Progressing on Skill Building

In our previous posts, we covered setting the foundation for player development: strength and nutrition. While many will go straight to building skill into a player, we need to realize that skill will fail us in the long run without a foundation of strength and nutrition. This belief, opinion, or whatever you want to call it comes from someone who makes a living through baseball instruction. Which should tell you how much I value setting strength and nutrition as the development foundation.

Now that we have the previous weeks going over that foundation, we can start reviewing some ways to build on it. I was lucky to have coached for 1 season under Joe Maddon, a World Series champion coach, and a player development genius. He had a straightforward philosophy. Do the basics better. Joe emphasized every day in spring training, and that simple message also bled down into the minor leagues. I bring this up to show how they do the basics better, even at the highest levels. What this equates to is they are not trying to recreate themselves and add a new pitch. They are not trying to overhaul their swing. They are not trying to add a new drill to enhance glove work. They are simply mastering the basics.

What we do in our system is what we call individuals, or Indo's. These basic drills emphasize the fundamentals of infield, outfield, catching, and pitching. Indo's are looking for steady progress over time. Like a retirement account, we are not chasing the next investing trend or hot topic; we are chasing the constant and steady growth of the 401K and IRA. Once we have mastered our Indo's, we can add more layers of complexity. But too often, coaches and players want to start with the complex. Through Indo's, we are investing in our development for the long haul. We are committing to a process that builds fundamental baseball comprehension.

To give an example of what our daily indo's look like, here is a quick example of our infield progression:

1: 2 Knee Fielding Short Hops Straight on

2: Standing Fielding Short Hops Straight On

3: 5 Step Ranging Glove and Arm Side

4: Ground Balls From Fungo or Machine Straight On

5: Ground Balls From Fungo or Machine 3-5 Step Movement

That progression is not complex, but it covers almost 100% of what you will see in any baseball game. Once you have mastered that progression and performed above adequacy in the game, you can begin layering onto your indo's to make them more complex as you continue to build athleticism. It is also straightforward to start. All you need is a glove, a ball, and someone to hit or roll you balls. If you don't have someone to roll you balls, get a tennis ball and find a stable wall to throw against.

Don't make it complex; make sure you are training. If you want somethign more individualized or help planning, shoot me an email at jordan@utahrotationalathletetraining.com

Post Game Nutrition: Starting the Recovery Process

Post-Game Nutrition: Starting the Recovery Process

Here in Utah, we are beginning our High School baseball seasons and, shortly, our recreation league seasons. With the start of the season comes increased inflammation and wear and tear on the body. Post-game nutrition is one incredibly overlooked aspect, no matter the competition level. While it is easy to speed through the drive-through and grab something to take home, it is not what is best to maintain or build upon the progress from the off-season. Here are some post-game nutrition thoughts to help keep your athlete recovering for the year.

1: Beet Root Chews: Beets help with blood flow, which is a key to recovery. I recommend that my athletes take a beetroot chew before they begin their warm-up for the game and, ideally, directly after the game. This helps start the activation process by helping blood flow before the game, and it dramatically speeds up recovery by keeping blood flow active after the game. If you cannot do pre- and post-beet root chews and can only pick one, I would prioritize the post-game beet root chew.

The post-throw is more important because the blood vessels begin to restrict through inflammation, so anything you can do to stimulate the blood flow is ideal. Below is a link to beetroot chews I recommend and use myself.

Beet Root Chews Link: https://amzn.to/3wCust3

2: Post-Game Meal: If you prioritize food quality, not quantity, on the post-game meal, it will significantly improve recovery. If you are strapped for time and must go to a fast-food restaurant, my top pick is Chipotle. Chipotle uses the least amount of high-inflammatory oils and additives in its cooking. Even though Chipotle is not ideal, it is the best and worst option. I love hamburgers and fries. They are not an ideal post-game meal as they contribute to inflammation and do not help you combat it.

With travel at the youth level not being large distances with very few overnight stays, it would be beneficial to invest in a crock pot. Crock pots were my best friend at the minor league level, as they allowed me to put higher-quality lean protein, vegetables, and anti-inflammatory seasonings into the pot on low before I left for the field. When I got back, everything was cooked and ready to eat. Even though professional-level teams provide post-game meals, they are not always the best; they usually are the cheapest option. Taking control of your post-game feed through a crock pot not only saves you money compared to the fast food bill, but it also helps you build during your season instead of regressing.

With the crock pot taking care of your proteins and vegetables, you can always add some mixed fruit, whether frozen, fresh, or from a can. Regardless of your method of consumption, it still beats the drive-through.

Crock Pots: https://amzn.to/3wxSy8b

While it may seem extremely easy to just run to the drive-through, don't make it a habit—these small changes of preparing food in a slow cooker and adding in better options for blood flow will help you not just in the short term but the long term of your entire baseball career.

The Three Types of Training

Concentric, Eccentric, Isometric: 3 Types of Training

Last week, we went over the bottom of the training pyramid.  This week, we will focus on the three types of muscle contractions—concentric, eccentric, and isometric.  All are important; one may be a higher priority based on your current situation.

Concentric Training:

Concentric training is shortening an angle.  The simplest example of this is a bicep curl.  The angle shortens between the upper and lower arm when the hand moves toward the shoulder.  This movement is what we commonly see in a majority of workouts.  

Eccentric Training:

Eccentric training is lengthening the muscle.  This occurs on the negative movement.  To use the bicep curl as an example again, once the hand is closest to the shoulder, you slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.  The eccentric phase of the movement is when most injuries occur in athletics.  Eccentrics should be a high priority in pre-season training and should be done at a 3:1 work ratio.  For example, if it takes you one second on the concentric, the eccentric should be 3 seconds.

Isometric Training:

Isometrics are when there is no movement around the joint at all.  Isometrics would be flexing.  Using the bicep as an example again, if you make a muscle and hold it without any weight, this would be an isometric.  Isometrics help build stability around joints and movements.

So what does all this mean?  Where should you start on your training journey?  Well, combining these three muscle contractions is critical to year-round success.  We usually like to put the training in blocks.  Block I would be the isometric focus, block II focused on primarily eccentric movement, and block III combines all three.  A progression like this allows for a progressive building of intensity while focusing on activities that keep the athlete healthy.

Where is the best place to start?  If you don't know where to begin, we offer a free 4-week training program to focus on body weight movements.  If you want this, email me at jordan@utahrotationalathletetraining.com.  If you want something more in-depth and specialized toward your athlete, use the discount code throwfuzz15 on ArmCare.Com.  The ArmCare.Com system focuses on all three movements and adds resistance to these movements using the Crossover Symmetry system.  You will notice my writing theme on the importance of physical training to learn skills.  I have some research posted in previous posts on how exercise impacts the CNS for skill development.

While I am not going into the depths of training theory and practice, I want to ensure you leave with a basic understanding of starting your training journey.  If you aren't setting the foundation, you are setting yourself up for failure.  If you are interested in the free bodyweight training program, email me at jordan@utahrotationalathletetraining.com