume a player does by communicating with all involved in the “volume process”. Anybody(IG) can design an excellent training program but the key is what the athletes can handle that day. If a player is struggling at theplate, there is a large chance that he is working on swing refinement in the cage. It is very typical for a struggling player to take anextra 300 swings a day? Where does that fit into the periodization model? Should you take the 300 extra swings and do rotationalexercises in the weight room based on the periodization model designed? Hardly! Training has to be kept in perspective. If a playeris a switch hitter, sometimes you don’t have to train rotation at all. Some Postural Positioning might be a much better plan. Peri-odization has to be to the level of current events.

Managing days off is a way to try and maximize recovery. We emphasize lifting prior to a day off to ensure a full 24 hrs ofrecovery. Some players have a program they are comfortable with that includes day of lifting. The decision is personal. You cantry and influence and guide Big Leaguers, but it comes down to an individual decision. An astute strength coach will be keen tothese factors. As it’s been said, baseball is set up for failure. You can’t win every game but if you follow the 80 percent rule, you willhave great success. All you can do is the best you can on any given day and fit in what can be done. Our friend IG may have a planthat according to him it works flawlessly based on the latest, greatest periodization model. His plan may work for him, but before Iwould critique his work I would want to extend the courtesy to spend a few weeks learning about the nuances of his situation.Stephen Covey says it best when he suggests that we should all “seek first to understand”. What a novel concept!

Skill Sets of a Strength and Conditioning CoachStrength and conditioning coaches, because of their position and relationship with the players, are a key factor in the overall moni-toring of the athletes and their general state of well-being. This is accomplished by being a resource for the players. They can cometo me and discuss whatever is on their mind. In our weight we don’t have mandatory programs; we have guidelines and frameworkto work under. We are more suggestion orientated based on past experiences (with Major League Players). I represent a resource tothe players and I do not have a “do it because I said so” mentality.


I feel like if anything, I am an ambassador of health and fitness and I suggest what I think is best—I am not an enforcer of conditioninglaw. This comes down to the ability to adjust. In my yearly review, one of the positive traits I have is the ability to adjust and getmost of the players to do something. This is a huge attribute. The strength professionals that show the ability to adjust with gracewill have a leg up on the competition. They will have the most potential.

The ability to adjust is arguably the most important skill a strength and conditioning coach needs can have. Adjusting is asimple matter of trying to get better. Nobody on my team has to do what I tell them to do, they get paid to play baseball. We as asports medicine team believe that it is in their best interest of their career to follow our suggestions, but there is still no way to enforcemandatory anything. I am not sure what goes on in other sports and other levels, but there is no whistle in my locker for mandatorysprints! Ever! Our sport has been around for 150 years with strength and conditioning coaches becoming a mandatory positiononly in the last decade. Would Babe Ruth have been better off doing lunges rather than leg presses? I think so, but he is arguably themost iconic player in the game and probably never did wind sprints. Strength and conditioning has just exploded onto the scene andwe are learning from our experience, which, in the long run, is the best teacher. The more information in your database, the betteryou are able to make decisions. At the start, we learned on the fly. Now, as the profession evolves we can apply the principles wehave learned.

Another crucial skill is competitiveness. In order to motivate and get the guys to do a great job you, the strength and condi-tioning coach, have to be competitive and proactive in what you do. Creating a competitive environment between players is a greatway to increase compliance and boost output. It is important to be competitive with yourself and try to learn everything you can inorder to be at the peak of your profession. Change is good. Adaptation is good and it keeps the exercises and your attitude fresh. Itis time to move past crunches and on to abdominal function. Challenge yourself physically and mentally to be the best you can be.Keep in mind that whatever direction you take it should always be in the best interest of the health and performance of the athletes.

One factor that will lead to sure failure is a big ego. Many strength coaches seem to have big egos, but this in the long runwill hold you back. If a strength coach always has to have the answer all the time, believe me, it won’t always be the right answer.The bottom line is that what we do is for the benefit of the athletes, so who really cares who is right or wrong just as long as theathletes benefit. This is why there is a sports medicine resource team and in our circumstances there is a lot of overlap of what wedo by design. I do a lot soft tissue work our massage specialist works in strength and conditioning etc. It’s all about being on thesame page and communicating. A coach with a big ego will not be a good communicator. It’s also a matter of self-confidence. Inorder to work together and communicate with others you have to have self-confidence in what you believe. However, it’s importantnot to confuse this with a big ego. Self-confidence comes from experience and knowing what works. Input and communication arekeys in creating self-awareness, which goes hand-in-hand with self-confidence. My goal is not necessarily to get everyone to do myprogram but rather do what’s available and do what’s best for the athlete. If your goals are selfless, then you will be successful. Keepin mind, if it wasn’t for the players the game wouldn’t exist.

The Medical Staff/Strength and Conditioning Staff Relationship: My TakeAnother point worth mentioning is the relationship of the medical staff and the conditioning staff. One thing that has given

me an interesting perspective on our profession is that I am also Athletic Trainer Certified (A.T.,C.). While my profession is strengthand conditioning coach, the trainer credential has been a real philosophy shaper for me. It gave me a different perspective on functionand, more importantly, what dysfunction is. It taught me to serve function first and not try and manipulate it. The curriculum of be-coming an A.T.,C. is rigorous. It required course work; event coverage as a student trainer; and mentor/apprentice hours. In additionto that load I was fortunate enough to have a job. The demands of this three-pronged group of responsibilities prepared me to be re-sourceful and, in my case, tough. Needless to say this made for some long days, but to get through, I was always focused on the taskat hand. For me, this was a great time in my life and it taught me to appreciate things more.

Specifically, in my role with the D-Backs and the medical staff, I’m able to do soft tissue work and manipulate tightness orsoreness before a workout. It is a definite added bonus. It helps define or clarify my workout intentions more specifically. Exerciseprescription was also enhanced with my ATC education. Understanding the appropriateness of an exercise in regards to function ofan exercise is paramount. If you observe an athlete throughout a typical day, one of the worst things they can do is choose an inap-propriate exercise. The only thing worse than a poorly chosen exercise is adding a ton of volume to a terrible exercise! If you lookat it from a business perspective you investigate spending versus income with the goal of having a return on investment—that is thesame approach I use in the weight room. Based on time spent in the weight room and my athletic training background I hope to takesmall steps forward. More importantly it is important to not leap backwards because of lack of preparation and attention to detail.

I feel that my education has taught me what to avoid when considering the specific needs of the athletes. It’s provided mewith a better understanding. As an athletic trainer in the minor leagues, I would spend 45 minutes working on an athlete’s shoulderwho would then immediately go into the weight room and do military presses, needlessly stressing his shoulder and then come backto the training room and complain that the shoulder was still sore—it didn’t make sense. That is when the light went off and I pursueda career in strength and conditioning.

These are my experiences in the strength and conditioning profession. Every team program is different based on the cultureof the club house and management. I guess I should thank our IG friend for helping me take a closer look at what I do and more im-portantly to share it with you!

T-7 Team PositionThis T is for programs that are more advanced. The training needs of a catcher are different than the pitcher. The basic


strength/power program is basically the same for all positions but variance occurs in movement patterns and the conditioning demands.This requires more specific training. This is a coaching choice based on the other 6-Ts.

Developing a Conditioning Routine for Catchers

Christopher Joyner,

In Volume 6, #7 of Performance Conditioning Baseball/Softball I first introduced the common baseball/softball practiceof routine and applied it to the conditioning process. This issue we look at routine as it applies to the position of catcher. The youngplayers who are to be discussed can be in high school or college—the major difference being the number of games played during theweek. At this level the rigors of catching are not as demanding.

In the minor leagues, one of the first things we do is establish a routine with our players; one that they can do at all levelsup to the majors. At the lower levels we have more control. The players basically come in with a clean slate as far as training is con-cerned. In spring training, catchers especially are beat down due to the catching load. The off-season is really important so thatcatchers come into camp in shape having made physical gains. Within the Blue Jay organization we have strength and conditioninginterns at every level who implement the strength and conditioning program. The routine we have developed through our experiencehas been proven to work and everyone knows what is expected throughout the season.

Elements of RoutineOff-season

Today, off-season at any level is hard to define. Here in Florida with the good weather it’s even more difficult. Players areactive all year-round. Such as it is our goal is to increase strength, speed and power. During the season these are the types of thingsthat it’s difficult to focus on because of games. Consequently one can do more volume and work heavier loads. Some catchers workon speed, since this is a quality commonly lacking in these players, although it’s a low priority among scouts.

When starting a routine there are some basic elements to consider. For younger players it’s important to work on basic move-ment patterns and total body strength including the core. Another consideration is injury prevention. In baseball and softball catchersand pitchers are especially prone to overuse injuries. So time spent on balancing the imbalances is important. One thing I recommendis basic screening for imbalance through the Function Movement Screen. There are seven exercises. For these seven exercises go to:http://functionalmovement.com/SITE/functionalmovementscreen/whatisfms.php. There are seven different movements we have ourathletes go through. This helps us identify things such as hip shift, knees caving, asymmetries from left to right side along withstability and mobility of certain joints. This is not meant to screen for injury but rather for movement.

Immobility in joints can lead to faulty movement patterns, which can lead to injury. If a catcher can’t squat in full positionwith a stick overhead without losing balance why should we load the bar and have he/she do squats? This needs to be done beforeany off-season program is started. The younger the athlete the more important it is to make sure things are done right to build a goodstrength foundation that includes the core. It can’t be done on an improper movement pattern. The first thing is a good warm-up thatis dynamic in nature doing things like high knees, butt kicks, lateral scuffles, sprints and other functional movements—functional inthe sense that they mimic somewhat the same movements a player does on the field. Next is strength training; lifting free weights.After strength training comes agilities and sprints and finally, endurance-based activities using mainly interval activities.

In doing strength training a basic consideration is that most athletes are strong in pushing movements and weak in the pull.Therefore, we try to do a one to two or one to three ratio of pushing to pulling exercises. If we are doing a dumbbell bench we wantto do two or three pulling exercises (lat pull downs, seated row, scapular stabilizations) working the decelerator muscles. It is alsobeneficial to do one-legged exercises to improve balance. Another important consideration for catchers is flexibility, which is huge.This is where the mobility, flexibility and regeneration all blend to address improving movement, flexibility, and recovery. If a catcheris not flexible, especially in lower half or core, he can't get into his proper stance/crouch.

Pre and In-SeasonIt is assumed that the athletes have laid a good strength and core stability base so that throwing and hitting activities, starting

at the ground base, can transfer through the body for effective skill execution. Strength and stability work should be cut down to amaintenance phase going from five days to three days a week. Baseball/softball activity increases dramatically during spring trainingand in-season. This is a transition period based on the strong foundation already built. If one doesn’t have this foundation the skillwork may be too much and the players start to get burned out.

Catchers have a huge volume of activity—catching bull pens, hitting, practices, and playing games. The skill work also in-cludes glove and footwork to complement a good arm and fast release time. Catchers get beat up and touch the ball on almost everyplay so they’ve got to be ready. It’s a highly skilled position and they have to be ready to go every day. A lot of skill drills are doneby Sal Fasano—a former Major League catcher and our Double-A Affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats Manager. He works withour catchers during regular spring training and takes our guys through a ton of awesome drills. The routine becomes a balancing actof conditioning and skill work combined.


The volume of work done coincides with the number of catchers in camp. At our level, we give the catchers one hard day ofconditioning followed by a day light footwork and agility and then a flush day for recovery. This is repeated (See Tables 1 and 2 forexercise ideas). Most of our guys, especially those from the Dominican Republic are new to conditioning so we ask them to trust uson volume and loading. In Florida where it’s hot it’s really important to get their legs underneath them.

One thing a lot of people forget is good nutrition and hydration. Avoiding cramps and having the energy to train and recoverquickly are all part of good eating. Players play a lot of games in a short amount of time and have to be fueled and ready to go everyday. We do a food first approach educating them on eating properly. After performance the focus moves to eating recovery. Someplayers need to put on weight so we’ll introduce proper supplementation to help in this process.

Occasionally, there is a tendency to do too much too soon. There are times when a quick workout will be all that is necessary.Athletes at our level sometimes want to do too much and it’s part of my job to pull them back from time to time. As conditioningcoaches we deal with the players on a daily basis more than the manager or position coach. Bottom line is they are competing for ajob so they’ll push themselves beyond normal. They may be a little more apprehensive; some even scared to tell the manager or po-sition coach that they are beaten down but they will communicate with us a little more. When I see a player come into the weightroom I can usually tell where the player is at and when to back off. We have to earn each player’s respect so they are comfortable.We have to be the voice of reason and have the player take the day off rather than risk injury. Also as conditioning coaches we needto communicate with the position coaches to learn of work volume for the players so that we can adjust accordingly.

Starters vs. Bench PlayersAnother consideration is everyday players vs. bench players. Every day players may be lifting total body two days a week.

Since we consider them throwing athletes, they work on balance drills or single leg work and rotator cuff exercises similar to pitchers.Obviously, we don’t do squats during the season as they are up and down all the time. Bench players are able to take on a heavierstrength and conditioning work load according to their level of activity. For a complete catcher’s lifting program refer to Table 3.

Advice to Young PlayersRoutine should start as soon in an athlete’s career as possible. I look back on my situation as an athlete in baseball, football

and soccer. The only routine we had was warm-up. Athletes need to be provided all the tools and a conditioning expert to establisha routine. It is important to note that needs change as athletes mature. The goal is to take the guesswork out of training and make itsecond nature. Players like Roy Halladay and Ryan Braun have a plan everyday so when they get into the game, all they have toconcentrate on is their job (for Halladay it’s throwing strikes and getting outs, for Braun it’s running down fly balls and hitting theball hard). It takes time to reach this level but that should be the goal of every player.

Getting started offers unique challenges. When I played high school ball, one day I would pitch, the next day catch, and thenplay outfield the next. These position changes make it a lot tougher to establish a routine than when a player is just a pitcher. In thiscase, the routine would consist of warm-up, daily preparation and what is necessary to get ready for the particular position to beplayed that day. An overall “cookie cutter” type of program might be most effective for this group of athletes.

Creating a routine is even more important in today’s world of video games and PE-less school. Skill work and developingathletic abilities such as speed, agility and strength go hand in hand. Working hard and having a good work ethic is important to takethe initiative in today’s society with all its distractions.

As players develop the first thing that is modified is the intensity at which the routine is done—intervals are spaced closertogether and external resistance is added to exercises, etc. Individualization is key in any player’s routine. As stated earlier, as theplayers develop more specialized and individualized training is necessary as opposed to the “cookie cutter” approach.

The first question is when to individualize. There is no clear answer to this—it’s an individual issue. It’s important to letkids be kids and play a variety of sports. Specialization can start too early. High school is where life becomes a little more structuredso this may be the most logical place to start. At this level play is more competitive and organized. Players are starting to focus onplaying one position; therefore, doing catcher-specific training makes more sense. In college and the professional ranks, this is moreclearly defined and catcher-specific improvement programs make a great deal of sense for these players.

Final ThoughtsA lot of time we have players come to us with their favorite exercises, usually mirror muscle or push exercises. Coming in

they don’t have a concept of what the routine is like at our level. We have to take into consideration all the variables we have presented.We have to convince the players to trust us to design a program that’s right for them. This is what we do for a living. Coming rightout of high school I’ve seen players do a lot of different things that they are comfortable with but really won’t help them get to thenext level. This means we have to educate them on our routine. Forget what you love to do and focus on what you should be doing.


“T” Drill

Drill (distance between each cone is5 yards):1) Start to #1 = Sprint2) #1 to #3 = Shuffle (or #1 to #2)3) #3 to #2 = Shuffle (or #2 to #3)4) #2 to #1 = Shuffle5) #1 to Start = Backpedal

5-10-5 Drill

Drill (distance between each cone is 5yards):1) Face & Straddle Start (Middle) Cone2) Sprint to #13) From #1 Sprint Across to #2 4) From #2 Sprint Back Through Start

* Perform In Both Directions FromSTART* On Your Turns, Always Face TheCones…Never Turn Your Back.

7 Cone ZigZag Drill

Drill (bottom cones 5 yards apart and top cones split the difference):1) From START to FINISH = Sprint Between Cones at 45 Degree Angles.2) From FINISH to START Repeat Sprints and REST.3) From START to FINISH = Shuffle Between Cones Facing Same Direction From Cone-to-Cone.4) From FINISH to START Repeat Shuffles and REST.5) From START to FINISH = Sprint to Top Cones and Backpedal To Bottom Cones at 45Degree Angles.6) From Finish to START Repeat Sprint/Backpedal and REST.

4 Cone Box Drill

Drill (box dimensions = 5 yards by5 yards):1) From START to #1 = Sprint2) After Reverse Pivot #1 to #2 =Shuffle3) After Reverse Pivot #2 to #3 =Backpedal4) #3 to START = Carioca

Variations:* Perform Drill Moving Left toRight as Pictured and Also FromRight to Left Making #3 theSTART.* Vary Movements Between Cones.

TABLE 1: AGILITY DRILLS

Drill:1) In A Continuous Sequence Perform The Following:

a. Sprint From START to #1 & Return to STARTb. Sprint From START to #2 & Return to STARTc. Sprint From START to #3 & Return to STARTd. REST

2) Set Two-Perform Side-Shuffles Between Cones-REST3) Set Three-Perform Sprint/Backpedal Between Cones(sprint from start to numbered cones and return to startusing backpedal)-REST

Variations:* Perform Drill In “Reverse” Cone Order (i.e. 3-2-1) orAny Combination (i.e. 2-1-3 or 1-3-2 or 3-1-2, etc.).* Alternate Movements In Between Cones (i.e. sprint,sprint/backpedal, carioca, shuffle).

60 Yard Shuttle Run


First-Step Quickness and Power Drills*Quality not quantity should be emphasized!

Lateral/Side-to-Side Cone or Line Hops• Drill: jump sideways over the cone or line as quickly as possible using one foot or both feet. • 2 sets of 20-30 repetitions or 2 sets for 10-20 seconds. Rest for 40 seconds to one minute in between sets.• Variation: set-up a line of cones in a zigzag pattern and hop sideways from cone to cone.

Front-to-Back Cone or Line Hops• Drill: Jump forward and backward over the cone or line as quickly as possible.• 2 sets of 20-30 repetitions or 2 sets for 10-20 seconds. Rest for 40 seconds to one minute in between sets.

Lateral Bounds/Skater Hops • Drill: start balanced on one leg with knee slightly bent. Explode laterally as far as you can, while extending your ankle, knee

and hip landing on the opposite leg only. Land balanced and hold for a one, two, or three-second count. Repeat to the otherside.

• 2 sets of 10-20 repetitions. Rest in between sets.• Variation: move quickly on one side, holding on the other for two or three seconds; move as quickly as possible on both sides

while maintaining proper form.

Lateral Bounds/Skater Hops with Sprint• Drill: performed the same as the drill above, but upon landing the final repetition explode into a sprint for 5-10 yards. The

sprint can occur on any repetition during the set. Walk back to start and repeat.• Example; 1 set of 10 repetitions (5 reps starting on right foot and 5 starting on left foot). Sprint after the third hop.

First-Step Quickness and Power Drills*Quality not quantity should be emphasized!

Squat Jumps• Drill: from a squatting position with your back erect, jump upward explosively extending your ankles, kneed, and hips in a

straight line. Land in an athletic position (with knees bent), return to starting position, and repeat the exercise. • Hand Position: Place hands on your head, or start with your hands near your chest and reach upward as you begin the jump. • 2 sets of 5-10 repetitions per leg.

Split Jumps• Drill: from the split squat position, explode up using your hips and legs while simultaneously throwing arms up. Extend your

front leg and land back in the same split squat position. To add variation, switch/alternate legs while in the air with the backfoot coming forward performing a scissor jump.

• 2 sets of 5-10 repetitions per leg.

Base Rotation (1/4 and 1/2 turns)• Drill: begin with shoulders square and feet at 45-degree angles. Rotate your hips to the right and left at 90-degree angles (1/4

turn). Shoulders stay stationary and arms counter-rotate as hips move from right to left. • 1-2 sets of 10 repetitions each direction. Rest in between sets.• Variation: rotate your hops to the right and left at 180-degree angles (1/2 turn). Be sure to return the hips to starting position,

not turning around at 360-degree angles. Perform combinations of 45- and 180-degree angles. Your coach can also call the di-rection of the turns so that you can work on your reaction time.

Jump Rope• Timed in seconds up to one minute.• For a prescribed number of repetitions and sets.

Agility/Speed Ladder Drills• Focus on rapid foot turnover and placement.• Drills should include straight-ahead, lateral, and backward movements.

TABLE 2Special Programs: Lateral Resistor Band Exercises

Directions:• Goal: Improve Lateral Movement, Coordination, Balance, and Agility.


• Choose 6-8 Exercises and Perform 1-2 sets of 10 Repetitions. Exercises performed in any order or combination• Work : Rest = 1 : 2• Bands are placed around the ankles.

Exercises (performed in any order or combination)• Forward/Backward Walk – Walk forward and backwards, taking as big a step as possible. Keep toes pointing straight ahead

as long as possible.• Lateral Side Step/Defensive Slides – Hands extended out away from sides, slide to your right and then left for equal distance.

Keep feet from touching each other (keep cables from going slack) with minimal recovery of the trail leg and keep head at thesame level throughout. Repeat in opposite direction.

• Monster Walks – With feet wide apart, toes straight ahead and in a low ready position (elbows should almost touch knees),walk forward or backward keeping the feet as wide as possible and without raising up out of low ready position.

• Skater Jumps With Pause – Just like a skating motion, jump laterally and stick the landing. Maintain tension on the tubingby keeping the trail leg extended, but off the ground. This drill can be done in one area or moving forward or backwards in azigzag motion.

• Multi-Directional Lunge – Standing on one leg, lunge out and recover to the front, side and back (turn and go type movement).The key here is to stay balanced on the one foot during the recovery phase. Do equal amount of reps in each direction.

• Medicine Ball Pass and Slide Drill – Holding medicine ball at chest height, pass the ball back and forth to a partner or of thewall as you do a defensive slide movement to your left and right. Repeat both sides.

• Reaction Drill – In the “ready” position, react to the coach’s call of slide right, slide left, walk forward, walk backwards. Pickand choose any of the previous exercises to add to the drill.

• Speed Skater – From a “ready” position, balance on one leg while stepping back at a 45* angle with the alternate leg in a touchand go fashion. Switch balance leg and repeat.

Special Programs: Lateral Resistor Band ExercisesDirections:

• Goal: Improve Lateral Movement, Coordination, Balance, and Agility.• Choose 6-8 Exercises and Perform 1-2 sets of 10 Repetitions. Exercises performed in any order or combination• Work : Rest = 1 : 2

Exercises (performed in any order or combination)• Up, In, and Back – Stay in “ready” position while stepping up with the lead leg, then in with the trail leg, and back again with

the lead leg, then in with the trail leg. Switch lead leg and repeat in opposite direction. • “Pitcher’s Stride” Drill – Perform a high knee into your “balance point”, then go into your stride extending your leg out in

front of you. Land balanced and bring the back leg forward meeting your front leg. Work both sides.• “B” Steps – Perform a high knee, then extend the knee out in front striking mid-foot while pulling the leg through with your

hamstring.• In-and-Out Foot Chops – Start with feet shoulder width apart so that there is tension on the cord. Step out to the side moving

both feet simultaneously against the resistance and then back in to the starting position. Performed with quick and deliberatesteps.

• Wide Stance Foot Chops – Performed similar to in-and-out foot chops, but starting with feet wider than shoulder width apart.Move both feet simultaneously against the resistance as wide as you can and then back to the starting position.

• Up-and-Back Scissors – Start with feet shoulder width apart so that there is tension on the cord. Split the feet apart in an up-and-back scissor motion as if you are running in place while keeping constant tension on the band. Be sure to move your armsand legs in sync as the movement is performed.

• First-Step – From a “ready” position, take a power step out with right or left foot and return to starting position. Step out withopposite leg and repeat for determined number of reps. Be sure to move your arms and legs in sync as the movement is per-formed.

TABLE 3Catcher Total Body Lift Examples

PARAMETERS:1) Warm-Up: 10 to 15 Minute Movement Preparation or Cardio2) Sets and Repetitions Will Be Determined By Training Phase and Will Vary Throughout Season3) Lifts Are Performed On Non-Consecutive Days 2-3 Days Per Week4) Other Exercises Include: Mobility (Hip, Shoulder, T-Spine), Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Corrective, Foam

Roller / Stick (Regeneration), and Arm Maintenance Program (Cuff, Scaps, Forearms)


Exercise Type Exercise Description

Primary Pull Dumbbell Head Supported Row or 1-Arm Dumbbell Row

Functional Push Cable Anti-Rotational Press or Shoulder Taps

One-Leg Balance Dumbbell 1- or 2-Arm Single Leg RDL

Primary Pull Seated Cable Row or Cable Face Pull

Functional Lower Mini Band or X-Band 4-Way Walk

Core Rotation Medicine Ball Split Stance or Kneeling Side Throw

Primary Pull Pull-Up Variation or Lat Pulldown

Functional Lower / Push Combo Stability Ball or TRX Triple Threat

Player's Choice Dumbbell Biceps Hammer Curl or Triceps 1-Arm Kickback


Primary Legs / Hips Barbell Box Squat or Front Squat

Functional Pull TRX Inverted Row or Power Pull

Upper Body Balance TRX Atomic Push-Up or Push-Up w/ Rotation

Primary Legs / Hips Barbell or Trap Bar Deadlift

Functional Push 1-Arm Dumbbell or Cable Chest Press

Core Rotation Cable Tall Kneeling Chop or Lift

Primary Legs / Hips Walking Lunge or Dumbbell Step-Up

Functional Push / Pull Combo Push-Up Row or Cable Push/Pull

Player's Choice Dumbbell Curls or Triceps Pressdowns


Primary Push Dumbbell Flat or Incline Chest Press

Functional Lower 1-Leg Squat or Contralateral Balance Reach

Anti-Flexion / Extension Push-Up Walk Out or Stability Ball Rollout

Primary Push BOSU Ball or Medicine Ball Push-Up

Functional Pull 1-Arm Cable or Tubing Low Row

Core Stabilizations Front and Side Pillar Bridges (Planks) or Floor Series

Primary Push TRX or Tubing Chest Press

Functional Lower / Pull Combo Lateral Reach Lunge or Reverse Lunge w/ Overhead Reach

Player's Choice Barbell Reverse Biceps Curls or Cable Triceps Rope Pulldowns

DAY 1FOCUS: LEGS / HIPS

DAY 2FOCUS: UPPER BODY PUSH

DAY 3FOCUS: UPPER BODY PULL


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