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Baseball: An annual plan
- 1. The ideals, goals and progressions of a baseball strength training plan over 12 months
- 2. What is baseball? Baseball – America’s pastime: is a sport of many intricate tactics and elements. It is mainly a high velocity, high intensity sport
- 3. Physical Components of Baseball Speed/Acceleration Power Strength Rotational Power/Flexibility Stability (both throughout the body and shoulder/scapula)
- 4. Annual Plan: September - August
- 5. Notable dates Nationals take place for this squad in early/mid January, which is halfway through their club season The next, and most important for athletes in this squad is the Major League camp that takes place in July
- 6. Factors to be aware of...... The athletes taking part in this squad are considered junior sub-elite athletes Age ranges from 14 yrs to 19 yrs old Many of the athletes that first join the squad have a training age of zero years, but as they reach senior level of the group they will have a training age of up to 5 years The major goal for these athletes is not actually to represent Australia, but to go to the USA and attend college on a scholarship or sign a major league professional contract Thus most of their training is about preparing them for the rigours of the US college system and/or professional baseball
- 7. Macrocycles This baseball squads’ season doesn’t fall into a regular season with a single peak period, therefore follows a block periodisation The squads two primary competitions fall during the off season and halfway through the competition phase Making it difficult to program in linear periodisation with offseason/preseason/competition/playoff/postseason cycle or Hypertrophy/Strength/Power/Resorative Phases
- 8. Season Post-Xmas Hypertrophy and General Preparation/Strength Build robustness, particularly through upper body for returning squad members Teach correct movement patterns and build strong athletic base for new squad members As well as introduce to basic strength exercises
- 9. Off Season/Pre-MLBAAP Strength Strength/Power High volume throwing program at on-field training, thereby necessitating a decrease in upper body work in gym Building into strength by lowering reps and increasing load Squad members heading to MLB camp will taper into a more power focused program before heading away
- 10. Pre-season Hypertrophy Building muscle through whole squad to create a robustness for upcoming season to help athletes handle the load Still focusing on movement patterns and techniques, specifically in new squad members
- 11. Pre-season Strength Building on previous strength work to build a solid foundation for upcoming power block Giving athletes a basis to improve performance and increase strength in baseball specific movements
- 12. Season Pre-Xmas Power Focus is on increasing power output, to improve throwing, hitting and running abilities Training block consists of high intensity training while reducing training load
- 13. Mesocycles Generally each block in the mesocycle runs for 4 weeks With each week assigned a % 3RM for the 1st two “core” exercises Week 1 is 75% 3RM; while week 2 builds into a 3RM of 85%; week 4 becomes the “heavy” week with a 95% 3RM; finally week 4 is a recovery week with a 70% 3RM
- 14. Microcycles The weekly plan is broken up into 3 sessions: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Monday and Wednesday are assigned Strength 1 and Strength 2 respectively Strength 1 and 2 focus primarily on strength and any other physical component for that block Friday is assigned Power 1 and focuses primarily on power exercises, or any explosive/plyometric work
- 15. Session Plan Session begins with warmup Two “core” lifts start workout working off %RM for that week These are followed by as many as four up to six “accessory” exercises which target the focus of that particular block Session is completed with mandatory stretching and/or foam rolling
- 16. Conclusion In conclusion, the aim of this presentation was to provide an insight into the reasoning behind the periodisation and progression of a state junior sub- elite baseball squads’ annual plan
- 17. Thankyou
Editor's Notes
- Hi,And welcome to a presentation on program planning: The ideals, goals and progressions of a baseball strength and conditioning annual plan over a 12-month period.Through this presentation I will guide you the components and structure of a Australian sub-elite junior state baseball squad’s annual plan, and the main reasons and ideas for strength training progressions and layout.
- Baseball is considered America’s pastime and is often thought of the major sport in the United States of America. Yet, in spite of it’s popularity in America it is considered a secondary sport to most countries outside the US. However, despite this it has a large number of overseas players involved, more than any other American sport providing it with a large international flavour, and gaining popularity in many other countries.And due to the fact that Major League Baseball has no salary cap and due to the high financial status of many clubs, means many young athletes can make a very decent living of baseball even just by playing the minor leagues. Hence, there is an attractiveness to international players, not to mention the added bonus of possibly receiving a free college education by gaining a scholarship through the US college education system.Baseball is considered a tactical sport with the many rules and tactics outline in Wikipedia via the link here, but it is most definitely viewed as a high velocity – high intensity sport, and as such strength and conditioning is thought a vital part of increasing the ability and chance to play at an elite level. As is the case with most professional sports.
- A traditional training method/area considered popular in baseball circles is increasing the size of muscles, or hypertrophy, particularly through the upper body. However, the areas of high importance that must be trained aiming to increase performance, particularly in the junior level of athlete are stability, strength and power. With the lower body, specifically the hips, being a major contributor to throwing, hitting and running in not only just baseball but any sport involving these attributes.Another very important component that must be acknowledged and should also be targeted during junior development is movement patterning or mechanics, ie. getting certain parts of the kinetic chain moving in the correct order.
- Here, we see a layout of the squad’s annual plan. As we can see the annual plan runs from September through until August of the following year, this is set out to coincide with the Major League Camp held in July as the squads peak competition, however not all squad members may necessarily be selected to participate. This is also the period that any players too old for the MLB camp or state squads are looking to head over to US for college scholarships or professional contracts.Next on the pecking order is Nationals, there are three age groups undertaking this competition – U/14’s, U/17’s and U/19’s, with this squad making up the majority of the U/17 and U/19 year old squads. These take place in January in the middle of Australia’s summer school holidays.Lastly, the next major period is in the ACT local competition where the squad plays against mainly full grown adult competition. This runs from early October through to late March, taking a break over the xmas-new year period through until after Nationals. Most of the squad members will play in the state squad but also play for their local teams, playing anywhere from 1 to 3 games a week.
- Because of the placement of the peak competitions, this means that the squads’ major competitions takes place towards the end of the off season and at the start of the pre season blocks, as well as halfway through local competition season. As the third placed priority in competitions, the local baseball competition is the most consistent and highest in volume, and therefore the general outline of macrocycles must follow a standard season but it must then be tweaked to accommodate the more significant competitions.
- All members of this squad are considered junior sub-elite athletes.Their ages range from new squad members at 14 to 15yrs old, up to the senior squad members who are aged up to 19yrs old.This means that most athletes joining the squad have a training quite low usually of 0 years, meaning that the main goal for these athletes is to introduce them to basic exercises and work on general strength and movement patterns/technique.However, as they progress through the squad, depending on how long they stay in the squad they move to a training age of up to 5 years.The major goal for many of these athletes, and the goal for the head coach isn’t actually to represent Australia but to actually gain ideally a professional contract in Major League Baseball in America, or secondary to that a scholarship to an American college.So, while a lot of the training involved with this squad is about making them better athletes and better baseballers, it is also about preparing them for them the rigours of the US college system and /or professional baseball. Where they will be treated as, for lack of a better term, cannon fodder.As such this plan primarily focuses on improving strength, power and movement patterns of these athletes, aiming to improve performance and durability.The main layout for the program and sessions starts as a general template, but all programs are individualised depending on different factors, such as what the head coach is looking for individually, injuries, position specific requirements, etc.
- The strength training or ‘gym’ work is broken down into the following macrocycles: starting from the end of the xmas/nationals break; in season post-xmas (where the main focus is on hypertrophy for returning squad members and general preperation/general strength for new squad members); Off season/Pre MLBAAP (Strength based focus for the whole squad, with a final 4 week block moving into a power focus and taper for MLB camp athletes, this also has a high a volume throwing program being implemented by the head coach meaning a need to reduce upper body strength training significantly); Pre season (a second hypertrophy phase for returning squad and an introduction into hypertrophy for new squad members, followed by another introduction into strength phase for the squad); Season Pre-xmas (primarily a power phase with a taper into Nationals). As is shown this follows more of a block style periodisation rather than a linear style, due to the three main competition periods and the continuity of the training period.
- The first macrocycle generally doesn’t take place at the start of the annual plan, it takes place at the start of the calendar year which is where the scholarship period for the squad starts. The reason for this is that because it is only older members of the squad that will go to the Major league camp, making Nationals the next in priority for the squad and this is where the head coach can look at new players to offer positions to the squad, therefore making the first block after Xmas the first period of training for new athletes. This is the period where we focus on getting new athletes used to training in the gym, working on technique and movement patterns, while also building a base level of general strength which is usually gained just from the introduction of resistance training. New athletes start at one session a week in the gym with workouts containing a core lower body lift partnered with jumping/landing technique exercise, mainly consisting 3 sets and 10 reps, with some specific exercises adjusted accordingly. Recovery between sets will sit at 45sec so as to help increase TUT, this will also fatigue the muscle and maximize growth and repair.Returning athletes work of the program design explained later in the presentation, looking to build muscle mass and return strength after the break from Nationals. This is to increase their robustness to help improve their ability to handle the training loads to come, particularly the upcoming throwing program. They specifically do this at the end of their local season as once this is done they will come into a heavy throwing program on field and we wish to prepare them for that. Mainly the exercises will run 3-4 sets, starting with twelve reps moving into 10 reps in second microcycle. Using no. of reps and exercises to provide volume as well as a focus on movement tempo to facilitate time under tension.
- This macrocycle will essentially encompass a heavy throwing program, meaning exercise selection becomes limited as we face the need to cut out upper body, specifically pressing movements.The program will push into more strength focused training, using 3 sets per exercise and 8 reps per set to reduce volume as well as a reduction in the number of exercises. The second block will move into a 6 repetition range, while the 3rd block or Strength/Power will move into a 4 repetition range which works well for the plan to taper off for the senior squad members going to the Major League camp where their training will move into more of a power phase to reduce load but keep intensity levels high. Longer recovery period in between sets will also be a feature of this cycle, particularly as the phase moves into power, this is so as to gain optimal recovery for maximal lifts. This final block is also where the new members will start to transition into a similar program setup as the older members of the group building a greater strength base, albeit still primarily movement focused.
- Thismacrocycle brings us to post MLBAAP camp but still within the pre-season comp, meaning another opportunity to gain some hypertrophy presents. Here two training blocks are used to build robustness through the whole squad, while still concentrating on movement mechanics. Sets remain at 3 but up to 4, extra exercises are added and repetitions are increased to 10 to increase volume and load, while slowing down the tempo to help increase time under tension which will also be added by recoveries between sets set at 45sec, the second mesocycle will then drop to 8 reps per set. This block is used to help the squad prepare for upcoming local season where there will be an increased number of games as well as training, by increasing robustness to withstand the volume and load.
- This macrocycle primarily focuses on improving and building on the previous strength work to lay a solid foundation for the upcoming power block. The block will look more to start to improve performance by building a strong base of strength through some more baseball specific movements and increasing force production. The block will range from 4 – 6 reps, 3 sets, with strong controlled movements of moderate tempo with adequate recovery of up to 2min. This is where it is hoped to see the most strength gains throughout the whole squad after a strong off and pre season, and will see the introduction of several baseball specific movements on top of general strength movements.
- This macrocycle is where the squad will focus on improving power outputs and increase in game performance in anticipation for Nationals. Another reason that this marcocycle takes place here is that as with a power training block volume will be quite low with high intensity, as the squad will be undertaking several games per week creating a heavy load which is quite taxing on the players. This will allow a degree of maintenance and aid recovery.This training period will involve more baseball and movement specific exercises, specifically looking to improve throwing, hitting and running capabilities. This will use sets at 3, reps range from 1 up to 5, and tempo for most exercises will be explosive with sufficient rest of up to 3min per set.This will allow for quality of work with correct movement patterning and activation, with optimal power production.
- The bulk of the mesocycles will run for 4 weeks, with some slight variations depending on when and where they occur in the calendar.As what will be shown in the next slide is that each session will start with two “core” lifts are warmup that will follow a wave-like pattern and exercise wise won’t change too much. The way overload will be achieved in this aspect is by using % 3RM changes on a weekly basis. Week 1 will employ a 75% 3RM with 5 sets of 5 reps, with week 2 building up to 85% 3RM with 3 sets of 5 reps and 2 sets of 3 reps, week 3 will be a heavy week of 95% 3RM with one set of 5 at 75%, one set of 5 at 85%, and 3 sets of 3 at 95%, with week 4 being an ‘unload’ week of 70% 3RM with 5 sets of 5 reps. The first block’s 3RM is calculated by older programs or bar weight depending on history and athlete. Each block the 3RM is then adjusted according to week 3 weights, by 10% for lower/full body and 5% for upper body exercises. For, example if set weights are achieved weight is set off that 3RM, if they go beyond that weight or can’t achieve set weight it is set of heaviest lifted for the 3 sets of 3. This is designed to produce a wave loading effect so as they build over three weeks then recover for one they are then almost forced to go heavier to build strength.The following accessory exercises are set on the relevant macrocycle focus, ie hypertrophy or power, etc.
- The microcycles or weekly plan is made up of 3 sessions – Monday, Wednesday and Friday for senior members of the squad, new members start at Monday and Friday with youngest members on just Monday. The main setup is Monday and Wednesday are strength days in that the first two exercises are primarily strength based lifts, whereas Fridays are power days where the first two core lifts are Olympic based lift or explosive exercises, but they are exercises that the weight is able to be easily manipulated.
- Each session begins with a warmup that is designed to elevate heart rate, warm the body and prepare it for the upcoming workout. It consists mainly of shoulder stability/mobility exercises, hip and trunk mobility exercises, as well as activation exercise. It has a general makeup for all athletes but is adjusted according to individual needs and requirements, ie. Rehab/prehab.This is then followed up by the first two ‘core’ lifts that have been described in the previous slide they are stand alone exercises with rest in between that may or may not have mobility/activation exercises to be done, depending on the individual.After this are the accessory exercises. These take on the look of that current macrocycle and are suited towards that makeup, they will change more often to provide the variety and will drop a set in unload week. They may or may not be supersetted together depending on the workout and it’s goals.Finally the workout will finished with a flexibility portion where the squad members will work on any flexibility issues specifically for themselves, plus general areas, as well as foam rolling for myo-facial release.
- So, in conclusion this has hopefully provided an insight into the logic and theories behind the periodisation of this squads progression and exercise selection.As stated the organisation and selection of cycles does not follow a typical periodisation or linear plan, but is designed to best prevent injury, teach correct movement patterns and build better athletes. However, all of this actually comes secondary to preparing these athletes for transition into either the US college system or Major League professional arena. And provide each athlete with the ability to withstand the rigours of this training situation and provide them with the best tools to take them to the next level in their baseball careers.
- Thankyou very much for listening and I hope you have gained something from this presentation, whether it be guidance, ideas or even a catalyst for discussion.THANKYOU