SWOBAT Softball Clinic
This past weekend I had the chance of spending time with Crystl Bustos and Jenny Finch at the SWOBAT Softball Camp. These two athletes are at the peak of their game and for good reason. It was my first time meeting Crystl and I was totally impressed by her energy, knowledge of the game and her enthusiasm for teaching young athletes.
I have known Jenny since my days with the Cincinnati Reds. We did a special with This Week in Baseball, where she would pitch to MLB players to see who could hit her fastball. Sean Casey hit the ball about two feet in front of him. The funny thing was, he was the only player in MLB that year to make contact.
But the thing that impressed me the most about the weekend was the desire of athletes and parents to learn from some of the most successful softball players on the planet. The truth of the matter is that true success comes to those who truly want it. You could see both athletes and parents really interested in how Crystl and Jenny carried themselves, what kind of instruction was being taught, what could they take from this day and become better athletes and teammates.
It was a special two days and something that will help me better understand the athletes we work with and how to make our programs work better and more efficient for you.
I was invited to speak about the benefits of strength and conditioning for softball. Softball athletes tend to injure shoulders, low back and knees the most throughout the season. So strength and conditioning becomes an integral part of softball training.
When developing strength and conditioning programs it's critical to determine what are some of the most injury prone areas in your sport. By focusing on these areas early in your program, you strengthen the weak links, become more efficient and reduce the probability of getting injured.
One of the most important components of your program should be a comprehensive warm-up that will activate, mobilize and prepare the body for the game. Include various movements with the goal of increasing body temperature. You may want to start with joint rotations, gently twisting and bending movements usually followed by jogging, jumping rope or light calisthenics. Divide the routine into passive, active and dynamics movements.
If you would like to learn more about our warm-ups and speed-strength and conditioning programs, please visit www.swobat.org
I have known Jenny since my days with the Cincinnati Reds. We did a special with This Week in Baseball, where she would pitch to MLB players to see who could hit her fastball. Sean Casey hit the ball about two feet in front of him. The funny thing was, he was the only player in MLB that year to make contact.
But the thing that impressed me the most about the weekend was the desire of athletes and parents to learn from some of the most successful softball players on the planet. The truth of the matter is that true success comes to those who truly want it. You could see both athletes and parents really interested in how Crystl and Jenny carried themselves, what kind of instruction was being taught, what could they take from this day and become better athletes and teammates.
It was a special two days and something that will help me better understand the athletes we work with and how to make our programs work better and more efficient for you.
I was invited to speak about the benefits of strength and conditioning for softball. Softball athletes tend to injure shoulders, low back and knees the most throughout the season. So strength and conditioning becomes an integral part of softball training.
When developing strength and conditioning programs it's critical to determine what are some of the most injury prone areas in your sport. By focusing on these areas early in your program, you strengthen the weak links, become more efficient and reduce the probability of getting injured.
One of the most important components of your program should be a comprehensive warm-up that will activate, mobilize and prepare the body for the game. Include various movements with the goal of increasing body temperature. You may want to start with joint rotations, gently twisting and bending movements usually followed by jogging, jumping rope or light calisthenics. Divide the routine into passive, active and dynamics movements.
If you would like to learn more about our warm-ups and speed-strength and conditioning programs, please visit www.swobat.org
