Author Archive

It’s great to go to the mound, fully rested, and have your entire arsenal ready and able to dice up a lineup. Unfortunately, few of us take the mound under such utopian circumstances, and we pitchers usually toe the bump with less-than-perfect stuff. Less-than-perfect is standard; however some of those days, you just plain suck. But, you just can’t give up when your curve won’t bite, your changeup doesn’t change, and your fastball has the life of a 35-year old playing World of Warcraft in his parent’s basement. So how do you go out and win when you haven’t got much? Read the rest of this entry »

I feel that there is a ton of value in sharing stories about coping with injury. I’m ashamed to say that this section of my site has not taken off like I had hoped, but nonetheless, everyone goes through injuries during a long career in sports, and it’s good to know how things feel from someone who has lived it before.

One of my closest friends, fellow ballplayer and trainer, and occasion contributor to this site, Andrew Sacks, just underwent PCL surgery on his right knee. He is chronicling his recovery, which I think is a great idea – one that I wish I had done myself with my elbow. Unfortunately, Andrew has an even longer road than most, as his left knee needs at least one ligament replaced as well, so two or three months into rehab on his right, he is going to be on the surgeon’s table again to get his left knee repaired. For a lifetime athlete, he is in for a long battle with inactivity and rehab.

Apparently Andrew bruises easier than grandma.

So, check out his blog entitled Life After Knee Surgery. Andrew writes well, and if you’ve ever laughed at one of my random thoughts or jokes, then you’ll enjoy his brand of humor as well (we basically share that brand). And if you further find yourself wondering about the difficulties of going to the bathroom while in a straight-legged knee brace, look no further.

This is my first season pitching within a true 5-man rotation. In college and summer ball, there often are too many off-days to make the rotation stable. Weekend series in college mean that starters generally pitch once a week, giving ample time for physical and skill work in between outings.

But in the professional season, off-days are few and far between, and the rotation gives each starter 4 days to prepare for his next outing. Everyone is different in what he needs to prepare, but I’ll share my own preparation schedule that I feel gives me the best chance to succeed and stay strong throughout the season. Read the rest of this entry »

Some of the best philosophical and psychological writings on sport come from the ancient masters of Asian martial arts. One of my favorite books is The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman,
and it was written by a Zen monk named Takuan Soho in the 1600s. The lessons one can learn from this short (about 90 pages) book are applicable to all sports, especially those with a highly mental aspect that can cause a physical lapse in times of pressure (fighting sports, baseball pitching and hitting, golf, football kicking, etc.). While this book is short and in many parts very straightforward, it isn’t something most people would pick up and get much out of. Philosophy readings are difficult, and this is no exception, so most athletes are not going to find this an easy read while sitting in the clubhouse. But, I’m here to give you the Americanized version that you can take out onto the field with you today… Read the rest of this entry »

Every kid growing up playing baseball wants to someday be a pro; a Major Leaguer, really, but I guess being a minor leaguer counts too. Aside from living the dream, playing a fun kid’s game for money, and living devoid of the job responsibilities most of the world endures, there is one other, big perk: All the PB&J your face can handle. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting pitchers are given plenty of time between outings to build a scouting report and game plan for facing their opponent. Our season started last week, which meant we had to figure out what our opposing hitters had on the fly. As an expansion team, we didn’t have scouting reports already laid out for us, so we were faced with assessing all of the hitters ourselves.

So as the pitchers leaned on the railing, watching the games, we bounced ideas off each other and our pitching coach about each hitter. Some of the things discussed were: Read the rest of this entry »

I arrived in Normal, Illinois on May 3rd for spring training for my first season of Independent professional baseball. I had pressure on me because I knew I had to perform well and outcompete a staff of more experienced pitchers, but I didn’t realize it would be maybe the two most stressful weeks of my life. Why was it so hard? Because I really, really, really didn’t want to go home, and it felt, at times, like certain things were out of my control.

Here’s how Independent ball works, and why it can be harder than affiliated ball to keep your job: Read the rest of this entry »

If you watch a major league baseball game, pay close attention to the velocity differentials of each pitcher’s offerings. As I am writing this, I am currrently watching Brian Duensing of the Twins throw a 92 mph fastball and an 80mph curve. Duensing throws what coaches would refer to as a pro curve. What is the difference between and pro and amateur curve, you ask? Speed and, subsequently, deception.  Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t yet seen the commercials by Gatorade bearing claims that the iconic sports drink has once again evolved, then let me fill you in: Gatorade is finally wising up and making themselves a player in the post-workout nutrition market, which is currently inhabited mostly by supplement makers. They are doing this by making their classic Gatorade just one piece in a system of three products designed to provide nutrition before, during and after a workout. They call it the G-Series. I call it a decent effort. Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently asked by a player on my old college team what an appropriate lifting volume would be for the summer season. Good question! Let’s explore this answer a bit…

Summer Demands

The summer for a college baseball player is unlike the summer for most other college athletes; Instead of a nice break to relax and train without school, the vast majority of college players play a schedule more rigorous than their college season.

Baseball is the most demanding college sport anyway – 56 games spread over approximately 100-120 days while balancing a full course-load simply blows any other sport out of the water. Plus, baseball has an indulgent pregame that makes any single game longer than two games of most other sports. Don’t believe me? Let me enlighten you…

Baseball usually has a 3-4 hour pregame, depending on whether it’s home or away and the coach’s policy. Lacrosse, for example, would arrive after we had reported for our pregame and complete their pregame, play the entire match, and clear the field before we even threw the first pitch. One game’s time commitment for a D-1 lacrosse player? 2-3 hours. For a D-1 baseball player? 5-7 hours. Factor in the fact that lacrosse plays 1/3 the amount of games, and you can see how big a part of life baseball is.

My point in all this is that baseball players are very stretched for time during all seasons of the year. As soon as the college season is over, there is usually a 2 week buffer between college and summer ball, and summer ball consists of 40-45 games played usually in under 50 days. Then, a month later, daily fall practices start.

So, back to the original question: What is appropriate lifting volume for summer ball? Well, it depends on goals…

What are you getting out of the summer?

Some players need to become more physical, some need to improve skills, and some need to gain experience. Training to become a better baseball player becomes difficult when you assume an in-season courseload for more than half of the calendar year, summer included. Plus, though the fall is more of an offseason for practice and development, it’s still a time where players must impress their coaches to earn a role in the spring season. There is almost no time during the year when a college baseball player can focus solely on their bodies without having to remain fresh for on-field performance.

The Varying Plans

For the player needing to become better physically by gaining or losing weight, or by improving strength and conditioning:

• Focus is chiefly on the body, not on the skillset
• Lifting and training volume is heaviest for this group: strength training 2-3 days per week, conditioning 1-3 days per week, depending on goals and position
• Skills are placed on the back-burner, and a lesser role must be assumed on the team – this might mean choosing a role as a part-time player, even if skilled enough to play everyday.
• Example: if a shortstop needs to develop more hitting power, then it may be OK to have to sit out a game due to training fatigue.

First priority for some

For the player needing to hone and develop baseball skills as a first priority:

• Focus is first on skill development, as the player assumedly has enough or near-enough physicality to succeed
• Lifting load is moderate – likely 2 days of strength training and 2-3 days of conditioning, depending on position and goals.
• The body must be fresh enough to allow proper movement patterns during practice and games. Being too tired or sore from training to get in the proper skillwork each day is unacceptable.
• Full-time play is fine as long as the developing skills aren’t jeopardized. Example: if a pitcher is changing his mechanics, he should be pitching, but not so much where he might lose his adjustments while pitching at game speed.
• Another example: if a third baseman needs 300 ground balls per day to increase his fielding ability, then he needs to take them, even if that means only playing a few days per week.

First priority for others

For the player who needs to gain the fine-tuning and experience of playing every day:

• Focus is on being prepared to play every day, practice and training are still crucial, but cannot impede game-time readiness
• Training load is moderate to light, depending on the tolerance of the player. This may mean 2 days of maintenance lifting per week with 0-2 days of conditioning.
• Body must be fresh enough to play every inning of every game if given the opportunity. Any leftover energy can be used for training.
• Example: if lifting is going to impede a pitcher’s ability to extend to his full pitch count, then the lifting needs to be backed off.

The Real Purpose of Summer Baseball

The bottom line is that coaches want their players to come back better, and for each player that improvement is going to come from different factors. Players need to avoid the desire to play every single game when that workload may impede their ability to grow and improve as a player. For a player who desperately needs more size to increase hitting power, it would be irresponsible to save all his energy for the field. His first energy allowance should be to strength training (and eating!), not being an everyday player. Summer games are developmental even for the country’s top prospects. While scouts still attend summer league games to check up on quality players, everyone knows that the real purpose of summer baseball is to come back next spring as an improved version of last year’s model.

Know thyself; portion thine energy accordingly.