BASEBALL WARMUP EXERCISES AND STRETCHING

Proper baseball warmup exercises, even if they're not sport specific, start with something as simple as a jog around the field to get the blood flowing. Studies show that blood flow to the muscle groups is critical prior to stretching and strenuous exercise. Also, the trend in the pre-training routine is dynamic stretching, a combination of movement and stretching. This is followed by a rigorous stretching routine targeted at the specific muscle groups utilized. Working with a Certified Strenght and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, I learned the three reasons WHY this is the preferred method.

1) Injury Prevention - First and foremost in any sport is the protection and safety of our athletes. A good warmup and stretching routine will give the muscle groups more resilience to injury. You can't develop tendons but you can develop the muscles around the tendons to protect them.

2) Flexibility - We all know how critical flexibility and range of motion are in the performance of an athlete.

3) Strength - The strengthening of the muscle group gives the athlete enhanced performance for speed, hitting and throwing.

FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTALS

I have been coaching for almost forty years now and it never ceases to amaze me how many "coaches" don't take the time for fundamentals. I don't care what you are doing; the absolute beginning, the most rudimentary aspect of anything you attempt, are the fundamentals. Easy, right? Start at the beginning and work your way from there. Pretty simple. Well if that's the case, how come...in the world of high school sports, and even beyond, do I see hockey players that can't skate, football players that can't block and baseball players that can't throw?

Seeing as this article is about baseball, let's talk about the proper baseball throwing fundamentals. Step and throw, give a target... hit the target, and finish at your target. There's no secret to it....been done for many years....yet so many players don't 'crow hop' for an outfield throw, or step and throw from the infield. WHY? is the question. COACHING or the 'LACK OF' is the answer. Coaches get so caught up in so many things that they forget to work on the fundamentals.

There is definitely a right way and lots of wrong ways to throw a baseball. Just like hitters need to practice the proper baseball swing mechanics, players also need to practice the CORRECT baseball throwing techniques. Step toward the target, reach back behind your head, throw overhand and finish at the target. So many errors result from bad baseball throwing mechanics. A simple baseball throwing drill of step and throw, performed correctly every day will ingrain the muscle memory into a player where it will become second nature.