Winter workouts

I can see that, but I believe they use other type motions through the water moreso than straight over the top. I know of a college pitching coach that uses swimming as part of their workouts. Perhaps I can get him to respond to this.

 

I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I have heard the repetitive rotating motion in swimming is not good for pitchers.

 

Thanks for the offer to check into it. I would be interested in the answer. I can see how butterfly, freestyle and backstroke could put alot of strain on the shoulders.

My son is tall with broad shoulders. He pitches and used to swim a great butterfly and backstoke. The same build that made him so strong in swimming has been so beneficial to his pitching. He gave up swimming a few years ago though because he didn't like it.

 

I guess when it comes to swimming we should not confuse a workout to strengthen and tone muscles with workouts preparing for competition. My daughters were competitive swimmers for years and those workouts were grueling.
When it come to winter conditioning a lot of the HS players in our area are using Darren Holmes facility in Arden. They have a great program stressing speed, strength, and agility. They also have indoor cages and room to toss the ball around but the workouts are great.

 

While weight lifting has it's advantages, and should be done, speed and agility training is at the top of my list. Carolina Baseball Center (CBC) has a great program that they offer. I know that there are quite a few ball players from the SW4A Conference that participate.

 

The American Sports Medicine Institute, Dr. James Andrews and company, now recommends that players shut down and do no throwing of any kind for a 3-4 month period each year. I'd be curious to know to know how many kids actually do this. My guess is very few.

On the weighted ball topic, Tom House, who is closely affiliated with Andrews and ASMI, now recommends the use of weighted balls. See his recent book, Fastball Fitness.

One person mentioned a study that indicated that weighted bats slow down bat speed, the implication being that weighted balls would slow down arm speed. The THEORY behind the weighted ball routines that House endorses is you use a weighted ball, only 6 ozs., to build strength, followed by a light ball, 4 oz., to build arm speed.

Does it work? I'm not sure. We have always done maximum distance long toss, along the lines of what Coach Rasmus advocated in an article in Collegiate Baseball a couple of years ago. But last year we decided to try the weight balls. My son normally shuts down completely for 3 mos., then we start long tossing in November. From Nov. through January of last year we did the weighted ball routine instead. His velocity increased from a top velocity of 85 to a top velocity of 89. Was this due to the weighted balls? I don't know. It might have been due to another year of age and growth. And he might have experienced the same increase with three months of max out long toss.

House cites studies that have documented greater increases in velocity for those who do the weighted ball routine than those who do nothing. But I have never seen a study that compares weighted balls versus max out long toss.

You may draw your own conclusions.

 

Bump for discussion

 

My son plays varsity football in the fall, so he's involved in that and some minor weightlifting. He also is involved on his fall showcase team on a limited basis due to playing football. He has done this same routine since middle school and it seems to work for him. He was one hit short of his schools all-time hitting record, last year. If he has a big baseball tourney in the fall to attend, then we will arrange to have a batting lesson to fine tune some things and take him to hit in the cages to get into a rhythm.

 

It's funny

how this thread might not look any different today that it did in '03 when it was first started. My son has been going to the On-Deck Winter Workouts for the past 2 years and the Epi Center now resides over this training at the On Deck Facility. They are also Sparq Certified now, which I think adds to the exercises that scouts might be looking for(?). Not really sure what folks think about the Sparq Training and if it gives these boys an advantage of some sort.
His HS is doing weights every other day with sprinting on the off days. His showcase team...wait, travel team, I mean.....Ugh! Well, that team does hitting once a week and core training/speed & agility once a week. I'm just glad he loves this sport so much and has his goals set right.

 

It is amazing, isn't it. More and more colleges and pro teams are going away from distant running and going to the more explosive Sparq training. (except for pitchers)