Authored by Keith Tesch, Sports Performance Specialist, ATI Physical Therapy, East Naperville, IL
I once had a coach who said, “Baseball is a game of repetition. You must repeat the same skills to get better.” A key component to improving on these skills is building your strength during the off-season and then maintaining it during the season. To reduce the chance of injury (in particular to young pitchers) and keep up performance all season-long, an in-season training program should consist of five elements:
- Upper-body strength
- Lower-body power
- Flexibility
- Shoulder range of motion
- Core stability
A study in the July 2012 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that improving your one rep max and speed of reps with light weight can increase your bat swing speed. The weight used in the study for bench press power was 30 kilograms, or about 66 pounds. Note that it is also important to perform pulling exercises, such as rows and chin-ups, to balance the strength of the front and back of the upper-body. All exercises performed should be compound, or multi-joint movements, with some exceptions to tricep and rotator cuff exercises.
With the repetitive nature of the sport of baseball, overuse injuries can occur to pitchers more than any other position. Youth have a higher risk of injury because they play another position when not pitching. According to a study published in Sports Health on September 4, 2012, serious elbow or shoulder injuries occur in five percent of young pitchers in a ten-year time frame. By incorporating the five elements of a strength training program you can reduce the risk of injury, maintain your performance all the way to the end of the season, and enjoy more time playing on the field rather than on the “DL”.
References:
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research; “Relationship between upper-body strength and bat swing speed in high school baseball players”: July 2012; Miyaguchi K, Demura S; Ishikawa Prefectural University, Nonoichimachi, Japan.
Sports Health; “Prevention of elbow injuries in youth baseball pitchers”: Sep 2012; Fleisig GS, Andrews JR; American Sports Medicine Institute, Birmingham, Alabama.