When the subject is top-tier softball pitchers, Monica Abbott’s name rises above the rest. The 2008 Olympian and former University of Tennessee standout holds five NCAA Division I records, including career victories, shutouts and strikeouts. Now playing for the Chicago Bandits, a pro softball team, the 2011 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Co-Pitcher of the Year still seeks to improve her game.
The foundation of Abbott’s success is her ability to control her body, which, in turn, allows her to control the movement of the ball. She checks into D1 Sports Training in Knoxville, Tenn., where she improves her control and core strength with drills such as the Kneeling Physioball Throw.
Abbott is now known as the strikeout queen, but it took hours of practice—and more than a handful of wild pitches while kneeling on the physioball—before she mastered her control and gained the strength needed to sniper a 55-mph fastball.
Kneeling Physioball Throw
• Start by kneeling on flat basketball with partner eight to 12 yards away
• Throw softball to partner using natural pitching motion and form
• Practice kneeling with toes on ground; then progress to toes off ground
• When comfortable, replace flat basketball with physioball
Sets/Reps: 1×20-32
Coaching Points: Master basketball before trying physioball // Go slow and focus on controlling abs // Master balancing on ball before incorporating pitching
Instability exercises are essential for all athletes. They develop overall strength and stabilizer muscles, which allow you to execute your skills safely and powerfully without limitations. Instability is often incorporated in lower-body and upper-body pushing exercises; however, it’s important to employ it for those always-important upper-body pulling exercises as well.
Pulling exercises balance out the pushing exercises, which are frequently favored by many athletes. By substituting TRX Straps for a barbell in the Inverted Row, you constantly challenge your back muscles—the lats, scap retractors and other stabilizers—to keep you steady while completing the movement. Also, in this version of the exercise, a physioball takes the place of a bench or box, adding further instability to engage the core.
For athletes, it’s important to challenge the body in ways that simulate game-time situations. That’s why Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder G/F, uses this exercise to help him remain one of the best basketball players on the planet.
Challenge Your Stability With Kevin Durant continued »
To advance to a higher level of athleticism, you need strong arms, shoulders, core and legs—essentially the focus of Mountain Climbers.
To perform Mountain Climbers, start on all fours with your shoulders directly over your hands. Contract your abs and switch feet positions in a running motion. Continue this motion for between 30 and 60 seconds, depending on your level of fitness. To further stress your cardiovascular system, increase the speed of the exercise.
Improve Cardio and Build Core Strength With One Exercise continued »
Developing a powerful stride is important for creating first-step quickness and overall speed. Powerful legs allow you to apply more force into the ground with each stride and propel forward at a faster speed.
Employing multi-jointed lower body exercises against resistance, like Olympic Lifts and plyometrics, forces the legs to produce strong and explosive contractions—making these exercises primary generators of a powerful stride.
But in addition to weight room exercises, build your powerful stride with on-field drills like the Bull Rush. Unlike weight room exercises, it improves muscle power with the same movement pattern as running. This helps develop the kinetic chain—the coordinated path of muscle activation—of the movement, so newly-gained lower body power directly translates to on-field speed.
Build Up Powerful Legs continued »
If you’re a top player and a team leader, you probably receive little or no negative feedback from your parents, coaches or teammates. On the contrary, they probably rely on you at critical points during games and lavish you with praise when you inevitably deliver.
Basking in the glow of such approval, you might easily think your game is fine the way it is. Unfortunately, this mindset leads to complacency and can slow your development as an athlete.
Jessica Mendoza, USA Softball Olympic gold medalist, stays on top of her game by staying humble. “Despite all the accolades and all the people telling you that you’re amazing, you still need to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and be accountable and responsible for your faults [in order] to get better,” she says. “When you lose your humility, you lose your success.”
Even if you have the talent to dominate, remember that thousands of athletes are shedding blood, sweat and tears every day to reach their goals. Realize that you are not a perfect athlete, find your faults and work on curing them. Even the best can get better.
Although a simple exercise, Calf Raises are a staple in any lower-body training program—for good reason. The calf and other lower leg and ankle muscles generate speed when running or skating and are critical for ankle stability. These muscles are strengthened when you flex your foot away from the shin (plantarflexion) with added weight.
Despite its benefits, the Calf Raise rarely reaches its full potential, because often only the ankle joint is used. Try to imagine a time in any sport when an athlete stands in one place and rises onto his tiptoes. This almost never occurs, because athletic movements are multi-jointed.
Power Up Your Leg Strength continued »
Q: Why are electrolytes important?
A: Electrolytes like potassium and sodium are elements crucial to proper muscle function. However, these and other electrolytes are lost through sweat, so athletes need to ensure that they are replenishing their supplies on a regular basis. Dehydration and electrolyte loss can result in severely diminished performance through fatigue, lack of focus and cramping.
View the video below with Lindsay Baker from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to learn how you can improve your athletic performance through proper electrolyte intake.
Video of GSSI on Electrolytes
Photo: examiner.com
Q: How much should I drink after a workout?
A: Fluid requirements after a workout depend on a lot of things—for example, how long you trained, how much you weigh and how profusely you sweat. However, there is a tried and true method for determining how much you need to drink to properly rehydrate following a workout.
Learn how to rehydrate right by watching the video below with Jeff Zachwieja from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
Learn How Much Fluid to Drink
Photo: fitexistence.com
Q: Can I train speed and strength in the same workout?
A: Yes. In fact, most elite athletes perform movement exercises geared toward speed and lifts geared toward strength in each workout. Doing so is a great way to make your workouts more efficient. Learn how to balance your movement and strength training. Check out the video below to see how NFL All-Pro QB Peyton Manning incorporates both types of training in the same workout.
Video of Peyton Manning’s Speed and Strength Workout
