Building Strength...advice...

[bobbyb]

I will add to the good advice here.

You might look into fms info also. (Functional Movement Systems) and consider working from a stability and mobility perspective…or more specifically neuro-muscular movement patterns…building core strength and movement functionality at the same time.

They have a very simple screen…to assess movement functionality….and progressive exercises.

Most of the kids…weight training already or not…. that I have worked with have dysfunctional patterns or imbalances in one way or another.

In general..the majority of kids have excessive mobility and lack stability. There are some that are reversed. Our catcher last year…holds our HS girls squat record as for as strength and she can't do simple movement patterns. She had strength…but it really didn't transfer over to help her game.

If your familiar with females tendency to be quad dominant…and all that goes with that…and the fact that females don't have the natural strength gains that boys do ….after going thru puberty….and the fact that some HS weight classes are just random shots at increasing isolated muscle strength…you should be able to help keep her headed in the right direction with her training… by working first in strengthening via movement patterns as the basics. You can get creative with it and build on it as you learn.

They have a ebook called movement and book/dvd athletic body in balance which is a good start.

 

[FrozenRope]

Great advice on here with regard to seeking a professionsal trainer, but that's going to cost you a lot of money. Sure you can go to one session and pirate the routine, so you can do it at home, but anyone that knows anything about fitness will agree that a single workout is not the best answer. Doing the same routine over and over is not only boring, but ineffective. Training programs MUST be dynamic to be optimal.

The one thing we're lacking is the knowledge of your DD's age? If she's under that age of 14, there should be NO weights involved in any training and I would be very cautious about using resistance bands for the smaller muscle groups. At a young age, a childs own body weight is the best and safest resistance they can use. Ever hear of the Insanity Workouts? I had my DD do them with me sporadically for a few months last year. She just kept up as best she could (to be honest, so did I!!) Excellent way to build core strength, lower body explosiveness, flexibility, balance and endurance. No weights, or resistance bands involved. In fact, once Fall ball is over, we're going to get back into it. (I need it more than her!!)

I recommend you do the same, but I checked with DD's pediatritian to see if he was familiar with the program and if he thought it was safe for a then 9 year old and his quote was "Absolutely!". He just cautioned me not to push her, especially in the beginning.

 

[halskinner]

I strongly recomend rowing and bowling. Before the final game of the National Championship tournament my team had a four hour break. My right feilder and I went to a bowling alley and I bowled 4 games.

We came back and in the final two games, that was the fastest I had ever thrown in my life. There were three trucks in the parking lot from TV stations backed up to the center field fence. Two of them had signs on them indicating the radar speed of the pitches thrown. This is how I know it was the fastest I had ever thrown in my life. I strongly recommend a rowing machine and teaching her how to bowl.

HS/ks

 

[CoachFP]

Hey Hal, bowling 4 games before a big softball game does not sound that smart to me. I can't imagine letting my pitchers do something ridiculous like that before something that mattered. After the tournament she can bowl all she wants.

 

[jinjet95]

My DD tends to have muscle imbalances that bobbyb mentioned. Her trainer explained that the movements required in softball tend to work the front muscles of the body. It's important to strengthen the back, hamstrings and glutes as well to keep the joints stable and improve overall strength. Girls build quad dominance which tends to weaken the knees. Pitchers also need to strenghten the back muscles to help keep proper mechanics. It was interesting hearing him explain what part of the year to train for strength and when to train for speed/quickness.

 

[halskinner]

Hey FP,

You are right, I should have elaborated. Bowling four games for me was the best warmup and loosen up exercise I had ever found. But that was me, I bowled several games a week every week.

Try this. Have one of your students that already knows how to bowl, have her dad have her bowl one game before she comes to your session. She should be very loose, will need very little warmup, and the results should be very obvious.

Yeah, four games was a little much.

If a young pitcher bowls two or three games a week and uses the instructions in my book they will see more speed and a MUCH better peel drop.

HS/ks

Hey Hal, bowling 4 games before a big softball game does not sound that smart to me. I can't imagine letting my pitchers do something ridiculous like that before something that mattered. After the tournament she can bowl all she wants.

 

[SLAM96Coach]

Age/Body type

Thank you, everyone for great advice. To answer your question below, she's 5'11" and about 170. She's lean and fairly muscular. Her mom's side of the family is just naturally big and strong. I'm thinking most of the progress would be made in her lower half --> as stated above, want to keep that whip flexible.

Mike

Great advice on here with regard to seeking a professionsal trainer, but that's going to cost you a lot of money. Sure you can go to one session and pirate the routine, so you can do it at home, but anyone that knows anything about fitness will agree that a single workout is not the best answer. Doing the same routine over and over is not only boring, but ineffective. Training programs MUST be dynamic to be optimal.

The one thing we're lacking is the knowledge of your DD's age? If she's under that age of 14, there should be NO weights involved in any training and I would be very cautious about using resistance bands for the smaller muscle groups. At a young age, a childs own body weight is the best and safest resistance they can use. Ever hear of the Insanity Workouts? I had my DD do them with me sporadically for a few months last year. She just kept up as best she could (to be honest, so did I!!) Excellent way to build core strength, lower body explosiveness, flexibility, balance and endurance. No weights, or resistance bands involved. In fact, once Fall ball is over, we're going to get back into it. (I need it more than her!!)

I recommend you do the same, but I checked with DD's pediatritian to see if he was familiar with the program and if he thought it was safe for a then 9 year old and his quote was "Absolutely!". He just cautioned me not to push her, especially in the beginning.

 

[JNew0872]

It was interesting hearing him explain what part of the year to train for strength and when to train for speed/quickness.

So what part of the year are they supposed to train for strength and when are they supposed to train for speed/quickness?

 

[jinjet95]

So what part of the year are they supposed to train for strength and when are they supposed to train for speed/quickness?

I may not get this exactly as he said it, but the majority of the heavy lifting/strength training is done in the off season and more full body/flexibility/exposive movement training is done in season. He had a really long explanation that I followed at the time, but can't remember all of the details. The most important thing I got out of the conversation is that it's really important for the girls to train the back of their bodies to keep muscle imbalances from happening.

 

[Adman]

Emboldened mine.

IMO it is important to not build up too much muscle in the arms, especially the pitching arm, because increased muscle mass decreases flexibility—and flexibilty is crucial for a successful pitcher.

An old myth. Just look at elite gymnasts. Heck, just look at any elite athlete where explosive power is required. Full range of motion resistance training can increase flexibility.

Pitchers can follow normal weight training routines in the off-season, but IMO use less weight and increase repetitions rather than maxing out weight with few repetitions with arm lifts. This will keep your arms conditioned and build endurance without bulking up...

I'm not trying to pick on Peppers here, but no one ever needs to fear the dreaded "bulking up". Do you realize the amount of work it takes for a young male to put on real muscle? I'm talking legitimate muscle here, not fat. Discounting performance enhancers, adding 10-15 lbs of muscle for a healthy young male is a major achievement! That would require consistent resistance training along with an appropriate diet. Now, for a young female, without all that extra testosterone coursing through her veins, that much muscle gain would be monumental (along with help from enhancers)! Why would anyone be upset with additional muscle and strength? There's nothing better for prevention of, and quicker rehab after, injury.

There's plenty of research online just waiting to be tapped. To dispel myths and to learn about the effects of resistance training on children. Here's something I found while writing this, just to get someone started.

Strength Training for Children,a review of research literature | Protrainer Online

Research, then verify.

Thanks,
Adam