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Posts Tagged ‘baseball players.’
Sun, May 4, 2008 4:45 am By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 The most important element of Baseball is, of course, a Baseball bat. Whether you are an amateur or a League player, Baseball bats are designed to suit different needs. They are basically made out of some specialized woods, alloys, composites and aluminum. The raw material for crafting out a Baseball bat depends upon the League.
Talking about the wooden bats, the most popular is maple. However, aluminum bats are the trend nowadays. Debate is going on which one is superior in quality- wood or metal.
Meanwhile, some research says that aluminum bats smack the ball faster because they are hollow and therefore lighter and easier to swing as compared to wooden bats. Most of the bats used in Little League, Senior League and college level Baseball matches are made of aluminum. Wood bats are meant to be mandatory for professional Baseball players.
As far as the choice of a Baseball bat is concerned, there are two types of people. One set think that wooden bats are classic and are more or less equal to their metal counterparts. The other category thinks that aluminum is supreme because of the quickness they get while hitting with aluminum bat.
Now that was about other people. What is your choice? Want to get some tips? Read on.
First of all, consider in which League you are going to play and decide the size. Consider the length, weight, circumference of your bat and of course, how much you can afford for your bat.
Another thing to keep in mind is the “special spot” of your bat, that is, the upper-mid section of the bat which punches the ball with maximum power.
If you want your Baseball to be more classic in its looks and don’t actually consider the weight, go for wooden bats. If ease in swinging is your priority, go for aluminum bats.
Tags : baseball players., League, Baseball bats
Thu, May 1, 2008 11:36 am By James Coolridge
 Strength training is essential for every sport. To mould great players in your team you need to give them good dose of exercise for their physique and mind. Generally there are four phases of strength training program in any sport, including baseball. The four phases of baseball strength training program are named as off-season, early pre-season, late pre-season and in-season. Here is a brief description about the four phases of strength training program.
• Off-Season – This time period is also called as the “closed season” wherein baseball is not played in a competitive mood.
• Early Pre-Season – The level of training in this session starts from general ones to intense training sessions
• Late Pre-Season – During this season, the training session becomes more intense because the competitive baseball season begins here.
• In-Season – Now that the players have entered the season, it is the time to maintain the gain developed during the pre-season sessions.
Each phase can also be subdivided into micro-cycles which are training lasting for one week. All these four sessions help the players of your team to concentrate into the sport seriously.
Tags : training, strength, baseball players.
Sun, April 27, 2008 1:34 pm By Matt Davis
 Exercise is one of the important parts of the training sessions carried out for baseball players. Here is a quick review about the most common as well as important exercises that should be done by every Baseball player to shine in the aggressive sport!
• Ground-based Exercises: This denotes an exercise in which you stand up with your feet in contact with the ground. Getting the regular dose of ground-based exercises for a Baseball player is very essential because the game itself is played standing up!
• Say no to machines! Machine exercises won’t help enhance your performance in the game. Focus on free weights, body weight and medicine ball-related exercises.
• Execution in a controlled manner: Baseball is all about showing aggression, speed, power and concentration on field. So, your training should also involve controlled at the same time, “explosive” exercises.
• Proper posture: If your posture is bad, then your strength and power will be on no use. The wrong posture leads to poor performance in the game, particularly when you swing, run or throw. So, make sure that your training session involves exercises that improve your posture.
• Exercises for the joints: Joint movement exercises are crucial in the whole training session. When you are concentrating in improvising your swinging, hitting or throwing motion, make sure that you don’t imitate the motion using an object which is much heavier than the equipments used in the game. This will rather make a poor performer out of you.
This way, improve your skills and your performance in the game.
Tags : baseball players., exercises, performance
Sat, April 26, 2008 1:34 pm By Matt Davis
 There are many supplements available in the stores to boost up the performance of the Baseball players. Most of them are time tested products and are probably a part of many athletes plans. Here we provide a list of some of the most common supplements used to improve the Baseball players’ performance.
Meal replacement powder: Protein is one of the essential nutrients for any sports player. Since this acts as a crucial part in the success of the player, you should get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight every day. If you are not able to meet the target, you can supplement with protein powder or meal replacement powder available in the stores which give you the sufficient amount of protein.
Creatine Monohydrate: Creatine has been facing a lot of controversy over the years. However, most of studies carried out to check the genuineness of the supplement suggest that Creatine Monohydrate is indeed safe and effective to use. Just use 5 grams with your post-work out meal.
Omega 3 Fish Oils
Omega 3 fatty acids have many health benefits such as increasing Testosterone production, cardiovascular health, increasing recovery and maintaining a healthier skin, hair and nails. Two to six caps a day is the recommended dosage. The dosage may vary according to the intensity of the athletes program.
Anabolic-Pump™
This supplement claims the increase of muscle tissue at the same time decrease the body fat. The company (USP labs) boasts that the product is safe, effective and is purely legal.
PowerFULL™
This supplement is meant for increasing the growth hormone in your body. This is another product of the company USP labs and claims that guys can become stronger than anybody else. Athletes over 21 years of age may use this supplement.
SuperCissus RX™
Theory suggests the ingredient in SuperCissus RX, cissus quadrangularis, delivers critical healing nutrients to tendons, ligaments and joints to speed recovery. Those areas of the body are “white”, meaning not much blood (and therefore healing nutrients) are delivered. The research on this herb also shows it can speed healing of bones by 55% if it is consumed by any athlete who has broken a bone.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article are not the recommendations provided by us to you. Consult a prescribed medical practitioner before taking any of the supplements mentioned in this article.
Tags : baseball players., supplements, performance enhancers
Thu, April 24, 2008 1:33 pm By Matt Davis
 The catcher is probably one of the important players in Baseball because, catching is an analytical position in the game. And thus, the position is a responsible one to be handled. These aspects make the catcher the team leader. Catching position is very crucial- the whole game can be turned the other way if the catcher is intellectual to analyze the situations taking shape on field. In this article, we discuss about different catching tricks.
How to block the ball?
Blocking the ball needs nothing but skill. Blocking a ball in the dirt is not the only requirement of a catcher. You need to block the pitch, repossess the baseball and position yourself as to throw out a runner if he is trying to move ahead. In order to do it, quickly get both your knees on the ground. Use your footwork and observe the direction of the ball as to whether you need to push off in any direction.
To grab the ball, put your glove back against your cup, keep the fingers down. Make sure that the back of your hand is against your cup. Then, set up a barrier for the ball to bounce off.
Secondly, you should block all balls in the dirt when there are runners on base or when there are two strikes on the hitter.
How to block the pitch?
Different pitches demand different ways to block them. Your duty is to block all balls so that they will hit you in the center of your chest and thus drop harmlessly in front of you. Trying to catch a ball in the dirt is not recommended, especially when there are runners on base or when there are two strikes on the hitter. The worst thing to do is trying to catch a bouncing ball and ultimately missing it. This results in a ball back to the screen and the movement of runners on base.
How to catch a fastball?
Whenever a fastball is thrown in the dirt, make sure that you move your body in front of the baseball and block it back to the middle of the field. Your body should be perpendicular to the ball.
Always make sure that you pick the baseball with hands inside your gloves.
Tags : baseball players., ball, gloves, catcher
Wed, April 23, 2008 1:33 pm By Matt Davis
 Every baseball player wants to be a hard hitter. The strength training programs definitely help to become a hard hitter. However, proper nutrition is as basic requirement as the training sessions are. Here is know- how about the basic nutrition which is required by every baseball player.
Nutrition is undoubtedly the key aspect of athletic performance. The basic requirements of Baseball are strength, power and explosiveness. Nutrition is the one-stop solution to build your muscles.
A sharp mind and a healthy physique are essential to develop high proficiency in the game. For this you need to feed your body with the nutrients necessary for many processes including biosynthesis of hormones, muscle building, bone formation and many other functions. For this, you need to know about the intake of calories that is, the energy you receive from eating food.
The six basic classes of nutrients include Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals and Water.
Proteins: Proteins are the building blocks of life. Protein makes up many structures within the body including your muscles, skin and organs. Enrich your diet with food containing sumptuous amounts of protein including milk, eggs and fish. The amount of protein varies in every food.
The nutritional value of proteins according to the doctors is 4 calories per 1 g of protein.
Carbohydrates: Many people have the misconception that carbohydrates are out enemies. But, the truth is- NO. They are rather our friends when it comes to efficient and powerful energy. They are the most important macro nutrients. The amount of carbohydrates fluctuates according to the needs of the athletic performance.
You can get good amount of carbohydrates from the sources of simple carbohydrates such as Monosaccharide (Glucose, Fructose and Galactose) and Disaccharides (Maltose, Sucrose and Lactose).
On the other hand, Complex carbohydrates are found in whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, yams and oats. Complex carbohydrates are basically large chains of Monosaccharide joined to form one huge molecule.
Fibers are a form of carbohydrate. Fibers help protect the body against bacterial infection, reduce the risk of colon cancer and coronary heart disease and helps stop hemorrhoids and constipation. Vegetables, whole wheat pasta, oats and whole wheat bread contain good amount of fiber.
Fats: We often consider fats as bad and chuck them out of our diets. But the truth is that we should rather eat a ton of fats! I am not joking anyway! Although there are fats which definitely harm the body, there are good fats that are essential foar our body. Good fats when digested are broken down into fatty acids which play many roles in our biology.
Good fats provide a lot of dense energy; make you feel fuller and are major components of cell membranes.
Good fats include Saturated fats (fats that contain saturated fatty acids). They are solid at room temperature and can be found in foods such as animal meat. Saturated Fats are important in the production of testosterone.
Essential Fatty Acids are fatty acids which we must get from our diet or cannot make in sufficient quantities (similar to essential amino acids). EFA help with the body’s immune system, help regulate blood pressure, reduce infection, manage blood lipids, and helps with the creation of blood clots. You can get sufficient amount of essential fatty acids in fish and fish oil.
The nutritional value of fat as per the doctors is 9 calories per 1 g of fat.
Water: Last but not the least; water is pro-athletic performance. Drink beer mugs of water and you will get to know that water clears out toxins, makes the water soluble vitamins function properly, causes cell volumization, helps regulate body temperature and the list goes on. The recommended intake of water is 4-8 L a day and 1-2 L during the game.
Make sure that your diet contains all the above essential nutrients to perform well in Baseball.
Tags : baseball players., carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water
Mon, April 21, 2008 7:29 am By James Coolridge
 In the previous two phases of the strength training program for Baseball, you might have learned how to strengthen the major muscle groups of your body and increasing your speed and power while playing. Those were concerned to the pre-season of the game. (To have a quick recap of the first two phases, click on the link below:
Strength training program phase-one
Strength training program phase-two
The phase three of the strength training program is carried on in the late pre-season. Now that you have achieved the maximal strength, it is the time to accelerate quickly, pitch forcefully and hit powerfully. To accomplish this, you need both strength and speed and which is concentrated in this phase of strength training. So, concentrate on increasing your explosive power that you gained during the previous session. To do this, increase either one (your power or speed) and reduce the other. This will increase your explosive power.
The duration of this training session is four weeks. It is better if you do attend the training session twice or thrice a week.
Tags : baseball players., strength training, phase three
Sun, April 20, 2008 1:26 pm By Matt Davis
 In the first phase of the strength training program in Baseball, you might have done enough exercises to strengthen your muscles to have a solid and well-balanced foundation. I think you were successful enough to increase your strength to a peak. It is now the time to enhance your muscle power and speed. The phase two of strength training program in Baseball serves the purpose. Here’s how.
The phase two of the training session aims at maximizing the strength. If you have spent enough time in the pre-season, increasing your strength, then it is now the time to convert that strength into power which is literally explosive in nature.
Maximal strength automatically increases your potential for speed.
Maximum strength training is carried out in the mid pre-season. The duration of this training is six weeks with 3 days per week of training session.
Tags : baseball players., strength training, phase two
Sat, April 19, 2008 1:33 pm By Matt Davis
 The warm-up session is really important before you enter the play ground. Here are five powerful tips that will help warm up your mind and body and make you get ready for all the action in Baseball!
The throwing mechanics: Proper throwing action is necessary to avoid injuries in your arm. Make sure that your throwing mechanics are correct.
Arm strengthening exercises: Exercises with light dumbbells or exercise bands. After all, the game is all about showing your power via your arms!
Don’t hit it too hard: I know you want to hit the ball hard. But, before doing so, go through proper warm up exercises. The negligence of warm up exercises is the root cause of the increasing arm injuries among Baseball players.
Dynamic stretching routine: This is recommended by most of the coaches so I also suggest you the same. Get your dose of dynamic stretching exercise for faster and effective results.
General conditioning: The strength which you need for throwing is generated from a good base of general conditioning. So, the better you are conditioned, the lesser are the chances of suffering from injuries.
Active Release Technique: Deep tissue sports massage can steer clear muscle tensions. Find out an ART practitioner and visit him once per week in-season.
Strengthening the rotator cuff: Don’t neglect the muscles surrounding the scapula or your shoulder blade. Devote few minutes every week for strengthening exercises.
Tags : baseball players., exercises, warm-up
Fri, April 18, 2008 1:30 pm By Matt Davis
 It is very important to protect yourself while playing any sport. To do this, you wear a strong helmet, batting pads and more importantly, gloves. When it comes to Baseball, gloves are unavoidable accessories. Let us know more about Baseball gloves.
A Baseball glove is usually made of leather that baseball players wear to help them catch the ball. The history of using baseball gloves dates back to 1800s, when players started using the gloves while playing the game. Although using gloves was not accepted in the initial days, but it slowly gained popularity as many players started using gloves. By 1890s, players wouldn’t imagine being on field without their baseball gloves.
The Baseball gloves of older times were merely leather gloves. The players were satisfied with the little extra padding in their gloves. But as of now, the use of gloves is wider. The uses of baseball gloves are now more personalized. Players now wear gloves depending upon their position in the playground.
For instance, gloves used by catchers are wider than the fielder’s gloves. They give the appearance of a claw. The gloves used by the fielders and catches have extra padding using which they can easily catch a fastball, as fast as 90 miles per hour!
On the other hand, pitcher’s gloves have closed webbing which allow them to grip the baseball and keeping it unpredictable to the batter about what pitch the pitcher plans to throw.
The fingers are not separated in the first baseman’s gloves. They are wider than the rest of the gloves. This is because their position demands the ability to scoop up badly thrown balls.
Meanwhile, outfielder’s gloves are usually long. This helps them catch fly balls on the run. On the contrary, the infielder’s gloves are smaller in size.
Outfielder’s gloves are usually long. This will help them catch fly balls on the run. This is in contrast to the infielder’s gloves, which tend to be smaller.
The customization of gloves helps the baseball players to perform better on field.
Tags : baseball players., gloves, width, size
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