Baseball Workout Mistake #1 - Playing To Warm-Up
Coach Dan Huff, CSCS
One area that every baseball player needs to improve on is his
ability to prepare for both practice and competition with a
comprehensive dynamic baseball warm-up. At BaseballStrength.com we have a very simple saying that has very
a very profound impact: Warm-Up to Play, don't Play to Warm-up! I'm sure we have all been guilty of this in the past but jumping
right into your workout or playing a quick game of pickup
basketball is not a sufficient warm-up for an intense performance
enhancing workout. In fact, if we see any of our athletes "playing"
before or during their workout they are asked to return when they
are ready to train. Why should you take your warm-ups so seriously? Because it is the
most important portion of your training session! Setting the tone of each workout begins in the first 2 minutes and
if the tone is one of playing games your training session will not
be productive. The seriousness with which you take your warm-up
sets the tone for the rest of the training session. Getting in the
proper frame of mind at the start of the training session allows
you to improve their mental state. An improved mental state leads
to improved reaction time during speed and agility drills, improved
perception of their body's physical state, improved coordination
during balance activities, and improved overall concentration in
all aspects of the training session. Aside from the mental benefits of a well designed warm-up there are
plenty of physical benefits as well. The first and most obvious
benefit is improved elasticity and contractility of the muscles. A
thorough dynamic warm- up will help the muscles loosen up through a
full range of motion. Muscles can be thought of like rubber bands.
When you attempt to stretch a cold rubber band it often cracks. On
the other hand, when you stretch a rubber band after it has been
warmed up a bit you are able to stretch it without fear of it
breaking. The warm band also has a great ability to contract and fly across
the room. The same is true for your muscles. As they are warmed up
they have a greater ability to stretch through their full range of
motion and contract forcefully without the fear of injury. All warm-ups must follow a few simple guidelines. First, begin with
simple movements and progress to more complex. Following this
guideline, all of our BaseballStrength.com warm-ups begin with
floor based movements and progress to standing movements. Secondly,
begin with slower movements and gradually pick up speed. Our
warm-ups begin with athletes lying on the ground moving slowly and
finish with our athletes ready to move into their high speed power
workouts. Finally, begin with body weight movements before adding external
implements.
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