Player Development Programs - Part I

Today we will begin a 6-week discussion on the aspects of a proper physical development program.  To understand the purpose of the next 6 weeks we must first understand what truly constitutes a “proper” physical development program. 

There are 5 key areas that must be included in a comprehensive player development program.  Those areas are: Flexibility, Core Strength & Endurance, Muscular Strength & Endurance, Speed & Agility, and Nutrition.  Every Major League Baseball organization has a Player Physical Development Program that is given to each player designed to assist them in training these five crucial areas. 

As a young athlete, hearing that there are in-depth programs specially created for professional ballplayers can appear somewhat daunting; however, the fact that pro players are given such programs to follow is really something to be encouraged by.  See, each of these five areas is never complete.  There is no such thing as the ‘perfect body’ or ‘ultimate flexibility’; it is a constant process of maintaining and developing your program to fit your body’s needs at any given time.  So don’t be discouraged in the weight room or the training facility, simply understand that everyone from the 3rd baseman on your club team to Curt Schilling and Vladimir Guerrero are essentially working on the same aspects of their training.

Here is a brief overview of what the next five weeks will discuss:

Week 1 – Flexibility
•    What flexibility actually means
•    National standards for increasing flexibility
•    An athletes approach to flexibility
•    Some contraindicated stretches for baseball players
•    An overview of the muscle groups a successful baseball flexibility program should include

Week 2 – Core Strength & Endurance
•    What muscles actually create the ‘core’ muscles
•    The importance of core strength & endurance
•    The difference between core strength & core endurance
•    Some examples of effective core workouts

Week 3 – Muscular Strength & Endurance
•    The importance of muscular strength & endurance
•    The true effectiveness of explosive resistance training
•    The importance of circuit training and/or supersets
•    The falsehoods behind the workout myth stating that “Building muscle will cause you to become slower and less flexible.

Week 4 – Speed & Agility Training
•    What speed really is and where it comes from
•    Key mechanical aspects which help improve speed
•    What agility really is and where it comes from
•    The never ending need to improve upon your existing speed & agility skills
•    What a proper speed & agility program consists of

Week 5 – Nutritional Management
•    The importance of proper nutrition . . . even at YOUNG AGES!!
•    Some key factors in helping reduce an athletes weight without drastically altering their normal eating patterns
•    The need for vitamin supplements
•    The negatives about fad diets

I have chosen to spend six weeks discussing these topics because they are unarguably some of the most important factors in the pursuit of the “next level” of the game for any athlete.

If you have questions or concerns on anything you have read in my blogs, or would like me to discuss a topic of your choice in an upcoming blog please feel free to e-mail me.

Jake H.
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