Playing baseball again...

[mattlanta]

I haven't played baseball in one year, but I really miss the sport, and I see some of the players I've played with in the past make it real big in some of these high school teams and legion teams. I'm just wondering what kind of workouts you guys know that can get me back in top shape for baseball season this fall. When I played, I was average and very streaky, but I think it was mainly confidence. I usually got startled and intimidated by hard ground balls, but that's because I was making an adjustment in third base which is where the ball comes at you a lot faster, and it comes at you at a weird angle. I wasn't fast, and I wasn't that strong, but when I made contact with the ball, I usually got a solid hit. I think I really need to improve on arm accuracy, consistency with ground balls and especially pop ups, strength in swings, and speed on the bases. Any help?

[Swish]

Yep.

One word.

'roids.

[mattlanta]

Just to throw this in there:

I'm 15 turnin' 16 on the 28th. I'm looking to play organized baseball, and see if I can make my school's team next spring, but that's not really my ultimate goal. The only thing that's important to me is playing baseball and playing to the best of my abilities.

[A-town Hawks]

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I haven't played baseball in one year, but I really miss the sport, and I see some of the players I've played with in the past make it real big in some of these high school teams and legion teams. I'm just wondering what kind of workouts you guys know that can get me back in top shape for baseball season this fall. When I played, I was average and very streaky, but I think it was mainly confidence. I usually got startled and intimidated by hard ground balls, but that's because I was making an adjustment in third base which is where the ball comes at you a lot faster, and it comes at you at a weird angle. I wasn't fast, and I wasn't that strong, but when I made contact with the ball, I usually got a solid hit. I think I really need to improve on arm accuracy, consistency with ground balls and especially pop ups, strength in swings, and speed on the bases. Any help?

These are the kind of posts I hate. Here you go Dolfan posts like these are the ones that gotta stop.

[mattlanta]

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I haven't played baseball in one year, but I really miss the sport, and I see some of the players I've played with in the past make it real big in some of these high school teams and legion teams. I'm just wondering what kind of workouts you guys know that can get me back in top shape for baseball season this fall. When I played, I was average and very streaky, but I think it was mainly confidence. I usually got startled and intimidated by hard ground balls, but that's because I was making an adjustment in third base which is where the ball comes at you a lot faster, and it comes at you at a weird angle. I wasn't fast, and I wasn't that strong, but when I made contact with the ball, I usually got a solid hit. I think I really need to improve on arm accuracy, consistency with ground balls and especially pop ups, strength in swings, and speed on the bases. Any help?

These are the kind of posts I hate. Here you go Dolfan posts like these are the ones that gotta stop.

Why...

[TheTruth]

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I haven't played baseball in one year, but I really miss the sport, and I see some of the players I've played with in the past make it real big in some of these high school teams and legion teams. I'm just wondering what kind of workouts you guys know that can get me back in top shape for baseball season this fall. When I played, I was average and very streaky, but I think it was mainly confidence. I usually got startled and intimidated by hard ground balls, but that's because I was making an adjustment in third base which is where the ball comes at you a lot faster, and it comes at you at a weird angle. I wasn't fast, and I wasn't that strong, but when I made contact with the ball, I usually got a solid hit. I think I really need to improve on arm accuracy, consistency with ground balls and especially pop ups, strength in swings, and speed on the bases. Any help?

Ha! You remind me of me back when I was 15 in some ways. Let's see, you are just 15. You will get stronger and develop more arm strength as you age. Here are some things I did to stay among the best players in rec ball and my high school baseball team:

1) 3rd base is called the "hot corner" for a reason. Balls come at you fast and furious. To top it off, you have a long way to throw the ball once you get it. I played a little of 3rd base back in the day (95% of my time was either Starting Pitcher or Shortstop), so I know a little bit about it and having to have the arm strength for it. I would suggest you do a little free toss with someone. Start out just a few feet away from each other, and then gradually increase that distance to MORE THAN whatever the distance is from 3rd base to 1st base in your league. This will help you to develop some arm strength quicker and force you to make stronger throws.

2) Practice! I was lucky because my dad would always take me to a practice field if I asked whether it was during the season or the offseason. That is a great time to work on fundamentals such as making accurate throws from 3rd when few, if any, people are around. However, you do need someone to actually take you and throw you balls and whatnot.

3) Hitting is something I excelled at. I am a lean kid who did not have a whole lot of power, but I destroyed pitchers at the plate because I could hit any flippin thing they threw at me. How? Let's use an example. Guys in your league, around 15 years old, may not throw much harder than 60-70 mph. Tops. However, I would go to the batting cage once a week or so, and go to the machine that threw anything above that--like 75 and 85 mph. I'd stick with that machine until I could hit the vast majority of the pitches thrown to me, and when I could, I would move up to a machine that threw even harder, like 85 mph. It got to be funny because here I was, 14 and 15 years old, drilling the pitches from the pitching machine coming at 85 mph. Crowds would just stand in awe at this short young kid (me) destroying the pitches. You may ask, "What's the point in that since NO ONE will be throwing that hard?" Simple, it got my timing down so that I could hit anybody's fastball. It got to the point that I would dare a pitcher to throw me something fast. Remember, at that age, and until guys get into college, most pitchers (like myself at the time) threw fastballs 90+% of the time.

4) Play within yourself. I was not a threat to hit many home runs, but I possess blazing speed and always had a superior batting average because I focused on what I was good at--speed and contact. Therefore, it would have been stupid to go up there swinging for the fences. Likewise, I possessed great range in the infield with a great arm, but I could not track the ball well in the outfield, therefore I focused on being the best shortstop and pitcher I could be. Identify and work on your weaknesses, but always make sure your strengths stay strong.

5) A good weight training program is good. Before you do so, try to get the input of professional who can guide you in the right direction of what to do. If not, push ups, endurance activities such as running, and other similar exercises can provide a minimal edge.

Hope this helped.