Conditioning is vital for any athlete. It requires you to establish and execute a routine for your mind and body so you are prepared on every level.
Softball conditioning should help players keep their reflexes sharp and their bodies ready for competition. Here are some helpful tips:
- Prioritize stability strength
Strength is the cornerstone of any well-rounded athlete’s performance. It is what allows our bodies to tolerate the wear and strain that occurs over the course of a season or career. In order to be a successful softball player, midline stabilization and hip control are two major components of power which should be tackled first when developing a training regimen.
It is possible to produce great force with hip stability without compensating or depending too heavily on the back muscles.
- Abduction and the Glute Bridge
The ability to rotate the hips contributes to increased power in your swing. A player’s hips and legs are responsible for initiating any rapid rotational movement since they are the source of the forces required to produce this motion.
A set of hips that is not capable of withstanding the pressures generated by the feet will toss off your sequence and reduce the amount of power in your swing.
- Plank and Reach on the Lateral Plank
The rotational stresses imposed on the middle of the body (any muscles that connect to the vertebrae) mostly during coiling and uncoiling of the swinging can cause the body to get fatigued over the course of a season of playing golf.
This exercise is a fantastic back and core strengthening practice since it targets the lateral stabilizers of the body.
Follow these conditioning exercises and you’ll soon notice more consistency in your performance!