exercising

Question
QUESTION: What exercises and stretches are good for the off season?

ANSWER: Pete,

Great question.  It really depends on what position you play.  I believe in working out for overall to improve overall strength and conditioning, but I also feel that you have to do specific exercises to improve your body for the position you play.  A pitcher needs to do different things that a SS or a catcher.  Let me know what position you are looking to play and what it is that you want to improve on and I will let you know which direction to go.

Coach

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am a 3rd baseman.

Answer
Work on whole body conditioning.  You want to be as flexible as possible as an infielder.  Find a gym and try to get a couple of sessions with a certified trainer to teach you the right types and ways to stretch.  Also, work on strengthening your legs mostly, but also the upper body to strengthen for hitting.  Throw a lot of long toss in the proper mechanics to strengthen the arm.  You need a cannon at 3B. Work hard on lateral movements, very important for a 3B. Run, Run, Run.  Running builds lower body strength.  I like to do a mixture of poles, longer distance, and sprints.  Baseball is a game of sprinting, it only makes sense to do sprints for workouts.

Stretching is a daily and whole body thing, but you need good instruction on how to do it. It cannot be well explained, it has to be shown.  Strength is important in baseball, but flexibility is vital.  You will avoid injury with more flexibility.

Work Hard!