The fall semester workouts will consist of three baseball phases, three weight training phases and three speed and agility enhancement phases.
We will lift on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday we will devote our time to the preparation of a CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL TEAM. As the season draws near we will devote more time to baseball and you will be expected to lift and condition on your own.
Championship Baseball
CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL TEAMS are built around commitment, dedication, loyalty, and lots of hard work. The legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said: “It’s not the will to win that matters - - everyone has that, it’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” It is the will to prepare that separates a ball player’s potential from his performance.
The CARDINAL BASEBALL TEAM will prepare to win everyday! We will prepare our bodies through weight training, we will prepare our minds with mental practice, we will prepare to execute our style of play through speed and agility enhancement, and we will prepare to win through hours and hours of fundamental baseball techniques.
Weight Training
The first thing to remember is you need to lift for endurance and not for size or muscle mass.
We will lift to strengthen our core muscle groups and strengthen our joints in order to perform at a high level of efficiency on the playing field. At the same time we will increase our flexibility to maintain a full range of motion and to reduce the tension in your muscles so as to reduce the chance of injury.
I recommend the baseball program or the one implemented by the football team. Both are very good. No bodybuilding!
Conditioning
Conditioning will consist of a warm-up, stretch, and a combination of speed workouts, agility workouts, plyometric workouts, and cross-training. All phases will be to increase the baseball player's flexibility, speed, agility, lateral movement, explosive bursts, and overall cardiovascular endurance.
60 yard sprint time to work for :
OF and SS - 6.9
IF, C, and P – 7.1
Home to first: Right Side – 4.3 Left Side – 4.15
Testing Procedures and Progress Notes
Periodically we will test your physical strength progress by testing your one rep max (1RM). We will test in the bench press, power clean and squat.
We will also time the 30 yard sprint, the 60 yard sprint, and the pro – agility. Also implement the testing of the medicine ball hip toss and the broad jump.
Classroom
We will be in the classroom two days a week learning the fundamentals of
“MENTAL BASEBALL”. We will discuss the following:
- zone, outside the zone, and strikes
- positive and negative pitch counts
- pitch anticipation
- where to hit with runner(s) on base
- where to bunt with runner(s) on base
- base runner scanning the defense prior to the pitch
- base running by the outs
- mental focus by position
- fielding position by number of outs, batter, and count
- self-control
- communication without talking
Baseball Fundamentals
- fielding
- hitting
- throwing
- positions
- base running
Baseball Execution
- game like situations
- intra-squad
- pitching
Baseball Weight Lifting Program
Phase I
Conditioning and Coordinating the Body
- Phase I will take four weeks
- Test physical strength, speed, and agility (1 week)
- Work Phase I – Speed weights 3 times a week (2 weeks)
- Workout: warm-up, speed weights for 20 seconds, and then finish with jump ropes, line drills, or Houston Astro Run
- Test for increase in physical strength, speed, and agility (1 week)
Phase II
Strength and Speed
- Phase II will take three weeks
- Work Phase II – Strength conditioning by lifting three sets of 70% of the player 1RM 12 times the first week and 75% of the players 1RM 10 times the second week (2 weeks)
- Workout – warm-up, strength lifting and then finish with speed work (sprints, step ups, leg lift over small hurdles, and 12” lateral box)
- Test for increase in physical strength, speed, and agility (1 week)
Phase III
Power, Speed and Agility
- Phase III will take four weeks
- Work Phase III – Power conditioning by lifting 70% of the player 1RM twelve times the first week, lifting 75% of the player 1RM ten times the second week and 80% of the players 1RM eight times the third week (three weeks)
- Workout – warm-up, power lifting and then finish with speed and agility work (plyometrics, lateral high knee over short hurdles, 12” lateral box, four corner base steal)
- Test for increase in physical strength, speed, and agility (1week)
Weight Lifting By Body Regions
Example of exercises that can be done for each region of the body.
Legs and Hips: Squats, Lunges, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Leg Curls
Chest: Bench, Incline
Shoulders: Shoulder Press, Shrugs, Lateral Raises
Back: Lat Pulldown, Good Mornings, Seated Row
Stomach: Sit-Ups, Jack-knifes, Heel Touches, Russian Twist
Auxiliary: Calf Raises, Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions, Wrist Rolls Wrist Curls
Speed and Agility Enhancement
Speed: Arm swings
12” step ups
Leg lift over mini-hurdle
Med ball toss and chase
Agility:
Line Drill – forward and backward, side to side, and criss-cross
Four Corner Base Steal
Lateral box jump
Lateral leg lifts over mini-hurdles
Pro-Agility
Plyometrics:
Rapid box jump
Two legged
One legged
Low to high
Two legged
One legged
Medicine Ball:
Wood chop
Lunge with a twist
Lunge with ball above head to knee
Warm-up
Use only one of them or any imaginable combination
A. Jog 400 meters
B. Loosen Up ( 2 sets, 15 20 yards)
- High Knee Forward
- High Knee Backward
- Butt Kicks
- Lateral Slides
- Lateral Crossovers with trunk twist
- Toe Touches
- Long Strides
C. Static Stretch (10 second hold)
- Hang Ten
- Spread’em down the middle
- Spread’em right leg
- Spread’em left leg
- Groin stretch right
- Groin stretch left
- Forward lunge right leg
- Forward lunge left leg
- Standing butterfly
- Flamingo stretch right leg
- Flamingo stretch left leg
- Tricep stretch
- Forearm and wrist stretch
D. Power metrics (2 sets, 15 20 yards)
- Walking Lunges
- Lateral Lunges
- Lateral Over / Under with hurdles
E. Agility Drills
- Line drill
- Lateral box jump
- Pro Agility
F. Plyometrics
- Bounding (Forward) 4 x 20 yds
- Bounding (Lateral) 4 x 20 yds
- Forward and backward box jumps
- Lateral box jumps
- Medicine Ball
Tennis Ball Can Weight Training
ARMS
Arm Circles: Arms are straight out from your body forming a "T" (25 reps ea.)
- Small circles out to sides
- Reverse small circles out to sides
- Large circles out to sides
- Reverse large circles out to sides
Triceps Extensions
- Standing, place hand behind head and lift straight up to the sky (25 reps)
- Bent over, forward arm lifts (25 reps)
Forearms: Done with a can attached to a rope which is attached to a dowel
- Grab the bar with both hands and twist it so the rope wraps itself around the bar causing the can to be lifted.
- Reverse the bar so it unravels and sets the can back down
- 10 up and 10 down reps
SHOULDERS
Windmill: Arms at side extended
- Create full circles with arms (25 reps)
- Reverse full circles (25 reps)
Front Raises:
- Arms resting on side...lift straight up in front of body then up to the sky (25 reps)
Side Raisers:
- Arms at side...lift straight up to the sides to shoulder level (25 reps)
BACK
Bent Over Raises:
- Arms hanging...lift can out to sides to the level of the back (25 reps)
- Arms hanging...lift can up with bent elbows towards armpits...elbows will be pointing above your back (25 reps)
In Conclusion
This has been a very short summary of what can be done to help develop your baseball players during the off-season. What also has to be included in the baseball off-season is a throwing program for all players.
If you need more consistent, actionable, repeatable, and exact coaching points for developing your baseball off-season class then spend some time and check out the resources below. These digital downloads are loaded with details and step by step plans to get your team ready for the spring.