Winter Workouts

I hope all softball players have had the opportunity to take some time off this month of November. It is important to take time off mentally and physically so we can get back into pitching again with excitement and fresh muscles!

December should really be the first time you are throwing again, and if it's January, you can probably get away with that unless you are planning on pitching varsity for high school. (Just being honest).
I hope you are enjoying this time off, but you may be asking yourself... So what do we start with in December?

The off-season is the best time to break down your pitching mechanics. Watching video's online of pitchers with good mechanics such as Kat Osterman and Jennie Finch will help you get an idea of what we are going for. But everyone has their own style and bone structure/muscle buildup... so everyone will look a little different. Basically - winter is to break down mechanics and see how absolutely HARD we can throw. Building power is our December goal. This is also a great month to begin working on developing new pitches, so you have plenty of time to practice before game-day!

So, enjoy your break... A few tools that you might help "whip you into shape" this winter include:

• RevFire: proof of your speed and power is in this machine; it tracks speed and rotation on the ball to help us see where we need to focus our work on.
• Stopwatch: we will be working speed for time and there is nothing better than a basic stopwatch to tally our progress in number of exercises in a time frame (pitches, pushups, burpees, squats, sprints, etc)
• Power Bands and Tubing: want to use all you've got? How about building that to give even more! These bands and tubes will help with resistance training to build your strength.
• Weighted Balls: whether you are developing a new pitch, or improving your fastball, a weighted ball will help strengthen your wrist to improve your snap.