The Raleigh Reds Team

Archive for January, 2011

Chris Moheno asked:




Certainly you’re aware of the importance of strength & conditioning for baseball. Long gone are the days of the 155 pound shortstop that barely hit above the Mendoza line. Today’s game has dramatically turned into a blend of power, speed and explosiveness and if you’re not performing the correct baseball exercises you’ll be left behind faster than a Josh Beckett fastball.

Sadly, most are extremely confused about how to properly train for baseball. So called “experts” (who’ve never really trained a real athlete) dole out advice even if you don’t ask for it. The mindset of most is if they’ve worked-out a few times in their life all of a sudden they know it all. Well, the only one that hurts is you, the individual looking for exercises that will help take your game to the next level.

I’ve compiled a list of Do’s and Don’t when selecting baseball drills. First, the Do’s:

DO:

Learn the basics – learn how to properly perform all versions of the squat, deadlift, Olympic Lifts (Power Clean & Power Snatch), bench press, push press, pull-up and row. These are movement patterns that should comprise about 90% of your training. The rest is just details. If you fail to make these exercises 90% or more of your strength work, you’ll fall short of your goals by a long shot. Focus on movements, not muscle – The body does not work one muscle at a time. So why would you train that way? The exercises above help develop athleticism and the ability of the body to work as one harmonious unit. This type of development is what makes a great athlete. So don’t worry about a burn or a pump, focus on moving properly. Always aim to move fast, yet controlled – I’m sure you’ve heard the term slow and controlled when describing how to lift weights. Slow doesn’t happen in baseball. Everything is explosive and ballistic. You’re training should be that way. This happens over time. Each time you’re performing baseball workouts try to move a little quicker tan the last. It’s that simple. Be sure to always maintain control. A great ball player is explosive and controlled. It’s VERY difficult to move a light object (bat, ball) at very high speed while under control. Some were born with this. Others have to work very hard at it. Either way, make it a focus of your training. Perform a balanced routine – Don’t simply do a few sets of bench press and bicep curls and think that will help your game. In fact if you’re not doing a 3 to 1 ratio of pull to push exercises then you can just about count on an injury occurring at some point in your playing career in addition to never realizing your full potential. You must balance out the muscular imbalances baseball (and life) develop.

DON’T

Train for more than 1 hour – I you’re training for more than an hour you’re not training all that hard or you’re just talking too much. Get in, do the correct baseball training exercises and get out. It’s that simple Try and do “advanced” exercises if you’re not ready – Stick to the basics. Trying to do a one-legged front squat before you can front squat twice your bodyweight will simply leave you frustrated and injured. This holds true with any exercise progression. Listen to the so-called “experts” – Seems as though everyone’s an expert in weight training. For some reason people think that if they’ve spent some time in the gym that gives them the right to talk as though their word is gospel. While their intentions may be good, their impact is not. Just because I’ve had surgery a few times doesn’t make me a doctor. Stay away from these clowns. Rely on fad’s such as “plyometrics” and balance boards – Plyometrics, the way some will sell them to you, is the quickest way to get injuried and burnt out. In fact, unless you’re very experienced (3-5 years) in workout routines with the correct baseball exercises, you shouldn’t even think about plyo’s. That is unless you want to get hurt. Also, please get off that silly balance board. It doesn’t make you have better balance, but it will make you weaker because you lose all ground contact. Overlook the importance of nutrition – Proper nutrition is vital to your health, development and performance. While some players (genetically gifted) can get away with poor nutrition for a while, it certainly will catch up to them. And, for us non genetic freaks, proper nutrition is almost as important as selecting the correct baseball exercises. As the old saying goes “You are what you eat”. A simply rule to live by, “If you can’t catch it, kill it or pick it, then don’t eat it.”

Stick to this list and you’ll not only be performing the correct exercises, you’ll be light years ahead of your competition!

Chris Moheno asked:




One of the key muscles that often gets injured in the shoulder is one you’ve probably never heard of, the supraspinatus. It’s a small stabilizing and supporting muscle in the rotator cuff. It helps to elevate and support the shoulder, and in the world of baseball, it helps to decelerate your arm after throwing or taking a big swing. Therefore it plays a crucial role, although it typically goes unnoticed until there is a problem.

Traditional beliefs would say that to make any muscle stronger, you should load it up and stress it until it’s forced to respond and grow stronger. That may be true for the large muscles in your body, but for a small, stabilizing muscle like this in a sometimes fragile area such as the rotator cuff, it’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, simple stretches and movements can greatly improve the responsiveness, health and strength of the muscle and your entire rotator cuff and shoulder.

For example, stand straight up and keep your arms down straight at your sides. Have your palms facing away from the body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together without bending your back or shrugging your shoulders. To help do that, keep your core muscles tight and imagine you’re squeezing a small object in between your shoulder blades, trying to hold it in place. Hold the position for a few seconds, then slowly retract and perform the movement several times over.

Another movement to help improve your shoulder health, stability and strength involves shoulder retraction. Retract your shoulder blades and then reach down and touch the floor with both arms while keeping your shoulders held back in that position. It will take some getting used to in order to really master this movement, but it’s great for developing a fuller range of motion in your shoulder and back muscles, and building up strength in them as well.

A different but perhaps even more common source of shoulder and back injuries for baseball players is disproportion in the muscles, which means that some have become very large while opposing muscle groups have been left untouched and under trained. In the upper body, when so many players focus on their pecs but ignore their middle back muscles, this is known as Upper Cross Syndrome. It can lead to injury and pain, and gives you that not do desirable big, hunching gorilla posture.

A quick way to help resolve this problem is simply to ensure that you’re training your opposing muscle groups equally. Try performing supersets, so that after every set of the bench press you perform a set of bent over barbell rows, or single arm dumbbell rows to equally train these important muscles. This way you can be sure that you’re giving equal attention to both.

Or take a few weeks off from your chest training and really hone in on your back, giving your muscles time to catch up to one another before resuming a more standard and inclusive weight training approach. The key is to make sure you never get too strong in one area, while foregoing training in another opposing area. The same rules apply to your biceps and triceps, and to your quadriceps and hamstrings, for example. This will also ensure that all of your joints, ligaments and tendons are strong enough to cope with the stresses of training and playing.

It will never be possible for baseball players to completely rid themselves of shoulder injuries. The shoulder is just too involved and stressed in the daily routine of the sport, and it’s simply a complex and diverse region within the body. But train your body in the right way and focus on the right muscles and you will improve your strength, range of motion and your long term health while helping to prevent injuries in the meanwhile.

Andy Karmitz asked:




Baseball trophies can be in different make and design. But a perfect baseball trophy is the one which makes a statement about the winner. From hundreds of trophy styles you can choose one which has its unique look in style, figure and the color.

Baseball glove with ball holder, baseball holder or a ball and bat are few of the generic trophies that players love to receive. But in these trophies itself you can make a difference with a change in regular style. Trophies depicting a player pitching the ball or a player at an “at-bat” position are available with different sizes with a seven inch basic figurine or with figurine on columns.

Customize your trophy to get one that captures the thrill of a player. With hundreds of figures and column available, you can create a trophy of your choice. Decide on the style of your trophy and pick up a suitable figure like a man with wreathe or stars or a victory male to decorate your trophy. If you want a column trophy, choose an apt column color too. Online shopping will give you all the available options to get the best out of your creativity.

You can think of other innovative ideas. Get their favorite jersey for making a trophy. Frame the uniform of winning team and they will remember their team and the winning moment throughout their life. Or try custom bobble head dolls representing players.

If the team is of kids, you can think of a chocolate trophy. Think of any design, chocolate artist will make it for you.

Baseball trophy can be made of variety of materials. You have traditional gold, silver and bronze or newer style resin trophies.

Once you select your trophy, make sure that your word of appreciation is engraved on that. The message should reflect their memorable baseball achievements. Finally, don’t forget to engrave the details of the winning tournament.

Sports journalism in dedicated sports magazines offers reports on events like competitions and tournaments and related sports news. There are many sports magazines that have been mocked and called “toy magazines” for showing no concern for the ’serious’ topics covered by various news desks. Today, sports coverage has grown in importance, just as the different sports themselves have grown in wealth and influence and a lot of subsequent power and recognition.

Sports journalism in sports magazines is an essential component of the news media organization. Sports journalism in sports magazines includes a sports department that is devoted solely to diligent sports reporting. Some of the world renowned magazines dedicated to sports are Sports Illustrated and Sports Round Up.

The reporters of various sports magazines have a tough time with sports teams from around the world. While some are not always very accommodating with sports journalists, others are known to allow sports reporters into locker rooms for interviews and some extra information. There are also sports teams that provide extensive information support, even if the reporting proves unfavorable to them. There are certain countries where sports coverage is often barely tolerated by the clubs and players.

Sports journalists who work for the various sports magazines are like any other reporters. They too have to find the story rather than simply rely on information that is generated by the sports teams or institution or the dedicated coaching staff. The reporters on sporting events are expected to first and foremost be conversant with the particular game they are covering and the nuances involved. Sports journalists have to verify facts given to them by the teams and organizations they are covering, before getting the content into the sports magazines.

Often, the coaches of the different games and teams and players and even the sports organization management rescind the access credentials of the reporters covering a particular controversy or sporting event. This is done entirely in retaliation for printing accurate, but disparaging information about a team, player, coach or the organization in question.

Today, sports reporters cover extensively sports journalism for professional and intercollegiate sports such as American football, ice hockey, basketball, baseball and football. The sports magazines are segregated to either cater to the target ‘reader’ group for a particular sport or into sections within that cover different sports and offer better coverage to the sports enthusiasts. The sports magazines are headed by a team of professionals either from the games themselves or avid enthusiasts from around the world, who have followed the games religiously.

Sports magazines all over the world have now become a part of the integrated world online. The online sports magazines are increasing in popularity due to the private and comfortable access to live news and reviews possible because of the internet technology. There are many sports magazines that cater to both, the online and virtual segments successfully.