LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksWe do long toss, speed drills, throwing hard into the matted backstop and some minor work with weighted balls....DD is 10 and 1st year pitcher....this has improved her strength and velocity.
We do long toss, speed drills, throwing hard into the matted backstop and some minor work with weighted balls....DD is 10 and 1st year pitcher....this has improved her strength and velocity.
You already got great answers. Let me add to this.
You can start resistance training as early as 8 years old. However, there is NO rush to get started.
However, it has to be supervised, focused on technique (not how much you can lift), and be focus on developing overall athleticism.
At 10, if she is really passionate about it, you could do some with her. However, if she has already a lot on her shoulders, does another sport or you think she might not be that motivated at doing it, no need to do it yet. Wait until she a little bit older.
If you decided to do some with her... here are some guidelines:
- Do it with her! There is nothing better for a 10 year than to do something with a parent. Instead of being a chore, it becomes a bonding activity with a parent.
- Start small. Only 10-15 minutes 2x a week will be sufficient. Keep it short, efficient and fun.
- Focus on using full body exercises. You can body weight exercises, medicine ball exercises, theraband exercises, small dumbbells exercises, stability ball exercises. Exercises like lunges, squats, step-ups, push-ups, db press, push, pulls, rows are all good and don`t forget the abs/core exercises.
Hope that helps.
Marc
Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS
http://www.softballperformance.com
Connect with me - Become my fan on Facebook and/or Follow me on Twitter .
Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps players be more confident, mentally tougher, hit with more power, run faster, throw harder, and be more dominant on the field. He also helps coaches win more games and get more out of their team.
To boost your performance, check our softball drills directory or sign-up for our FREE newsletter to get tons of great softball tips by email!
What I think is most important in any situation is proper execution taught my a professional. I see so many dads (especially in football) giving deadly doses of weight to their children. My daughter pitches in fast ball and we have emphasized that bulk does not equate to power and strength. Developing "quick" muscles with lighter weights and more repetitions is safer and effective. Push ups, push ups, push ups :-)
Ang
One good way to help strengthen the arm is to use a basketball. Have them dribble the ball out in front of them using their fingers and wrist. Dribble untill they feel their arm start tiring. Then switch to the glove hand, people don't usually think of strengthing this arm, but it does hold a 1-1/2 pound glove during the game. Increase time as arm gets stronger.
Strength drills etc...
I have two daughters that pitch .... one just turned 12 and one that will be 10 this summer.
We do not do any weight training.
They pitch with a 12" ball in their league
Two drills that have helped my older one have been the "under the leg" drill and she pitches from 20, 25, 30 feet on her one knee (make sure shoulders at correct angle).
We have done the long pitch as well and that is also great.
We have a set of 4 weighted balls (9, 10, 11, 12) a spinner, and a 14" ball.
The 12 year old will use some of the heavier balls for closer drills. She will pitch with a 9 ounce (arms start over her head not full arm rotation, hips at 90 to catcher).
The 14" is good for the fingers.
My 9 year old only uses the spinner and some close snap drills with a 9 ounce. The 14" ballis still way too big for her hand so we don't use it.
Under the leg and on her knees seems to work better.
Everything I have read says no weights until after the onset of puberty.
I've been to a couple of Michele smith clinics and she feels that weights actually tighten up the wrist arm and isn't a big fan of weights...
I'm not sure who is correct and who isn't....but my instincts tell me that healthy kids don't need weight training ... repetition is what we are trying.
Arm speed, wrist snap and form are huge factors so we work on those.
It all takes time.
I have 4 children ages 8-13 all are involved in sports. I've read conflicting material regarding weight training. Some say as young as 6 to start, with light weights and not more than 2 times per week. That makes me nervious. I've seen what damage to growth plates looks like, and it's not pretty to see a 20 year old with a 12 year olds arm (but he had a great curveball at 12, needless to say his parents are idiots).
I encourage my kids to do basic exercises, push-ups, crunches, and running. my 13 year old convinced me to buy a 5lb weighted ball this winter. We went to a clinic put on by the Detroit Tigers and Curtis Granderson showed the kids an exercise he uses for bat speed. we picked up some exercises off of the Nikesparq web site, that she uses. I am impressed by how much stronger she has become over the few months using that ball. (I bought the $7 walmart ball instead of the $20 Nike ball).
I also let her and my 10 year old use 6lb dumbbells, they do 25 reps curls and bench press 2x per week.
She also practices pitching I will only let her throw 30-50 pitches a day. I know that some people advocate 100 pitches a day but again that makes me nervous.
The best part of all of this is that I supervise (no pressure, if they don't want to they don't have too) their workouts and its fun to spend that time with them doing something healthy.
My kids (12 and 10) have both attended Velocity Sports Training which has helped them tremendously! They use a lot of resistance training but very little weight lifting.
This training is the single best thing I ever did for my kids hands down. The trainers and programs are amazing. My kids improved their overall athleticism which has translated on the fields and courts.
Keith
Posting Permissions 
Reply With Quote