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  Friday, September 05, 2025

Informative Articles

A Look at Tunnel Batting Cages
If you attend a competitive baseball or softball camp, you will likely encounter tunnel batting cages. Just like standard batting cages, "tunnel" models are an invaluable tool for improving a batter's speed and accuracy in hitting a baseball or...

A Woman's True Confession: I Finally Understand the Male Obsession with Football...
Football season is here, which means that for the next several weeks - 90% of the male population of the US will spend an enormous amount of their "free time" watching games on TV (the bigger the screen, the better), attending football games...

Buyers Guide - Golf
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How to Break in a Baseball Glove the Old-Fashioned Way
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Softball: Olympic Sport No Longer?
Softball has been around since a man named George Hancock first invented the game in 1887 in Chicago. It took over 100 years, but women's fast pitch softball became an Olympic event in 1996. Fast pitch is different from the looping, relaxed...

 
Strength Training Develops Solid Softball Players

Lynn VanDyke delivers a strength training article for any athlete, but specifically geared towards softball and baseball players. It provides general guidelines and sample exercises for sport specific situations.

Softball is a popular sport these days. Corporations, adult leagues and inner-city competitions are fueling the demand for skilled and competitive players. While softball may be experiencing a surge of interest, the basic techniques to improve your game and gain a competitive edge have remained the same.

Many do not realize that basic softball movements such as batting and throwing are not a directly related to arm strength. The movement begins in the legs. The power is then transferred into the hips, the torso, the upper back, the chest, the shoulders and then the arms.

A proper softball strength training routine will include an exercise for each muscle group. During the off-season, athletes will be able to strength train 2-3 times per week. Training should be reduced to 1-2 times per week during the season. Each exercise should be performed 8-12 times for 1-3 sets.

Quickness, speed, agility, balance, explosiveness, and power will be enhanced as the strength training program progresses. Below is a list of sample exercises


for the commonly used muscles in softball. There are many other exercises you could perform, but this will provide a starting point.

Quadriceps- Squats, One-Legged Squats, Jump SquatsHams & Glutes- Lunges, Explosive Lunges, Bridge on BallHip Adductors/Abductors- Lying Side Leg Raises, Ball SqueezeObliques- Oblique Crunch on BallRectus Abdominis- Ball Crunch, 180 Ball CrunchErector Spinae- Plank PoseDeltoids- Shoulder Press, Military PressPectoralis Major- Chest Fly, Chest Press, Push upsLatissimus Dorsi- Bent Over Row, Reverse FlyTriceps- Overhead Extensions, Skull crushersBiceps- Bicep Curl, Hammer CurlA powerful softball strength training program will produce powerful players. Use a full ROM (range of motion) for each exercise. Generally free weights provide a better ROM than machines, but use which ever feels best to you. The ultimate goal is to create a solid program that will deliver a well-rounded athlete.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn VanDyke is the proud owner of http://strength-training-woman.com . Her expertise in strength training and fitness is quickly becoming recognized by industry leaders. You may grab your free strength training log by visiting her site.