It is now universally accepted that baseball players can improve their performance by gaining additional strength. Thirty years ago the baseball world believed just the opposite; lifting weights would limit flexibility and interfere with proper execution of the basic skills. Coaches were quite vociferous in their opposition to gaining greater strength.
Today, however, not only is strength training well accepted but there is much debate as to which exercises are best and which exercises are more specific to baseball players. Thus it is necessary to look more closely at these factors in order to improve performance on the field. This in turn will dictate the type of strength training program that should be undertaken. The program should also take into consideration other physical qualities and the important technical qualities.
In training, there are two proven ways to improve performance on the field. They are: improvement of skill execution (perfecting skill technique) and development of the physical qualities specific to the skill execution. This means development of the physical qualities that are specific to the athlete’s skill execution.
However, before this can be done it is necessary to develop a general strength base upon which more specialized technical and physical strength training can be done. To do this you should use the 1 x 20 strength training program which is ideal for establishing a strong physical and technical base. This base (foundation) not only allows the athlete to play better but prepares them for more specialized training.
By improving the skill execution involved in the athlete’s throwing, hitting, running etc. you automatically improve performance on the field. And it is relatively easy to do when you use specialized strength exercises. They combine technique with strength so that as you improve skill execution you get stronger in the movements (joint actions) that are involved.
By doing the 1 x 20 strength training program for one-to cycles, followed by specialized strength training, players performance on the field will increase greatly. In addition, and perhaps even more importantly, the athlete will be injury free when it comes to noncontact injuries.
For more information see Build a Better Athlete and The Revolutionary 1 x 20RM Strength Training Program.