Softball Training Q&A - What Exercises Can I Do?
Posted: 05 Jul 2010 11:09 PM PDT

By Stacie Mahoe
I received an e-mail about softball training from a softball dad. He wanted to know…
What are some exercises and lifts that a 17 yr. old can do working towards playing college ball? Mostly weight training to get stronger.
Great question! Here was my response…
Thanks for writing. Most of the weight training I did IN college was your basic:
? shoulder press
? bicep curls
? triceps extensions
? flys
? bench press
? upright rows
? power cleans
? squats
? calf raises
? leg press
? leg extensions
? leg curls
? etc etc etc
However, I find that Core Training requires less equipment, is much more "useful" as far as translating to on-the-field performance, and is excellent for building a strong foundation to move on to more muscle specific training if you wish to do that later.
Weight training is great and you can definitely gain strength doing it, but I now lean more toward doing exercises that don't isolate muscles since that is not the way your muscles are used on the field. Plus, there is SOOOOOOO much you can do with your own body weight. I also feel that the more you learn to work with and control your own body and it's movements, the better your agility and reaction will be on the field.
If you'd like a great core training program, check out Barry Lovelace, he's one of the best when it comes to training the core and training for functional/sport specific strength, power, endurance, and quickness.
Click Here to learn more about getting Softball Strong today.

A powerful core helps your athletes transfer speed
and momentum to the upper body, the arms, and
eventually the bat head.

Here are 3 core exercises you should include in your
your team's in-season and off-season program:

* Plank

Lie down on your stomach. Lift your body off the
floor with your forearms (elbows at 90° degrees) and
your toes. Keep your body in a straight position
(without arching your back) and hold for 30 seconds
to one minute. Lift one foot in the air for added
difficulty.

* Lying glute pushup

The lying glute pushup targets your butt and back
muscles. Lie on your back with your feet resting on
top of a chair or bench. Push through your heels to raise
your butt off the floor as high as possible. Form a
straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Hold this position for 60 seconds.

* Twisting crunch

This is one of the most effective crunch workouts,
as it hits all of your stomach muscle fibers at once.
Assume a standard crunch position, raise your torso to
a 45° angle, and then twist from side to side. For an
advanced movement, extend your legs and pretend to
peddle a bicycle while you continue to twist.

To develop a quick bat your kids must have strong
hands, wrists and forearms.

Your players can easily build grip strength by using
common objects found at home. Have them spend 30
minutes a day squeezing a tennis ball (they can do
this while watching TV or reading).

Another great at-home tool is the wrist-roller.

Making one is easy. Just take a broom stick and cut
it to about 12 inches long. now drill a hole in the
middle of the cut broom stick and insert a piece of
rope around 4-5 feet long.

Now tie one end of the rope to the handle and the
other end to a brick or five-lb weight.

To perform the exercise, twist and turn both wrists in
an alternating fashion, rolling the weight all
the way to the top. Lower slowly and repeat.

Simply put, the best way to improve bat speed is
repetition.

Continuous swing repetition builds deeply ingrained
"muscle memory" in your athlete's body...

So, over time, they stop thinking about their bat
speed and swing mechanics.

And - instead - focus on seeing the pitch and hitting
the ball!