Baseball’s Off-Season: Do You Make These Mistakes When You Train?
10-Point Questionnaire Determines Effectiveness and Safety of Year-round Baseball/Softball Strength & Conditioning Programs
Pauls Valley, OK (PRWEB)September 24, 2003 – Big dollar scholarships and
multi-million contracts are making what baseball players and softball players do
in the off-season just as important as what they do in the regular season. Yet,
according to Steve Zawrotny, Director of Training for Baseball Fit Hitting and
Pitching Academy (www.baseballfit.com) and Certified Strength and Conditioning
Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, “too many
people think that ‘exercise is exercise’ and if a training program works for
players in one sport, like football, it will also work for baseball or softball
players.”
“Such misunderstandings are dangerous and can damage a
player’s health and playing career,” explains Zawrotny, author of the
Baseball/Softball Strength and Conditioning Program and several other baseball
specific training programs.
In order to determine if an off-season
training program is appropriate for baseball and/or softball, answer the
following 10-point training questionnaire:
1. Are you
dedicating more than 10-15 minutes per session on aerobic conditioning or
cardiovascular fitness with special emphasis on exercises such as long distance
running or biking?
2. Does your weight-lifting regimen
emphasize building only bulk?
3. Does your program lack
stretching exercises to promote muscle elongation and flexibility?
4. Does your regimen exclude power development exercises,
such as Plyometrics (a training method that helps players develop speed as well
as strength conditioning in order to improve performance)?
5. Does the program lack sprint/interval
training?
6. Do any of the exercises place your shoulder in
positions that can weaken or damage this joint?
7. Are you
experiencing excessive pain after workouts?
8. Does the
program cover the Four Phases of Strength Training?
9.
Have all the lifts or drills been fully and properly explained or illustrated?
10. Is supervision from or access to an experienced
strength and conditioning specialist with experience in baseball and softball
available to monitor your progress?
Answering “Yes” to questions 1-7 and
“no” to questions 8-10 indicate the program could potentially lead to a serious
injury and sideline a player indefinitely. If a program has three or more
“wrong” answers, Zawrotny suggests that it be reviewed and corrected immediately
by a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
Recognizing that
many athletes may not have access to or can afford a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist, Zawrotny applied his thirty-years of experience as an
athlete, coach, and physical fitness specialist to develop a year-round strength
and conditioning program specifically designed for baseball and softball
players. The program guides players step-by-step through a year-round program
that includes twelve strength training exercises, eight flexibility exercises, a
two-day/week power training program, and a two-day/week interval training
program. The program, which sells for $9.99, is available at www.baseballfit.com/E-BookSC.htm. In addition, Steve lets
players email their training questions to him and uses email to help them with
their training programs.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/9/prweb81346.htm