Improve Your Baseball

Baseball History

'The homerun, the crucial outfield catch, and the dusty slide into home base' are just some of the aspects that attract millions to this sport..

The exact origin of the game is unknown, yet historians credit the act of hitting a rock with a stick as the simplest explanation as to how the game came about. Early bat and ball games of the 1880s, like rounders are recognized as the foundation from which it would grow.

Rudimentary baseball is thought to have come from Britain and Ireland, but the modern version of the game is believed a product of eighteenth century North America.

Some researchers acknowledge a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book as the earliest known description of the game, where a set-up similar to the game of today was illustrated with rhyme. In 1838, the first full documentation of the sport in North America followed.

The popularity of baseball has seen the sport gain recognition as the "national" pastime of the United States. Today it is popular in Northern and Central America, East Asia, and parts of South America and the Caribbean.

The United States established Major League Baseball, which ends with a yearly tournament called the World Series.

KEY BASEBALL SKILLS

Good Footwork

Good balance

Accurate and Powerful Pitch and Throw

Explosive Sprinting Speed

Good Hand-Eye Co-ordination

Good Batting Technique

IMPROVING YOUR BASEBALL SKILL

When training to improve your skills, a player should set aside the notion of bulking up or building muscle mass. Individuals increase their overall performance when they develop explosive speedand lightning reactions.

Strong trunk rotation is also important.

TRAINING TIPS

Sprinting Speed and Explosive Power can be developed by weight training with basic power exercises for the lower limb together with sprint drills. The latter will also enhance physiological recovery ability too.

Rotational Strength used in striking and throwing can be developed with resistance work using bodyweight, cables, pulleys and medicine balls. This develops strong abdominal core strength and is a massive enhancer of striking and throwing ability.

Shoulder Stability for batting, throwing and pitching is essential. Specific stability work using bodyweight or simple resistance equipment to perform control and stabilisation routines will work wonders. Such exercise programs are also vital to prevent injury to this particularly vulnerable joint.

Upper Body Strength developed again via quality basic resistance training with weights to work the shoulders, chest, back and arms can be highly beneficial in enhancing powerful pitching, throwing and batting.

The swing as with many upper limb actions is initiated through strong abdominal and leg muscles.

Additional recommendations to improve baseball performance include visual skills training, mental preparation skills, cardiovascular training and flexibility work.