Offseason Training
for Position Players
BY DAVE
BAGLEY
Baseball is a sport where not only
do you have to train to keep your body in shape during the offseason, but you
also have to maintain and improve your skills of the game. There are many
different ways people train, but as a position player, I like to focus on these.
1)
Physical Strength and Conditioning- Make sure you
are on a good offseason training program for both strength and speed focusing on
your legs and core. Finding a trainer who has experience either training for
baseball or training baseball players is very important. What works for other
sports, may not be the best exercises for baseball players. Also make sure you
are on a good diet given to you by somebody with experience with athletes.
2)
Defense- Maintain and improve hand eye
coordination. Fielding fly balls/ground balls on a consistent basis is important
in keeping your eyes and body sharp. Using the SKLZ Reaction Ball is a great way
to improve hand eye coordination.
3)
Hitting- Hit often. Hitting is one of the most
difficult skills in any sport. You can’t take months off at a time and expect to
jump right back into your old hitting form. The tee is the best hitting tool out
there. Try to hit 2-3 buckets of balls every day focusing on different locations
in the strike zone. Remember, quality and not quantity. Take your time and focus
on keeping a consistent swing. Do not jump in there and see how many baseballs
you can hit. The SKLZ travel tee is a very convenient and durable tee that is
easy to set up and break down. Whenever you can hit a moving baseball whether it
is soft toss or live batting practice it will be beneficial in keeping your
timing sharp.
4)
Throwing- Maintaining a healthy arm is very
important. Make sure to take time off as you don’t want to overuse your arm.
Maintain a steady throwing program with a good pitching or throwing coach to
increase arm strength and prevent injury.
5)
Mental Toughness- Stay focused in the offseason.
When your coach isn’t making you show up to practice or games and you don’t have
a set schedule, it’s easy to get off track. Set goals and set a training
schedule for yourself which includes your weights, running, diet, fielding,
hitting, and throwing routine.
Following the above points during
the offseason is what helped me be successful at the high school level, Division
1 college level, and professionally in the minor leagues.
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