Conditioning Advice for Baseball Players in the Off-Season
Every athlete dreads the off-season. But they should put a positive spin on it and take the opportunity of the extra free time to improve themselves for their upcoming return to the field. This conditioning advice for baseball players in the off-season will make you go back better than ever.
Fleet of Foot
When baseball players think of running long distances, they often have a negative connotation because it’s usually used as a form of punishment from bad coaches. However, running improves your long-term conditioning, making you gain speed and endurance. In the off-season, it’s easy to take a seat and recover, but you’ll be in for a rude awakening come spring.
While endurance helps you in the long term, acceleration matters the most in baseball, considering you only have a few seconds to race 90 feet down the baseline. You can boost your acceleration by doing multi-directional workouts that can make you agile and quick on your toes.
A Powerful Punch
Every baseball player would love to add some pop to their swing, especially if your efforts last season left you unsatisfied. Besides finding the right bat, you can bulk up in the off-season to get more power. It takes a great deal of time and commitment to turn yourself from a slap-hitter to possessing light tower power, but with various exercise programs, you’ll be well on your way.
Grabbing a medicine ball is one of the most integral ways to get a power boost. Plus, it will lessen your chances of sustaining an injury when you work all body parts. You can roll the ball across your shoulders or help your core by simulating a shotput throw while you move side-to-side. Whatever you decide, stick with it, and you might be looking to bat in the middle of the order next season.
Eating Enlightenment
The last bit of advice is not what to do in the gym but what you do at home. Winter days are shorter and colder, leading many of us to feel lethargic. Additionally, we have the holidays that revolve around eating a copious amount of food. While scarfing down multiple plates during the holiday season is delicious, don’t fall into bad habits.
Proper nutrition is paramount for any athlete in the off-season because you don’t want to play catch-up when the new season rolls around. To stay in peak physical shape and not let all your hard work go to waste, eat healthy food in appropriate portions, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Following this conditioning advice for baseball players in the off-season will help keep you motivated during your downtime while preparing for the first practice and game. Before you know it, you’ll be rounding third, ready to score, and doing it faster than you did last year because of your conditioning efforts.
