Baseball Training Q&A

With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror and the countdown date to pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training dwindling, parents and athletes begin to consider how they can better prepare for the upcoming season.

This blog answers some of the FAQ's I hear from parents struggling to figure out how to get their kids to achieve a higher level of play.

Depending on the child's age, prior experience in sports and skill level, here are some general guidelines to follow:

For Boys age 7-12 and Girls age 6-11:

Initiation stage of development.

These are kids who are still in the prepubescent years of development. Their bodies are still growing and developing. During this stage, there is no training focus on building muscle mass.
Resistance training should be avoided a this stage, especially heavy weight training. Bodyweight exercises like push-ups, chin-ups and sit-ups are examples. Light medicine balls can also be used.

Exercise programs should be focused on a wide variety of athletic skills and exercises involving running, jumping, tumbling, climbing, balancing, catching and throwing. Some believe that up to 90% of a athletes agility is developed prior to age 12, so drills or games focusing on starting and stopping or changing directions and reacting to stimuli should be emphasized.

Children in this age group should participate in a wide variety of sports and games in order to encourage multi-lateral development. Sports that encourage neuro-muscular development such as martial arts or gymnastics are examples.

The intensity level should be kept low and activities should not produce a high level of struggling or frustration at this point. Keep it fun and try to build up interest levels and attention spans.

At this stage, it is a good time to start to develop proper nutritional habits and choices.

The guidelines should be simple and easy to incorporate and maintain.

- Limit snacks and junk foods.
- Avoid sodas and fruit drinks with high levels of sugar.
- Avoid fried or high fat foods.
- Let kids know the difference between protein, carbohydrates and fats and why you need them as part of a healthy diet.
- No dieting at this stage.
- You can "treat" yourself occasionally, generally as a "reward" for good dietary behavior over a period of time.
- A multi-vitamin and perhaps fish oil supplement would be good for overall health.

Kids develop at different rates. If your child is big or small relative to his peers now, that could change. Don't sweat it. You can't control it, so why worry about it.

Don't worry about genetics or things you can't change. Worry more about encouraging, developing and modeling healthy habits.

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For Boys age 13-15 and Girls age 11-13:

Secondary stage of development

This is the optimal time period to initiate a resistance or weight training program.

To minimize injuries or down time and not interfere with the athlete's growth progress, the following factors should be considered:

- The chronological age in years and months.
- The biological age or maturation level of the athlete.
- The training age or experience level in sports and with resistance training.
- The growth spurt or onset of peak height velocity.

During growth spurts bones can become weaker and muscle imbalances can occur. Bones are growing and muscle-tendons are tightening. Athletes experience difficulties in balance and coordination due to these changes. The nervous system is, in effect, being re-wired to accommodate these changes. Athletes adapt to these bio-mechanical changes at different rates.

During these periods, stress levels should be lowered, if possible. This can include reducing training time and/or playing time. The body does not know the difference between playing and training stress.

To maximize the benefits of a resistance training program it may help to seek a qualified strength and conditioning coach to help develop a plan according to the individual athletes needs. The coach will evaluate and assess the current level of training and develop a training program to address the child's current strengths and weaknesses.

Factors to be considered for developing a resistance training program

- Begin with bodyweight exercise.
- Use medicine balls or throwing implements, especially if in a sport that involves throwing and catching.
- Medicine balls are effective for transferring strength to power by developing speed of movement.
- Emphasize the development of the abdominal, spinal, scapular and thoracic muscles.
- Incorporate drills and exercises that stimulate the neuromuscular system and reaction to outside stimuli.
- Avoid heavy resistance and low repetitions. Use a weight that you can handle 8-10+ reps per set with comfortably.
- Train with a partner or coach for assistance and/or motivation.
- Avoid "sports-specific" training at this point. Your goal should be to develop your overall athleticism at this stage.

There will be plenty of time to narrow your training and sports focus after age 15. In the early stages, variety is the spice of life.