What should an off-season routine look like?
With the busy season of hitting and pitching lessons approaching, the most common question we get is: “How much work should my son/daughter be doing at home?” The simple answer – – MORE THAN EVERYBODY ELSE!
Getting better is a lifestyle, not a number.
There isn’t a prescription that comes with dosage for the amount of swings or throws players should make outside of lessons to get ready for the season. It all boils down to how much each individual wants it. A player who has taken a thousand swings the wrong way will see improvement faster than a player that hasn’t taken any swings. A player who has thrown tons of balls will see increased arm strength and mechanical improvement faster than a player who never throws.
What is a realistic off-season routine for the average youth player?
Whether you are a player with access to your own personal batting cage or a player in a 1-bedroom apartment with a parking lot – – You can create your own routine and see more improvement than anyone else!
1) Setup – Establish a place where you can work consistently. Garage, basement, yard, parking lot, living room. If you have a soft toss net and a tee, great. You can even nail a blanket to the rafters in your basement like my dad did. If all you have is a bat and glove, fine too!
2) Time – Establish a firm time dedicated to your work. Right after school, after dinner, after homework. Sticking to that time is important in establishing the routine!
3) Skill Focus – Choose one drill that you’ve done in lessons. Spend some time doing just that one drill – do it so much that you can’t get it wrong! Don’t have any gear? Choose dry drills, we do several in our lessons together.
4) Finish – Take regular swings or make regular throws to finish up. Feel the drill work with your regular movements.
Getting a routine started is really that simple. Just 10 minutes and one drill is all it takes. Spending 10 minutes every weeknight for a week adds up to almost an hour’s worth of work! Over a month that’s almost 4 hours! BUT -the fun really starts when that one drill turns into two and three different drills. And that 10 minutes turns into 20, 30, 45 minutes. Compound those numbers over time and you will be better than everyone on your team, and everyone you play against!
