There always seems to be a whirlwind which accompanies the subject of throwing weighted balls. People are often divided in terms of how they fell about using them. Many coaches dismiss weighted balls with the notion that they can lead to injury. Well if that is the case then these coaches better not let their players throw a baseball either. The truth is that every baseball player throws a weighted ball each day. A baseball is a 5 ounce weighted instrument that has caused more injuries than another other weighted ball in the world.

I personally have alot of experience with weighted balls as I used them for many years. I attribute the throwing program I did with them as one of the primary reasons I was able to go from topping out at 84 mph my Junior year of high school to 94 mph my Junior year of college. The weighted ball “set” which I used consisted of a 2lb mini medicine ball, a 21 oz, 14 oz, 7 oz, and 4 oz balls.

There are a couple of reasons the weighted ball program works. The additional weight of the balls causes your body to recognize you are throwing a heavier than usual instrument. Therefore, the body’s natural reaction is for your arm action to become more efficient. This is due to the fact that your body wants to protect the arm since the ball is heavier and it does this by forcing your arm into stronger more efficient positions not allowing your arm action to get long and sloppy.

Think about a quarterback throwing a football, which weighs about a pound, or a shot-putter throwing a 12 lb shot. Both of their throwing actions are much tighter and shorter than that of the average baseball player. This is due to how much heavier their balls are. The heavier ball will make your body want to take the most compact economical route to the release point which over time helps to create a better arm action.

Part of the reason players develop a long inefficient arm path is due to how light the ball is. This lightness almost tricks the body into thinking there is nothing in the hand and this is why you sometimes see kids reach way back with their arm trying to find more velocity. Although the body doesn’t feel like there is much of a load in the hand when a player has a baseball, we all know the staggering number of injuries caused from this “light” load. This is also a result of the arm speed which a baseball player generates. The lighter the ball, the faster the arm speed which means the quicker the arm must be decelerated. As some would like to say, this is similar to flooring a car and then slamming on the brakes over and over again, eventually the brakes are going to wear out.

Arm speed is another reason why weighted balls are both safe and beneficial. The heavier the ball being thrown, the slower the arm is moving. This means that when you are throwing the 2lb or 21 oz ball for example, your arm speed will not be nearly as fast as what it is with a 5 oz baseball and therefore not nearly as hard on your body to slow the arm down. Although the arm is not traveling as fast when using weighted balls, they actually help to increase it. As a player drops in weight from the 21 oz to the 14 oz or to the 7 oz the arm now has a lighter load than the throw before which causes it to increase in speed. This is very similar to the example of a person picking up boxes off the ground. After you have lifted a number of boxes weighing 100lbs and then you pick up a box not knowing it only weighs 20lbs and expecting it to be just as heavy as the previous boxes you nearly fall over backwards because you spring right up with it.

This concept is called overload training, where you prepare the body for a task by lifting/moving/throwing more weight than you will need to when the time comes to perform. The weighted ball series also includes a 4 oz ball which we call the under load ball. This ball is lighter than a baseball and is meant to test the limits of your arm speed. In other words players throw it harder than they can throw a baseball which teaches their arm what it feels like to move faster than ever before.

It should be noted that you have to be smart when using the weighted balls. We never long toss with them, throw off the mound with them, or use the heavier ones when we get close to our game velocity. We use the 2lb and 21 oz balls when standing close to our target (15 feet or so) and do the lower velocity drills with them such as double knees and final arcs. Then we drop weight to the 14 oz to do the torque drills and when we begin to throw with some real velocity in drills such as hookems, step-intos, step-behinds, etc, we never use heavier than the 7 oz ball.

Weighted balls force players to create better arm actions as well as act as overload/underload training which creates better arm speed and the combination of these two things can make for some really impressive jumps in velocity. I encourage you to look into training with a weighted ball set because as long as you use them correctly you will significantly improve your skills.

On a side note, the weighted ball program I followed which is arguably the most successful program of all time was developed by Ron Wolforth…check out his website at http://www.theathleticpitcher.com

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Mechanicsville, VA, a suburb of Richmond, to visit with Coach Hunter Hoy at Hanover High School. Since Hanover High School opened 8 years ago, their baseball program has become a dominant baseball force in Virginia, culminating with an appearance in the State Championship game 2 years ago. Due to the success of his high school program, I was very interested to see the types of workouts and practices Coach Hoy implements for his players.

As I quickly found out once I arrived in Mechanicsville, Coach Hoy is an avid student of the game and had material from just about everyone who has published work regarding baseball. He likes to take information from different sources and apply them simultaneously, which helps to make his practices unique but extremely beneficial.

Although he does like to learn from a multitude of sources, the biggest influence on his workouts clearly came from the Athletic and Combat Pitcher Programs by Ron Wolforth. The main reason I visited Coach Hoy, besides wanting to talk with a very knowledgeable coach, was to watch a summer workout with many of the Hanover High School players, ranging from upperclassmen to incoming freshmen.

The workout began with all of the players using High Density Foam Rollers to help loosen up their muscles, specifically looking for any tender spots which they could focus on before they began another demanding workout. Following foam rollers was a series of plyometrics and dynamic stretching exercises. Those of you familiar with the Combat Pitcher Program would know this activity as “Verstegen’s.”

Once the players were sufficiently warm, Coach Hoy had his players run 10-15 yard sprints starting on their back, stomach, and in a lead off position, waiting until they heard “Go,” at which point they had to make it through the line as quickly as possible. The purpose of these sprints were to focus on the players being as quick and explosive as possible, whether getting to their feet and through the line or the first 10 yards when stealing a base. While running, the players were paired up so that every sprint was a competition with each player being told their time from start to finish and then recording it in a notebook.

After the running I followed the players to the team shed which was full of workout equipment. The guys then pulled out this equipment and carried it to the school’s sand volleyball pit. The players removed their shoes so that they would be performing all of the exercises barefoot. I loved that they did this because as I mentioned in a previous article discussing feet/ankles it is a phenomenal way to strengthen the lower limbs.

In the sand pit the guys, still paired up like they were during running, rotated among numerous stations which included, a large diameter 1 1/2 inch 100 foot rope; a large tire for flipping; a sledge hammer which they pounded a tire with; a 14 lb handle medicine ball against a wall; a PVC pipe filled with water which they held while doing lunges; and a Target Glove Set which includes a Focus Mitt and Bag Gloves.

The players targeted all areas of their body during this circuit. They worked their shoulders, grip, and core while doing arm swings with the Large Diameter Rope. The upper body was also utilized when pounding the sledge hammer into a tire on the sand. The core was trained with the 14lb medicine ball during the wall series, while the lower body was targeted when holding the water filled PVC pipe during lunges. Meanwhile, the Focus Mitt and Bag Gloves work on upper body quickness and explosiveness.

Coach Hoy used the Sport Timer to measure these exercises which were all done in 8 second increments. This way the athletes target their fast twitch ATP energy system, the one relied upon during a baseball game. The Sport Timer is a great tool because it is accurate to one thousand of a second and can be programmed for precise count up or count down stopwatch functions. The Sport Timer has a loud audible beep to start and stop the countdown which is important as it allows all athletes no matter how close to Coach Hoy to clearly hear it even when in the middle of an activity.

After these demanding but incredible workout circuits the players headed back to the field to do their throwing specific warm-ups. At this point many sets of Oates Specialties Tubing, Shoulder Tubes, Super-Pro, and an Exercise Plyometric Ball with dumbbells were brought out as the players used them all to prepare for the long toss which they were about to do. The long toss lasted around 20-30 minutes as the players were careful to take it out nice and easy and then pull the ball down on a line as they brought it in.

After reflecting on this off-season workout I can easily see why Hanover High School has one of the leading baseball programs in the state. Coach Hoy implements cutting edge workouts for his players. While many programs stick to conventional training methods such as weight room lifts and long distance running, Hanover players are put through a rigorous, explosive training program which is sport specific. This helps to prepare them for the demands of the game of baseball both by targeting specific movement patterns and the correct energy system used during competition.

I would encourage all of you out there to become as active a learner about the game of baseball as Coach Hoy and to utilize every piece of information you can get your hands on. If we can get players to train smarter, more efficiently, and specifically for the game which they are playing, the results will be overwhelmingly good. Injuries can be reduced, performance enhanced, and players will have the chance to play at levels they thought they never had a chance at reaching.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

As I find myself in the middle of the summer I think back to the many baseball games I played throughout past summers. Whether it was Little League All-Stars, select teams in high school, or the summers in college playing in New England, North Carolina, and Cape Cod, I spent a hefty portion of my life playing ball during the summer time. This is far from rare as the common thought in baseball is that if you are serious about the sport you will play year around. Summer ball into fall ball into the regular spring season and so on.

There are valid reasons behind this occurrence. For starters it allows a player to get more at bats and innings at his position. As important as it is to play the game and become more baseball savvy by experiencing different situations in games, I do not agree with this philosophy for pitchers. The act of pitching is one of the most demanding and stressful activities in all of sports. A pitcher needs a period of time away from game situations where he can concentrate on things beside simply getting a hitter out.

Like I mentioned before, I played year around baseball most of my life. But I took three summers off from competitive baseball to focus on training and working out and they were without a doubt my most productive summers. During these summers I increased my velocity from 87 to 90, from 91 to 94; and after my last summer training I had my best college season and signed with the Seattle Mariners. I made more velocity gains as well as molded myself into a better athlete during these 3 summers than the rest of my baseball life combined. For those wondering, these summers were after my senior year of high school, sophomore year of college, and after my “first” senior year (I red-shirted) of college. I mention this because I was not undergoing any significant growth spurts or puberty, which many people often try and associate with velocity gains.

A pitcher wears down over the course of a season. Even if it doesn’t show up in decreasing velocity it will most likely show up in decreasing strength, explosiveness, and athleticism. This is due to the fact that a pitcher, for the most part, cannot train as hard during a season. Because of the physically demanding nature of the activity of throwing 100+ pitches at max effort every 5 or 6 days, much of what a pitcher does during the season is focused on recovering for the next outing, not making gains in athleticism and explosiveness which is necessary if you want to increase velocity.

During a season a pitchers main concern is getting hitters out. This is great but it often will lead you to stall out in terms of your stuff. I say this because I know that every coach on every team is focused on the now and getting hitters out right this second, they don’t want you to work on new things even if it could lead to better velocity down the road. Coaches always want you to get a hitter out right now and if you can’t then you might not be pitching for a while. Sometimes getting a hitter out today is not nearly as important as pushing the envelope and working on something that will pay dividends to you later on. This is another reason taking some time for yourself is so important.

Now many will argue that there is no substitute for “mound time.” Sure, a pitcher needs innings to get a feel for throwing his pitches to hitters in a game. A pitcher needs to learn how and what to throw during certain situations. And then there is the one you hear all the time, “You need to get out there and pitch so you can be seen by scouts.” These comments have truth to them to a certain extent. However, if you are a low 80s guy then there isn’t much point in getting “mound time” or being seen by scouts. You won’t be pitching much longer at that velocity as most colleges will not sign you and you definitely do not have a shot at professional ball.

Unless you are perfectly content with your velocity and off-speeds (if you are then you better be throwing mid to upper 90s with a Koufax hammer) then I would be willing to bet you would get more return on your time if you spent a summer (or fall if you are in high school) challenging yourself with a training program than pitching. Think about how much different your life would be if you dedicated your summer to improving your athleticism and molding yourself into better shape, thereby becoming a more dynamic pitcher and increasing velocity, for example, from 83 mph to 88 mph. You would change your baseball world. Even if you are already at 88 mph and you took it to 91mph, now you are possibly looking at the draft instead of just college.

Just to be clear, when I say take a summer “off” from playing ball I don’t mean head to the lake or beach and become a bum. I’m talking about working 3 hours a day 5 days a week with a lot of sweat and hard work. I personally spent those life-changing summers at the Texas Baseball Ranch with 30-40 other baseball guys who were there to push me and challenge me to set new personal records everyday. It was hard and at times I didn’t want to do it but I did and I think I became stronger mentally from those summers. Much stronger than I ever had become during the course of a season.

It is possible to still pick and choose certain tournaments or showcases if you absolutely feel as though you need to throw in front of scouts. There is no problem in doing this as you can tailor your workouts up to this outing and then once it is over get back to training. I just believe that too many players, parents, and coaches feel as though playing year around is the only way to get to the next level, which is certainly false. If you work hard and become an upper 80s or 90 mph guy then the scouts will find you. Trust me, how do you think players from po-dunk high schools and small colleges get drafted. Scouts have their ear to the ground and know about guys who have talent.

I would encourage everybody to take a look at training for a summer and laying off games for a few months. It is nearly impossibly to train for increased velocity during a season since your main concern is recovering from your last outing and therefore everything becomes maintenance. If you play year around and are in maintenance mode all the time then you will lack any real improvement in your stuff. All athletes need a period of time when they can push themselves to new levels of speed, strength, and athleticism and this can only truly be done when they focus not on playing their game but on their own abilities.

Just remember, guys like Greg Maddux, Jamie Moyer, and Trevor Hoffman didn’t make it to the big leagues throwing low to mid-eighties. They were low to mid 90s guys when they were called up. So if you plan on pitching at the next level, whatever level that may be, I wouldn’t be as concerned about being a “polished” pitcher but instead on having the most dynamic, explosive stuff that you can possibly have.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post regarding forearm strength, but there were some other topics which surfaced that I felt like I needed to address first. As for forearm/grip strength, there are many ways to strengthen it and I’m going to tell you of some that I have done as well as seen others do. There are really two different types of forearm strengthen exercises: those that directly target the forearm and those that indirectly work it as the athlete performs other dynamic exercises. I’ll talk first about those which indirectly work to strengthen it.

Examples of these types of exercises are working out with the Large Diameter Rope, Speed Chains, and Gymnastic Rings. When an athlete is performing exercises with this equipment he is having to securely hold on to the rope, chain, or ring so that he can correctly and explosively perform the exercise. Although the grip is not the main focus of the exercise, it is in fact a critical part, because as the athlete uses his grip the forearm is being engaged and thereby strengthened. I never realized how much your hands and arms were worked until I began to do the Ropes and Gymnastic Rings and noticed the soreness/tightness the day after using them.

These types of forearm strengthening exercises are the best in my opinion because it is the most functional (a.k.a game like). During a game an athlete will be doing explosive, full body activities yet will have to use his grip and forearms at the same time in order to properly perform many sport specific movements.

Although I like activities which actively engage your forearms while doing other movements, there are times when it is important to specifically concentrate on forearm and grip strength. I utilized several different pieces of equipment to accomplish this goal. The first piece of equipment I used is called the Super Pro. The Super Pro is great for strengthening the upper forearm as well as the elbow. As a pitcher, I really loved this device because it helped me build muscle throughout my forearm to help protect my Ulna Collateral Ligament and other tendons which were constantly being stressed as I pitched. The Super Pro also has an adjustable weight on it which makes it great for users of all strengths and sizes.

As for targeting my grip strength I often used the Hand Master Plus. This device is commonly used by climbers (who need phenomenal strength to hold on to sheer faced cliffs) and resembles a stress ball except there are loops for each of your fingers. The ball is then squeezed to strengthen the front of the hand and then the user opens up his hand and fingers against the resistance of the loops to strengthen the back of the hand. With the Hand Master it is possible to target a single finger or groups of fingers to strengthen, which can be especially useful for pitchers who want to work on their first two digits.

The Power Web is another product I used for grip strength and is commonly seen in physical therapy offices. It is a versatile and effective resistance exerciser for strengthening the muscles and joints of the fingers, hand and wrist. Not only can the resistance of each web be modified to meet specific needs by adjusting the hand position and/or depth of finger insertion but there are also several different color resistances available to choose from. The Power Web is very useful as almost any hand and wrist movement can be emulated using this strengthening tool.

Over the years I have picked up a number of forearm and grip strengthening exercises in the weight room as well. The first and possibly most basic exercise I would perform in the weight room was a basic forearm/wrist curl with a dumbbell in my hand. This specifically targets the inside of the forearm and the muscles used when throwing a ball. In order to strengthen the forearm equally I would always do the opposite as well. This consists of taking a dumbbell with my palm facing down and lift the back of my hand toward the ceiling.

An exercise I first saw being performed by hockey players that I soon began to utilize myself was holding onto metal plates in the weight room. I would pick up a 45lb metal plate, which did not have handles, and would hold it down at my side with my arms straight using solely my finger and grip strength to hold onto the edge of the plate. I would always time myself doing this plate hold and would constantly try to beat my old time. This is a great way to actively strengthen the forearm and was always one of my favorite forearm exercises.

The last weight room type strengthening exercise I would utilize is probably the most simple, yet one of the hardest. I would take a rope, such as an 8 foot long Large Diameter, and hang it over a pull up bar. I would then grab onto the rope with one in each hand and do a series of pull ups, rows, and body weight hangs. Because you are having to support your entire body weight during all of these exercises solely by holding onto the large rope, it will quickly tire out your forearm and add a whole new dimension to a normal upper body workout.

Because in everything you do you can only improve if you measure it, Oates Specialties also offers a Baseline Hand Dynamometer to measure grip and forearm strength. This was the instrument used to record grip strength measurements at Spring Training when I was in the Seattle Mariners organization. The Baseline Hand Dynamometer will help you to record your improved strength week in and week out.

Whether you decide to use a product designed specifically for forearm and grip strength, focus on full body exercises which actively engage the area, or head to the weight room to do wrist curls and plate carries, the important thing is to make sure that you or your athletes are spending time on this often neglected area. You will be surprised how this improved strength can positively effect your on field performance and can also help keep your wrist and elbow areas injury free.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

Twitter: @Oatesspecialty

Many of you already know UCLA’s ace pitcher, Trevor Bauer, has trained at the Texas Baseball Ranch for several years now and uses a number of Oates Specialties products. If you didn’t know that you probably do by now after the many clips on ESPN of Trevor doing tubing exercises, final arc drills, and using the Shoulder Tube.

Trevor is an incredibly driven individual and he works his tail off from the time he steps on the field until he hits the showers. I can attest to this, I’ve trained with him. In my mind however, this is not the most impressive thing about Trevor. Sure, his desire to succeed and his work ethic is something that should be praised but it’s his ability to keep doing what works for him and not conform based on what others think that I admire most.

Trevor has learned over the years from training with Jim Wagner, Alan Jaeger, and Ron Wolforth, among others, what drills, warm-ups, and activities are most beneficial for him. Many of the exercises he likes to do pre-game are considered out of the ordinary and are scrutinized by coaches, scouts, and announcers. But Trevor doesn’t care, nor should he.

Throughout the course of the College World Series I listened to the ESPN announcers call Trevor quirky and they couldn’t help but talk about his pre-game and in-game routine. They were mesmerized, including Nomar Garciaparra and Robin Ventura, two former Major League stars, over a college kid who had an extensive, dynamic routine. At first as I watched I thought those calling the game were just intrigued by what Trevor was doing and I think they were. But as they continued to call him quirky and many other synonyms it started to irk me.

Both Nomar and Robin soon let me know their true and utter ignorance as to the things Trevor was doing. After his first dominating performance against Florida, Robin Ventura made the comment that Trevor was “only allowed to do all those things because he is so good.” Implying that if he was not the ace of the staff there is no way he’d get away with doing all of those things. Are you kidding me? Robin you have it backwards, the reason Trevor is so good is because he does all of those things. Do you think he is just doing them for fun? To occupy his time before a start? Give me a break!

But this pales in comparison to the conversation Nomar Garciaparra and Mike Patrick had after Trevor pitched 8 phenomenal innings against TCU to lead his team to the championship series against South Carolina. Nomar was once again discussing the many “odd” things which make up Trevor’s routine. He then said that Trevor would not be able to continue with his exercises in professional baseball. Nomar expressed that when an organization invests a lot of money in him he will have to follow the organization’s instructions more closely because he could get hurt doing stuff like that. It took his fellow announcer, Mike Patrick, the guy in the booth without any professional baseball experience to have the intelligence to bring up the fact that maybe Trevor is who he is because of the many “quirky” exercises. Wow, what a revelation.

Baseball is perhaps one of the most conventional, think inside the box sports on the planet. Heaven forbid somebody go against the grain and actually do something to warm up for a game besides poles, static stretching and 20 minutes of throwing. I can say this with certainty because during my time as a collegiate and professional pitcher I got a lot of attention and people made comments when I did some of the same things Trevor is doing. It’s the herd mentality, people are afraid to be different. But not Trevor, he does his own unique thing on national television.

I think one of the most accurate quotes I’ve ever heard and I’ve heard it many many times (thanks Coach Wolforth) is, “If you do what everybody else does, you are going to get what everybody else gets.” How true is that? If you stick to the norm the chances are you will get the norm. And do you know what the norm is getting the average baseball player from the United States? A job at Burger King. Currently 30% of MLB rosters are from Latin America and over half of minor league baseball players are from outside the U.S. This is absurd when you look at the populations of Latin American countries versus that of the United States. Looks to me like our “norm” is letting other countries dominate “America’s Pastime.” These Latinos are clearly doing something we are not.

So my advice to the millions of others baseball players at all levels across the nation is if you find something that works for you, no matter how unconventional or “quirky” it may be, stick with it. You are the one who takes responsibility for your own performance, not the pitching coach, manager, or pitching coordinator so why would you let them dictate your routine.

I encourage you all to push the envelope, think outside the box and incorporate anything which helps you prepare for competition no matter what others say or think. It’s the reason Trevor Bauer is who he is, a future 1st round draft pick.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

For those of you who have been watching the College Baseball World Series you have most likely seen a clip of UCLA’s ace pitcher Trevor Bauer and what the announcers (namely Nomar Garciaparra) are calling his Javelin. The camera’s have been focusing on Bauer using the Javelin during his warm ups before the game and between innings. The “Javelin” is in fact Oates Specialties’ Shoulder Tube.

The Shoulder Tube is a phenomenal warm up tool used before throwing as well as a great way to cool down after. Pitching coach Ron Wolforth, of Pitching Central and the Baseball Ranch, had this to say about it, “We view the Shoulder Tube as the single most important piece of equipment in our facility. We initially thought it was a great warm up tool and it is. But now we’ve come to realize its contribution to the health and durability of our pitchers’ arms/shoulders/elbows. If I lost all the equipment in our facility, the first thing I’d bring back is the Shoulder Tube.”

Trevor has been utilizing the Shoulder Tube for years now and as you can tell he uses it often to keep his arm loose and healthy.

Click here and check out the Shoulder Tube for yourself!

I figured since last week I wrote about the importance of lower extremity strength I would head to the opposite part of the body and write about forearm and grip strength this week. Much like how important strong feet and ankles are to athletes, forearm and grip strength is similarly crucial. I discussed how the feet are an athletes only connection with the ground and significantly effect performance, well the same is true for grip strength in many athletic activities. There are numerous sports which require specific movements in which the hands are the final connection or link within that movement.

As the adage says, “You are only as strong as your weakest link,” and if that weak link is located somewhere as important as the hands then performance can suffer. Hitting a baseball is one of the greatest examples of forearm/grip strength dictating performance as the bat is ultimately controlled by the forearm and hands. The most obvious example of how weak forearms can effect hitting a baseball is by watching young, muscularly undeveloped hitters. Because of the lack of strength in their arms they often have trouble controlling the barrel causing it to drop and drag through the zone. It sometimes appears as though the bat bounces back when it makes contact with the ball, which is all due to their lack of strength at contact. Improving grip, wrist, and forearm strength is a quick way to increase power and bat control at the plate.

In addition to hitting a baseball there are numerous other aspects of sports which necessitate strong forearms and grip strength. Pitchers benefit from strong forearms and hand strength since the last link of hurling a pitch is the flick of the wrist. Golfers need to have strong hands and forearms as they make contact with the golf ball and even in football, where muscle is normally thought to be needed through the arms and legs, grip strength is needed when blocking and catching the football. Perhaps some of the strongest forearm and grip strength athletes which I have ever been around are hockey players. They need great strength in their arms to control the hockey stick as it does just about everything for them during competition.

Grip and forearm strength is crucial yet it is often overlooked because it is in the realm of the functional strength and not nearly as glamorous or desirable to work on as having a large chest, arms, or back. However, if you look at most elite athletes, be it baseball, hockey, football, or golf they have tremendous forearm strength. This is because these top athletes realize that strength throughout the upper body is useless if they are weak where they connect to their bat, ball, stick, club, racket, etc. A weakness at the start/end of the chain will not allow the maximum power and/or speed to be generated. Another reason forearm and grip strength is so important in that it will help to reduce your chance of a wrist or elbow injury as the muscle can help absorb some of the stress that many activities put on your extremities.

Check back in the next few days as I post some ways in which I have gone about strengthening my forearms and grip. Until then, take some time to address those little but important areas of the body which play such a critical role in your performance, such as the feet/ankles and forearms/grip strength.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

I spoke with Ron Wolforth of Pitching Central and the Baseball Ranch yesterday and we began talking about his summer workout program. As usual with Coach Wolforth, there are a number of new innovative aspects to his 2010 summer program. However, the aspect which really captured my attention was the amount of barefoot activities the athletes out at the Ranch are being asked to do. The plyometric warm ups, including the rugby’s, are all done without shoes in a sand pit. The sand pit is also utilized for running sprints and other conditioning exercises. On top of this, Coach Wolforth has his athletes perform hitting drills barefoot.

Coach Wolforth and his athletes are constantly trying to find ways to become faster, stronger, and more explosive to help meet the demands of their sports. I know I did everything I could to increase my athleticism when I was playing baseball. Some people may question why it is important to perform exercises barefoot or to work out in a sand pit but the answer is quite simple, to strengthen the feet and ankles.

The feet are the start and end of the kinetic chain yet we rarely focus on strengthening them. As an athlete, your feet are the only direct link to the ground and if your feet are weak and unable to properly support the rest of your body then you are limiting your athletic capabilities. You can build muscle and strength in the foot which will in turn strengthen your ankles providing a much sturdier base for your body to move from. In baseball we are aware of the importance of grip strength as it controls the bat during the swing and the baseball when throwing. Well the foot and ankle can be strengthened just like the wrist and forearm yet it controls the entire body!

The reason most athletes have weak feet and ankles is due to the shoes they wear. The majority of shoes are like blocks of concrete as they are heavy and hinder athletic freedom of the lower extremities. Our society has decided that “more support” in shoes is a good thing yet this takes away the natural ability of our feet to provide balance and stability which over time weakens them. This is the primary reason for so many ankle sprains, shin splints, and other lower extremity injuries. When barefoot the feet are once again able to grip the ground and provide maximum balance and stability for the body. There are actually a number of competitive runners today who have ran marathons barefoot. Talk about feet and ankle strength! The absolute worst shoes an athlete can wear are those with heels because they immobilize the feet and ankle joints. This usually means high heels for woman, boots for men, and sneakers with lifts (such as the Nike Shocks).

There are however a number of shoes which are good to train in if you don’t like the idea of doing things barefoot. For example, Vibram shoes are a 5 toe shoe that simulates the feeling of being barefoot even though there is a thin layer of rubber protection on the sole. These shoes may look unconventional but I recently bought a pair and they provide a whole new level to your workout. My feet and calves were extremely sore after running in them as they force you to run on the balls of your feet which engages your lower extremities far more than a heavy soled shoe. The Nike Frees shoes are also great as they are light weight and allow your feet to grip the ground better as you move.

The Baseball Ranch has hit the nail right on the head in terms of how to strengthen the feet and ankles. Not only are they having athletes train barefoot but by putting them in sand it adds another layer of difficulty since the surface is now unstable. This will require the feet and ankle to provide added stability while working out. In addition to warming up and conditioning in the sand, athletes at the Baseball Ranch are using stability disks and foam balance beams during hitting and throwing exercises to help work on their ankle mobility and stability.

As for training in the weight room, any type of single leg training is good (unilateral training). Single leg squats, lunges, step ups, and dead lifts will all engage the foot on the ground thereby forcing it to stabilize the body. To enhance these exercises stand on a foam pad, balance disk or beam in order to exaggerate the amount of balance and stability needed. It is especially important to train on a single leg for baseball as much of what you do is on one leg (specifically pitching).

Many of you may remember the video of Troy Polamalu I posted a number of months ago regarding his training regimen. (If not click here) In this video he is doing the majority of his workout barefoot and he stresses the importance of strengthening the feet as everything you do comes from the ground up.

This is great training for sports because as an athlete you will constantly be forced to react on unstable or uneven surfaces. By strengthening your feet and ankles you can decrease your chance of injury and increase your performance levels. Whether you want to become more explosive when making you first move to steal a bag, chase down a line drive, or have better balance when hitting or pitching, strengthening the feet and ankles will help you do just that.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

Twitter: @Oatesspecialty

Last week I wrote about the routine I followed during the season to help keep my arm healthy and feeling fresh. However, there is more to arm care than in-season work aimed to help a player recover between games and stay off the disabled list. As many players and coaches finish up their seasons I wanted to address some off-season exercises that specifically focus on strengthening the arm and shoulder.

During the off-season players and coaches do not have to worry about the stress and work load which accompanies many innings on the mound during a season. Instead they can train harder and concentrate on building muscle and strengthening the tendons and ligaments throughout the arm and shoulder region. There are numerous exercises which can accomplish this goal but the ones I’m going to discuss today are the ones I really found helpful during my playing days.

I began using large diameter ropes during my senior season in college and I immediately recognized the benefits it provided to me as a pitcher. They soon became one of the critical components of my off-season work. The ropes provide a tremendous workout as they target the core, grip strength, and most importantly the back and shoulders. All you have to do is stand behind an athlete as he/she uses the ropes and you are able to see how engaged the shoulder complex is. I used the ropes 3 times a week for short duration, high intensity workouts (12 seconds or less) and I could see the difference in my shoulders and scapula.

Before heading to Spring Training I ran into a Major League pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays whom I hadn’t seen since the very beginning of the off-season and he made numerous comments on how broad my shoulders had become as well as my back looked larger than he had ever seen it. He wanted to know what I had been doing to gain this muscle and after I talked to him about the ropes and their purpose he actually ended up buying one for himself. Normally, as a pitcher I would not want to add upper body bulk to my frame as it might affect my arm action and looseness. But this mostly applies to adding muscle to the arms and chest, not the scapula and back. The muscles in your back are your decelerators (your brakes) and they need to be strong to keep you from breaking down.

Speed Chains are another great arm strengthening tool. The Rotator Cuff and Throwing Chains are both designed to strengthen the muscles in your forearms and shoulder. The Rotator Cuff Speed Chain allows the athlete to perform fast, dynamic movements from arm circles to waves which help strengthen the arm. The Throwing Chain is sport specific so the athlete can simulate their throwing motion close to game speed. The chains closest to the athlete are small and light, enabling the athlete to move his arm extremely fast, while the weight at the end of the chain is quite heavy giving the user a unique feel of being able to move very quickly yet still feeling a good deal of weight. The end result is that the athlete is able to strengthen the muscles used during the throwing motion while still training at high rates of speed.

Another strengthening tool which is throwing specific is the Super Pro. This device is designed specifically to strengthen the forearm and wrist while increasing flexibility and range of motion. It has an adjustable weight so depending on the your strength you can make it heavier or lighter. I began using the Super Pro after I sprained my Ulnar Collateral Ligament in my elbow. I used it at the time as a rehabilitation device but it is also great for prehab to keep players from injuring their elbow in the first place. The most common exercises with the Super Pro are supination, pronation, and flexion exercises. After I used it extensively I could tell the strength in my forearm and elbow had improved.

The last strength device I am going to mention today which I really feel is beneficial to throwing athletes are the gymnastic rings. These rings are extremely versatile in several ways. For one, you can hang them from any bar or beam that can support your body weight. I’ve used them hanging from soccer goals, field goal posts, batting cages, and in dugouts. The other versatile aspect of the rings are the fact they have adjustable clasps which allow for athletes to change the height of the rings. This enables users to switch from pull-ups, to push-ups, to dips, to reverse rows, etc. It is possible to target every major upper body muscle group as well as the core with these gym rings.

In addition to its versatility, performing exercises on the gymnastic rings are superior to using a pull-bar or doing push-ups on the ground because of the amount of stability required by the athlete when using the rings. Because the rings are hanging from individual straps, the athlete must not only perform the exercise but also keep the ring in place while going through the range of motion. This allows all of the muscles in the shoulder girdle to stay engaged while performing the movements.

The first time I was introduced to the gymnastic rings I couldn’t keep my arms from shaking as I did a pushup because my shoulders were having a hard time stabilizing my body. I soon realized how much more work this required than doing a push-up on the ground and from that point on I always used rings when doing body weight activities. The stability factor involved with the gymnastic rings will help to strengthen the many small muscles that make up your shoulder while performing exercises which target the major muscle groups. Since it is these small muscles that normally break down on a pitcher during a season I knew it was a great exercise to help strengthening them.

Each of these exercises made up a different piece of the puzzle for my off-season arm care and strengthening program. I know that these exercises helped keep me injury free as I did not miss a single game from the time I added these activities into my routine. I would encourage you to try some of these products, or something similar, to help prepare you or your athletes for next season.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com

As the end of May approaches baseball teams at all levels are reaching the critical point in their seasons. High schools are in the playoffs, colleges are having their conference tournaments and everybody is eyeing their respective championships. This is an extremely important time for pitchers to be at their peak playing conditions and is certainly a bad time for them to head to the DL with arm injuries. However, it is often at this point in time that many pitchers do end up injured, as the number of games and innings pitched mount, and the stress that accompanies the importance of each individual game increases. Even the pitchers on those teams unfortunate enough to be through with their season are often heading to summer ball to log more innings. Because arm health is probably the most important thing to a pitcher (and often a team) I want to discuss a couple of things I did while playing at the collegiate and professional levels to help keep myself healthy and able to answer the bell when it was my turn.

No matter what activity you are planning on performing it is extremely important to thoroughly warm up. As much as people might think that you can keep your arm healthy by just focusing on warming it up, my experience shows this is a fallacy. If you fail to properly prepare your body for the explosive nature of pitching it often results in more stress being put on your arm. This is because the arm is having to generate all of the speed on its own and then immediately slam on the brakes to slow down without the help of the rest of the body, which can cause injury.

I experienced this early on in college before I began to take the time to go through an extensive full body warm up. My arm was having to do all of the work since my body wasn’t loose and warm enough to help it out. In my case it usually resulted in a rocky first inning or two before my body loosened up and was ready to go. I even dealt with tendonitis in my shoulder and a sprained Ulna Collateral Ligament which I all attribute to my sub par warm up routine. So my first advice to players and coaches is to take the time and establish a 15 minute warm up involving plyometrics, full body dynamic stretching, and some type of baseball specific activities before every practice and game.

The first type of baseball specific activities I did before picking up a baseball was tubing exercises. I am not talking about just doing internal/external rotatator cuff exercises but full body dynamic movements while using the tubing. This helped warm up my core (front, sides, and back), forced my legs to wake up and stabilize my body (like they do when pitching), and engage my shoulders while moving through these range of motions. The number of exercises and reps varied depending on what day it was during my pitching cycle and how I felt. It’s amazing just how much this would wake up my entire body and loosen it all up.

The next exercise I performed begin to enter the realm of “arm care” more specifically. This step in my warm up process involved taking a 2lb sand-filled mini medicine ball and doing reverse throws. Reverse throws are literally just that, standing with your back to a wall or net and flipping the ball behind you in a controlled movement. This forces your accelerator muscles to become your decelerators and vice-versa which will help loosen, strengthen, and warm the back of your shoulder.

Next I would take the same 2lb ball (or get a heavier 4lb mini medicine ball) and have a partner hold up a mini trampoline against a wall. I would throw the ball against the trampoline and catch it repeatedly, using this rebounding action to work on both the acceleration as I throw the ball and then deceleration as I catch it. This is a phenomenal exercise because the arm lays back when catching the ball and then must snap forward as the ball is thrown once again. This is an extremely common exercise when rehabbing from a shoulder injury and is just as beneficial in prehab to keep you from becoming injured.

The next step I would take during my own warm-ups was to pick up the 2lb ball, put down the trampoline, and begin to lightly toss the ball into the wall while facing it. After a couple of tosses like this I would turn to 90 degrees from the wall where I would have to turn and throw against the wall without moving my feet. At this point I would begin to throw the ball a little harder as my arm is starting to loosen up. The last part of this exercise was to turn my feet even more and while at 120 degrees from the wall perform a couple more throws which requires a lot of torque and is much more explosive than the first two parts. Because the 2lb ball is heavier than a baseball your arm action will become more efficient since there is a greater load being thrown and the heavier ball acts as an overload warm up.

The last step I would take before grabbing the baseball to play catch was pick up the Shoulder Tube. The Shoulder Tube, when shook by an athlete, oscillates in a slow rhythmic fashion caused by the counterweights at the end of the device. It is great for increasing flexibility and blood flow to the shoulder complex. In my opinion it is the most important part of my baseball specific warm up and if I had to choose one exercise to do before pitching that would be it. After using it for only a minute or two the arm is literally on fire and ready to go.

Everyday after throwing I always made sure to get in the Shoulder Tube and reverse throws with the 2lb ball. This helped to flush out the shoulder and was great for shortening my recovery time between outings. By doing this warm up and baseball specific exercises I was able to stay healthy throughout 150+ inning seasons. Not only does a player benefit from staying healthy but he is able to vastly improve because he can continuously train without having the setbacks of injuries. Although this is just an example of what I did in order to stay injury free, I highly recommend a routine such as this with the specific purpose of properly warming up the body and arm prior to throwing a baseball as it will keep you or your players healthy when you need them most.

Until next time,

Brian Oates

Brian@Oatesspecialties.com