Your Workouts Should NOT Be Too Softball Specific

“Is your training…softball specific?” Nearly every parent who calls me or drops in my gym asks this question. Of course I put on the cheese-whiz smile and say “ABSOLUTELY”, as I point to athletes who may be working out and explain how the exercises they’re performing would benefit a softball player. I’m not lying; I know what I do directly benefits the capacities a softball player needs to develop. However, I fear when a parent or coach is searching for a “softball specific” program, they want to see a lot of “core” exercises, recklessly twisting medicine balls, first step speed that mimics running out of the box, jumping out of a catcher’s crouch, and agility drills that incorporate hand-eye coordination for fielders.

Unfortunately for those parents, I’ve never had an athlete do any of the above. The hardest part of my job is creating the common language that reveals how old school weight training exercises, core exercises in which you’re hardly moving (let alone crunching or twisting), and less stretching are collectively the best choice for softball players. This, in fact, is my personal goal for co-creating Fastpitch Power.

Lacking literary prowess, I usually succumb to weird analogies to explain how “my stuff works”. To this point, I relate what I do (and what parents should look for) to upgrading a tool box. Athletes are “carpenters” with a crate full of “tools”. These “tools” are the physical capacities (mobility, stability, motor control, speed, strength) that allow them to succeed in sports. To be a good “carpenter”, you need to know how to use your “tools” (skill training). However, you also need the best tools! I don’t care how good of a carpenter you are if you hammer has a loose handle and your T-square isn’t square.

Tools like these won’t get the job done.

The job of strength and conditioning coaches, as well as physical therapists, is to upgrade the athletes’ toolbox. You don’t get a better saw by sawing more wood; you get a dull saw. What I’m trying to say is that you should NEVER choose an exercise based on how similar it resembles a softball skill.  Choose exercises, training programs, and trainers based on their principles and how well they “sharpen” or upgrade the tools. Squats and step ups strengthen the action and teamwork of the legs and core as they will be utilized in hitting and running. Push ups strengthen the linkage between the arm, shoulder, and core as they are used during the windmill delivery. Pull ups strengthen the muscles that keep the shoulder in place as it moves overhead, as in the windmill delivery and follow through of overhand throwing. The list goes on.

Always feel free to contact me with questions regarding your current training program, joe@fastpitchpower.com, or please leave a comment below so more people can benefit from the conversation. Thank you!