Training Checklist - Be in Top Softball Shape for 2009

Ah, yes, this is cool stuff. I've been focusing on getting coaches ready for the upcoming season with the bootcamp, but of course, players can do lots to get ready too!

Here's a great article from Dan Huff at Baseball Strength:


To help you get your pre-season training set up properly, I've developed the following checklist(s) to make sure that you have all of the necessary components in your program.


Here is your checklist for the rest of the off-season.

• 3 Full Body Strength workouts/week
• 2 speed training sessions/week
• Daily Stretching and Mobility work

It's really that simple!


Well, maybe we need to go into a bit more detail.


3 Full Body Strength Training Workouts must include:

All Free Weight Training

Lower Body Leg Dominant Movements (Ex. Squats)

• Double Leg
• Single Leg

Lower Body Hip Dominant Movements (Ex. Straight Leg Deadlifts)

• Double Leg
• Single Leg

Upper Body Pressing Movements (always use neutral grip)

• Chest Press
• Shoulder Press

Upper Body Pulling Movements (2x as must as the pressing)

• Horizontal pulling (ex. Rowing)
• Vertical puling (ex. Pull-ups)

Core Training

• Rotation
• Anti-Rotation
• Flexion
• Extension

2 Speed Training Days must include:

Acceleration Training

• Work on technique of the first 3 steps
• Solid forward lean
• Drive the knees up and forward
• Keep the toes under the knees
• Strong piston action on lower leg (no cycle action)

Multi-Direction Training

• Lateral shuffles
• Crossover running
• Deceleration
• Stop-and-go change of directions
• Positive shin angles

Daily Stretching and Mobility Work must include:

Muscle Density Work

• Foam Roll
• Tennis Ball
• The Stick

Static Stretching

• Every Body Part
• Do the easy stretches once
• Do the difficult stretches two or three times

Active Mobility

• Move every body part through its full range of motion

Remember that not every workout needs to include every component of strength and speed, but every component must be included at least once each week.

Not sure what all those things are? I'm sure you've got questions on the checklist so be sure to let us know what we can clear up for you in our discussion forum!

AAF Live - Friday - Right Here on the Blog

Hey - I just had to give you a quick heads up. I know it's last minute again, but I'm going to be running an AAF Live session right here on the blog on Friday, November 14th at 7pm Eastern, 2pm Hawaii Time.

In this live session, we'll discuss:

• The freebies that have come out recently (3 Tips for Reducing Parent Conflict, PreSeason Paving, and the Free Tryout Tool)
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for reducing parent conflict
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for making tryouts easier
• AAF Live participant tips or ideas for getting ready for the upcoming season
• The experts I've been talking with and what our conversations have been about
  
• Plus you'll be able to ask me questions about the bootcamp that I'll be opening up soon (Fastpitch Insider 2008: Reduce Your Coaching Stress Bootcamp)

So join us right here on Friday, November 14th for 1 hour as we discuss, in real time, the topics mentioned above.



Hey - if you're enjoying (or enjoyed) this event, please leave me a comment and tell me what you thought about this AAF Live! session. I'd love to hear from you.

Pre-Season Thoughts, Tryout Tips Wanted

Have you ever had that season? You know the one where you're just so overwhelmed that coaching is more stress than fun? I'm getting ready to go to our first player sign-up for the 2009 this afternoon. This, of course, has me thinking about, planning, and getting ready for the upcoming season. Of course, I have the holidays and a number of family birthdays to get through before the "real" on-the-field season starts. But I just started thinking of all the things I could prepare for prior to being given the okay to hit the field. I believe that preparation plays a big part in your level of success. The more I have taken care of prior to the season starting, the less I'll have to deal with in-season.

While it's true that you can still be successful even without thorough preparation, I don't think that's the "ideal" scenario. You have enough to deal with during the season without having to deal with a bunch of odds and end issues that could have been taken care of prior to the season even starting. You'll probably never think of everything, but if you begin preparing early and start laying out the groundwork for your season, you're season will go more smoothly than if you don't. After all, you'll be able to readily address the unexpected issues and challenges that pop up during the season because you're not busy still trying to take care of things that could have been done before the season started. All that is taken care of, so now you have the means by which to deal with the new "fires" that come up.

If your season begins in the spring like mine, now is a great time to begin thinking about 2009. I know it's a busy time of year with the holidays coming up and all (I really love this time of year), but if you don't have time now, I'm pretty sure you won't have time once the season rolls around. You know how hectic your schedule gets during the first few months of the year. I understand that your "softball brain" may not be firing on all cylinders right now if you're not in season, BUT I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and thinking about '09...AND I'm willing to my preparation plans with you! Keep your eyes on your e-mail for my new "Pre-Season Paving" Report. I'm hoping to have it ready for you by November. 12th. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, if you have any tryout tips you'd like to share, post them here. Anyone who submits tryout tips will get a free copy of Build the Best Team: A Coach's Look at Getting the Most Out of Tryouts.