exercise

Question
I was wondering if there was some specific exercises that my nine year old could be doing safely to improve his game. He loves baseball and he is very good at it. He just doesn't have the strength in his arms/upper body to do what he wants. I don't want him to do anything that will hurt himself.

Answer
Jodie:  Jodie, at his age I would suggest that he just continue to work on his individual baseball skills and play the game for fun.

Throwing, running and swinging the bat will all develop strength and conditioning, as he plays and practices.  Specific exercises to gain strength at 9 years old can be detrimental.

He has a lot of baseball ahead of him, keep it fun and exciting.  Specific training too soon can easily lead to the game becoming work, which it was never meant to be.

Working on developing correct throwing mechanics will increase his throwing velocity, while at the same time helping to avoid arm injuries down the road.  Well worth the effort to develop those now, before he gets many bad habits.  When players are younger, especially if they are not as developed physically as the others around them at the time, they will get into bad throwing habits in an attempt to throw harder and farther.

Good luck as you move forward.  You are in the process of building some wonderful, lifelong, lasting family memories and friendships.  Watching them grow within the game is a terrific experience.

Yours in baseball,

Rick