For those of us in northern states winter has hit and temperatures have dropped. Which means baseball and softball has moved indoors to the batting cages and basketball gym floor.
For us high school coaches we have either just started the throwing program or will be starting after Christmas break is over. This is the time where, as a coach, everything speeds up. We have to finalize the schedule, follow up on grades, plan practices/weight room workouts, order player gear, etc. Just yesterday alone I met with all potential baseball players and went over their current grades, swing metrics, and winter break workout plans. I do this so each player is better prepared for the upcoming months and the amount of physical/mental work they will endure.
For example in early January we will be in the weight room, our conditioning program intensifies, hitting work in the cage, bullpens, and infield/outfield work all continue. This happens quickly and the player must still continue focus on their grades.
With winter here, players and coaches are inside and for our program we focus on the weight room a few days a week and then defense/hitting/bullpens another couple of days. Below is a short plan for our defensive and bullpen days...
Defense
- Proper warm-ups (plyo ball, arm bands, catch routine, etc.)
- Simple ground balls: make the routine play every time
- Bunt defense
- Fly ball breaks
- Some competition games
Bullpens
- Proper warm-ups (plyo ball, arm bands, long toss into a net, catch routines, etc.)
- 60-40 split off the mound (stretch vs. wind-up)
- Pitch counts (20, 35, 50, 60, etc.)
- Catcher focus: receiving, blocks, transition, etc.
These are just some of the items we work on when it comes to a bullpen/defense day. Towards the end of January we will place a stopwatch on all the defensive work and pitcher delivery to the plate as we start to get closer to the season.
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if you are in the area and want to see what our practices are like. Continue to work hard and strive to be better than you were yesterday.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
"Achieve Greatness"