Baseball Practice Schedule - How to Stay in Peak Performance Shape

Baseball Practice Schedule - How to Stay in Peak Performance Shape

Adhering to a baseball practice schedule is important for serious baseball players. However, I am a big believer in having young athletes play as many sports as reasonable and affordable. Playing other sports can help players develop the footwork and hand/eye coordination that can enhance players' baseball skills. Additionally, playing other sports can keep players from burning out on baseball at a young age.

Over the past fifteen years or so, travel sports have become so prominent for youth athletes. This movement into travel sports has led to athletes specializing at younger and younger ages. When athletes should specialize is a subject for another day, but the point is that multiple sports can be very beneficial for baseball players being able to stay in peak performance shape and for avoiding burnout.

Having said that, it is also important to have young athletes whose favorite sport is baseball, to practice and play baseball for more months out of the year than just their regular season. I believe a good plan for developing successful baseball players and for staying in peak performance shape is to add one month of baseball play and practice to a players schedule for every year beginning at age 9. For example, nine-year-old players should play an extra month beyond their regular season schedule and ten year olds, who love baseball, should play and /or practice two extra months. By the time a player is a teenager they should be playing and practicing baseball for up to nine months out of the year. A three-month break, when players can totally get away from baseball is always recommended, even for the most serious players.

Other suggestions to develop a complete baseball practice schedule to maintain peak performance shape are:

1. Bigger, stronger and faster is always better so having young athletes perform age-appropriate speed and strengthening programs is beneficial.

2. Learning the correct fundamentals is priceless. Having players receive professional, fundamental instruction is important. Developing correct throwing mechanics is especially important for avoiding arm injury.

3. The best time to build arm strength is a throwing program beginning after the regular season when players' arms are in shape. The exception would be for pitchers who threw a heavy inning load during their season.

4. An off-season baseball program that promotes fun and fundamentals is a good start before preseason baseball practice begins.

5. Protecting the arm is of paramount importance so a strict pitch and inning limit should be placed on pitchers.

6. Hitters should get in the pattern of using a batting tee for warm-ups and for performing good, fundamental hitting drills.

7. Working hard is always advised but having rest periods and off-days is necessary to remain in peak performance shape, too.

8. Baseball is a game of repetition and nowhere is that more important than when performing fielding drills. Players need to work on fielding as much as they do the other parts of the game.

9. Running the bases for correct footwork and timing is important, as well as for conditioning work.

10. Game play is of course necessary for learning game strategy, as long as a limit on games is adhered to for young ballplayers. Burnout can occur in young ballplayers with an overabundance of games mixed in with practice.

Finally, it is always a good idea to analyze players' school and other sport schedule in order to draw up a good yearly baseball practice schedule that suits that individual.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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