Last week we highlighted a unilateral (single limb) exercise for strengthening the muscles responsible for running, especially at high speeds; the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps. This week we are focusing on a bilateral (two limb) exercise for power training. For building short-term muscular power (aka explosiveness) nothing beats plyometric drills. One of the better ones…
There was a very interesting article this week on ESPN.com that may date the origins of baseball to an English lawyer back in March 1755. I am still recovering from spending a week in the hospital with my wife & infant son so a link to the article is below. Enjoy and leave a comment…
If your sport involves a fair amount of running, especially sprinting, you need to increase the muscular strength of the muscles responsible for acceleration and deceleration; namely the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. For athletes who are short on time, one exercise will not only develop the strength of the running/sprinting muscles but will also develop…
Back on June 16th of this year we discussed how important core muscle strength is in athletics. Sixty percent of your power comes from this area and in the past it was ignored by many people. Now workouts have changed quite a bit and many trainers make the core the focal point of their workouts.…
Two weeks ago, we addressed how to use your arms when you run. This week we want to give you some tips on posture and how to move your legs. When you initiate a fast run or sprint, you must coordinate your arm movements with your leg movements in a rhythmical fashion keeping in mind…
It sounds easy enough. Runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs and a fly ball is hit in the outfield. Runner tags, takes off and he slides into home safely. Perfect, right? Now we all know it doesn’t always work out like this so lets start from the beginning. It doesn’t matter if you…
One thing we have been focusing on a lot lately when we train athletes is how are they using their arms when they run. Over the past 2 years I have seen a lot of crazy running forms and for those of you who say you can’t teach speed…well you’re wrong. It is true that…
It’s a tough job being a catcher. You are the captain of the defense because you can see the whole field and you are in charge of the pitching staff. In essence you are an additional coach added to the staff. There are a lot of things we can cover when you are running the…
When you are involved in an exercise plan it’s important to make sure that you are working both sides of your body equally. The front (anterior) and back (posterior) need the same amount of work in order to keep yourself balanced and reduce the chance of injury. This week let’s look at an example of…
The ability to be a dangerous hitter with 2 strikes is critical to becoming a great hitter. If a player has confidence to do damage with 2 strikes he will not be afraid to get to two strikes. If he in not afraid to get behind in the count he will also be more patient…