Are softball offseason workouts needed?
Is your daughter looking to improve their softball game during the offseason? Here’s an offseason workout plan to take their hitting, fielding, and throwing to the next level.
What’s included in MVP Offseason Workouts for Youth Softball
18 carefully designed, 66 minutes softball workouts
- A minute-by-minute breakdown of activities.
- Activities rotate from one to the next quickly to keep players interested and for aerobic benefit.
- Designed for either a 6-week period with 3 sessions or a 9-week period with 2 sessions each week. Players who play another sport in the offseason frequently find the 9-week time period best.
- It’s in e-book format. Print off the sheets you need and follow along for each workout, or follow along on your smartphone.
A softball inspirational story and quote for each workout
- Before each workout, we recommend players read the stories and quotes.
- Life lessons like overcoming obstacles, treating people with respect, and the power of having a positive attitude are reinforced.
Information young softball players should know.
Featured content includes:
- How to interact with coaches
- How to eat smart on game days and before and after practice
- The benefits of goal setting and more
What type of players are these workout plans designed for?
Ages 10 – 17 years old. It’s recommended that players have played organized softball before.
If the 66-minute time period is too long or the activities are too challenging for younger players, we suggest shortening the sessions to 30 or 45 minutes. Pick and choose from the middle activities while maintaining the warm-up and ending activities to reduce the time.
Why offseason workouts are important?
• Repetition of an exercise builds muscle memory. By focusing in on individual skills during an offseason workout, a player gets plenty of opportunities to fine-tune those skills and really improve upon them.
• Your team’s coaches don’t have enough time to devote to every individual skill. Regular season games usually present too few opportunities to hone a skill. Practices during the regular season provide more opportunities, but typically, a coach has many other topics to cover.
Let’s say a player wants to work on hitting pitches on the outer half of the plate to the opposite field. A player may have only seen a few of these pitches during practice or a game. However, an off-season workout might include dozens of opportunities weekly to work on hitting this type of pitch. Lots of reps lead to improvement.
Making It Easy
• Breaking down the bigger game into its individual components makes it easier. If a player just goes to practice and plays games, that player will likely get better at softball. If that same player takes a different approach, concentrating on improving some of the fundamental softball skills, the player will likely improve at a much more rapid pace.
• It provides a platform to strengthen weaknesses and build on strengths. Individual workouts can be tailored to work on areas specific to a player’s strengths and weaknesses.
• There is plenty of time until the next game. Experimenting with your batting stance, stride & swing during the season can be difficult. Corrections can be made by working on this during the offseason, and repetition can occur before a game. It’s the ideal time to develop your hitting.
• It’s a relaxed environment where no one is watching. Individual workouts enable players to take risks without fear of evaluation or criticism. Sometimes, players improve their game by taking chances and some risks.
How the workouts were designed
The thinking behind the overall workout plan and each individual plan includes:
• A focus on fundamentals. We placed an emphasis on building blocks of what makes up a good softball player because that easily transfers from one team to the next.
• Strong emphasis on throwing, fielding, and hitting. These are 3 critical areas that can be practiced individually or with another person effectively, and the offseason is a great time to work on these skills.
• Multiple position development. Youth softball players shouldn’t just learn the skills for just one position. The best players are well-rounded. They know how to play many positions. This makes them valuable assets to any team.
• Shift activities quickly. Moving from one activity to the next quickly keeps players interested and enables them to work on many different skill sets.
• Increase the level of difficulty over time. Some of the fitness drills will get progressively more difficult. Initially, we want players to grow accustomed to using different muscles, and then as the plan progresses, we’ll ask for more repetitions or longer time periods.
A Fitness Approach
• A fitness focus. Players play their best when they’re in shape. It’s hard to execute at the highest level if you’re tired, lack strength, or are just out of shape. To address these needs, a part of each workout session includes general fitness exercises.
• Designed for individual use or with a workout partner (a friend or parent is perfect). One player on his or her own can complete most of the activities for these off-season workouts. However, workouts can be more fun with a workout partner, and throwing and catching activities are better with a person than a rebound net. Players should try to find a friend to complete the workouts with or have a parent assist.
• Designed for healthy kids who have played softball before. If you have any concerns about having your child participate in this program from a health perspective, consult with your physician. Kids should have a water bottle and drink water as needed.
About the Author
John Blissenbach has coached all youth softball and baseball levels from kindergarten through high school. He has also coached and managed championship youth and American Legion baseball teams. John began coaching baseball in 1979 at the age of 20. He started as a high school assistant varsity/JV head coach, working with varsity head coach Hank Mauer (the great uncle of Minnesota Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer).
In addition to coaching softball, John has also been a coach for his 4 children’s softball, football, basketball, track, and soccer teams. During the past 20 years, he has coached over 50 youth (boys & girls) teams.
MVP Offseason Workouts for Youth Softball — $23.99
SAMPLE PLAN includes an inspirational story and agenda with an explanation for activities. Note: sized to 8.5″ x 11″
Structured Plans To Keep Players on Task.
Digital aspect enables players to carry on smartphones.
Inspirational stories to motivate.
MVP Offseason Workouts for Youth Softball — $23.99
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