Friday, January 25, 2008

NAIL it!
(Nilson's Advice, Instruction & Lessons)


by Erik Nilson
Contributing Editor

Conditioning for 2008

Nilson,
Now that the season has been over for a while, I've found a little extra time here and there. I'm not in as good of shape now as I was during the season and I want to make sure I'm ready in March. Do you have any ideas?

Sincerely,
Mr. McGrowing

Mr. McGrowing,
There are several options for staying in shape. You want to keep your legs strong to avoid that first game soreness, and keep your cardiovascular system strong to make sure you can still hustle early in the season. Or if those reasons aren't enough, maybe you want to save money by fitting into the same pants next season.

You could go jogging a few times a week or join a gym, but maybe that takes too much time.   Here are some simple ideas you can use at home:

  • Step workout: Use the bottom stair or a sturdy box to step up and down quickly. Step up with one foot repeatedly for a short time, then switch to the other foot. Start with sets of 30 seconds, and increase to several minutes as you improve.  
  • Wall sit: Sit against a wall with your knees bent 90 degrees, and hold for 15 seconds. Stand up for one or two seconds and go back to the sitting position. As you improve, increase the holding time or the number of repetitions. This is great for your quads and will help eliminate that first game soreness.
  • Plate stance: Spend a little time every week going into and out of your plate stance. This will help strengthen your legs and improve your heel-toe at the same time. For even more endurance training, work on your plate stance while resting between sets of wall sits.

If you have not exercised for some time, be sure to start slowly and increase the intensity gradually to avoid injury. If you have pain other than muscle soreness, slow down or stop until you are healed.  

The main goal is to get your heart rate up and strengthen your legs; any activity that does this should help. If, on the other hand you need to do even more, run pivot drills for an hour a day at your local park.  

Nilson

Erik Nilson answers your umpire rules, mechanics and other questions in "NAIL it!" as needs arise. Send your questions to eriknil@hotmail.com