In this week’s post and video, I lay out a preseason fitness program for athletes who need to get in shape FAST for the upcoming season. If you haven’t made it to the gym much this off season, or you’ve been playing another sport, you still have time to get in shape for the spring.
Read MoreThis week I’m sharing an article from U.S. News regarding the benefits of lifting weights for females. Honestly, I know this is a softball training site and I try my best to tailor my advice to the goals of a softball player. However, I haven’t emphasized enough that strength training is not just for young athletes; it’s a cornerstone for a fit, healthy body.
Read MoreAs an athlete, it’s hard to grade your effort in the gym. How strong is strong enough? You can train hard, but are you making real progress? Are you getting stronger in the areas that will transfer to performance on the field? There are some universal benchmarks that strength coaches should be progressing you toward. In this presentation, I show you an ideal model of how a high school athlete should improve from year to year.
Read MoreIn this week’s video, I demonstrate 8 speed training exercises that are easy to instruct but hard on the legs! The exercises require MINIMAL space and equipment so they are PERFECT for team warm ups and workouts. Following the video, I lay out a 12-week sample program that coaches and parents can easily implement with their athletes starting today.
Read MoreWhat upper body exercises are safe for softball players? In this post, Joe explains which exercises are the safest and most effective for building upper body strength.
Read MoreHave you ever watched an amazing athlete and thought “Wow, it looks like they’re not even trying”? Or have you seen a pitcher who looks completely relaxed even though she’s delivering a 65mph fastball? Using a simple analogy, Joe will explain how and why this happens. He will also describe how athletes and coaches should design strength training programs to promote effortless, optimal performance.
Read MoreWant to start a strength training program but don’t know where to begin? The hardest part is getting started! In this post, I provide a workout-template and exercise demonstrations of every training component that should be included in a complete, softball-specific workout.
Read MoreWho doesn’t want to get faster? In this blog, Joe explains what factors contribute to running speed, and demonstrates a lower body speed and strength training routine that requires minimal equipment and space.
Read MoreIn this video, I explain and demonstrate proper technique for throwing medicine balls to improve pitching performance. Simply twisting and throwing heavy medicine balls is not enough to improve pitching-specific capacity. These exercises should reinforce proper pitching mechanics, and improve pitching-specific mechanics that many young pitchers struggle to command.
Read MoreThe technical aspects of the skills involved in fastpitch softball have been studied and developed for a very long time. Yet with all we know now about biomechanics and the development of athletes, I still don’t think there is a great enough emphasis on strength and conditioning, more importantly the RIGHT kind of strength and conditioning, among pre-college softball players. I hear a lot of questions along the lines of, “What can my daughter do to strengthen her throwing arm?” My short answer to that is NOTHING, specifically. A lot of people fall into the trap of trying to strengthen the individual parts of their bodies that they believe are most integral to whatever they’re trying to do. Really though, whenever you focus your workouts on only one or two areas of concern, particularly when those areas may already be overdeveloped from the natural imbalances that occur from playing a sport, you’re asking for trouble. To achieve your maximum potential as a softball player or as an athlete of any sport, it is absolutely critical to strengthen your entire body, including the parts that you may think you don’t really need to use. And to train effectively, it is ESSENTIAL to be evaluated by a strength and conditioning professional.
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