Baseball is a game that requires athletes to remain mobile throughout, and their warm-ups are one of the most important activities before (and sometimes during) games.
It’s important that you do dynamic warm-ups as they involve balance and coordination in equal measure. This also challenges the overall neuromuscular system and allows the brain to communicate faster with the muscles. Dynamic exercises can also help with lower body power and improve upper body performance.
If you’re a player, here are a few good dynamic pre-game warm-ups to do before you step onto the field:
Start with the following:
- Bodyweight squats
- Walking knee-to-chest
- Walking toe-touches
- Walking lunges
- Frankensteins
Post completing the above, you can move on to quicker movements such as:
- Glute kicks
- Lateral shuffle
- Short sprints
- Carioca
- High knees
You can complete the dynamic movements, with upper body exercises including:
- Wall angels against a wall or fence
- Cross-body arm swings
- Arm circles
- Bent-over shoulder T, Y and W raises. You can also incorporate wrist stretches, including the prayer stretch by moving your arms up and down, while keeping the wrists together.
Post-game:
Stretching after games is also beneficial to relieve any sort of muscle tension, which can occur after repetitive use. Some examples include the cross-body arm stretch and the sleeper stretch, to help prevent muscle tightening.
With these exercises, it’s safe to say that you’ll be well-prepped and warmed up for a good game of baseball.