Swinging a baseball bat, throwing a baseball, and sprinting at maximal intensity are three of the fastest movements in all of sports. These three movements also impose the most demand on the central nervous system.
It becomes crucial for coaches to closely monitor the total volume of swings, throws, and sprints for the day. Failure to do so will increase the risk of injury and hinder the athletes output.
Sport Coaches
Speed Development – If you want to improve your athletes speed, make sure your players are resting 45-60 seconds for every ten yards covered at maximal intensity.
G.P.P/Conditioning – If you feel your players are out of playing shape, or you want to add more conditioning into practices utilize continuous mobility circuits or tempo runs. Here’s some programming guidelines I use when implementing mobility circuits and tempo runs with my athletes:
Mobility Circuit Programming Advice:
Frequency: 1-3 times per week
Total Time: 15-30 minutes
Heart Rate: 120-150 BPM
Tempo Runs Programming Advice:
Frequency: 1-3 times per week
Total Distance Per Run: 50-100 yards
Total Distance Covered: 800-1600 yards
Sprint Intensity: 60-75% of best time
Skill Development – In regards to improving your athletes skills, preach to them that there needs to be a purpose behind each swing and throw. Throw with intent, and don’t waste any pitches. Make every swing have a purpose.
Strength & Conditioning Coaches
Improve your athletes performance by adjusting your program/plan based off the volume of skill work (throws, swings, sprints) your athlete is performing on any given day.
As the season approaches (1-2 months out) and skill work begins to rise, it becomes crucial to adjust your training volume accordingly. This becomes very challenging for most athletes and coaches. Myself and Jason Kanzler put together a Pre-Season College Off-Season Training Program. This program is great for all power-speed rotational athletes whose seasons begin in the spring. Each workout is properly programmed to ensure you get great results in the gym and on the field!
I hope this information was able to help educate players, parents, and coaches. It’s my hope that coaches across the country are more mindful in regards to managing their athletes daily outputs in order to enhance their athletes on-field performance!
