Start Preparing Now for the New Season
By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson
By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson
It is time to start preparing for the upcoming season. Every year, in Tennessee, it seems like spring youth baseball starts earlier and earlier. High School and Middle School teams, according to the TSSAA, can officially start practicing on the second Monday in February, and start playing games four weeks later, in March. Even the youth recreational leagues will start practicing in late February and early March. Players need to start preparing long before the first official practice day in order to avoid unnecessary injuries. Here are a few tips that will help as you start preparing for the new season.
Warm Up Tips
Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity. Do some easy jogging and about 10-12 short sprints (10 to 15 yards) at about 50% speed. You are only trying to get the blood flowing and warm the muscles at this point.
Stretching Tips
After some lite jogging and sprints, do a few easy, basic stretches for the entire body (about 7-10 min).
Throwing Tips
One thing that I told my players was to not pick up a baseball until their body was sweating from the running and stretching exercises. At this point, your body should be ready to start throwing. Remember, you are just starting out so take it easy on your arm. If you haven't thrown in a while, about 5-7 minutes of easy, short distance throwing is sufficient for the first few days.
Hitting Tips
Now it's time to hit, but don't overdo it here either. Hitters should start working to get a feel for the swing, and developing hand/eye coordination first. Hitting balls on a tee is a great way to do both. Be sure to work on inside and outside, and high and low pitch locations on the tee. Next, have a player, parent, or coach do the soft toss drill with you. This will also help with developing hand/eye coordination and a feel for the swing. Then, finish your hitting session with the front toss drill.
Fielding Tips
If you're working with a teammate or a friend, start by getting them to roll you some balls directly in front of you. Next, get them to roll some balls to your glove side and then to your backhand side. You can also do this drill without a glove. Be sure to train your eyes to track the ball from the tosser's hand to your hand or glove. This is a good way to start training the eyes also.
Remember, don't overdo it, work your way back into it slowly. And always remember to have FUN!
JEC Baseball Info receives a small commission from any product that you purchase from our affiliates, when you click through the links provided on this site. I like using this model because it doesn't add any extra costs or fees to your purchases. The commission helps to offset the time and cost of maintaining and supporting the site. Thanks for visiting this page.
By using this website, you agree to the Privacy Policy, and Disclosure.
Clidk here to read how to Support This Site at no additional cost to you!
JEC Baseball Info