TicketsApril 5, 2011
By Hunter Tickel
GoBEARCATS.com
Imagine standing motionless for nearly three hours with light jogs to the dugout sprinkled in before making a 40-yard dash to run down a ball.
This is typically the movement of a field player in baseball.
These quick jolts require specific training unlike any other sport due to the limited action for the majority of the game.
University of Cincinnati strength and conditioning coach Dave Andrews, who oversees every Bearcat team expect football, said the uniqueness of baseball is training athletes for rare split-second reactions.
Position players participate in three to five second activities in preparation for fielding and hitting.
Andrews said the most vital muscles fielders must develop are hamstrings. Hamstrings give them the power to fire a ball from the corner of the outfield wall to home plate.
The zero percent to 100 percent effort transition is difficult. Andrews said squatting is the most effective weight lifting exercise to deal with this action.
"I believe they have got to squat, if their lower body is not strong [they will be less effective on the field]," Andrews said. "They put a bar on their back that works every single muscle in their body and every muscle fiber."
"Once we get them to a certain point, I like training the body as a piece. They will never hit a baseball with one part of their body. Same thing when they run or throw."
Position players build muscle mass from lower body and post terrier squats for hamstrings. They are well rounded with a strong upper body press and pull activities. All these exercises have the communality of developing explosive movement.
"[Andrews has] done a really good job of helping us get a little bit faster," head coach Brian Cleary said. "He's done a good job of helping guys get stronger but not heavier. It helps with preventing injury and the leaner and more athletic you are, the easier it is to get your body to do what you want it to do."
Cleary, now in his 15th year at the helm of the program after stints at Tulane, Notre Dame and Louisville as an assistant, said that the strength and conditioning program that his team has is the best one he has ever seen.
Pitchers go through a completely different workout compared to fielders. The most important aspects of that position according to Andrews are stamina and recovery.
"The main thing is we want the work volume high," Andrews said. "For example, if the pitchers ability to work at a certain level is not high, we don't want the performance to be affected by conditioning. As their bodies start fatiguing their skill gets worse."
Which is where Andrews has a hand in maximizing their endurance. Complex format training improves hip mobility for pitchers, which they use every time they throw a ball. Over-head squats and torso twists strengthen their longevity.
"If a pitcher goes six innings that guy has to be able to produce force from right leg to left leg and the velocity of his arm," Andrews said. "So his body has to work in unison at near 100 percent maximum effort for 70 to 80 pitches."
In a game with few instances of quick movements, prior knowledge and preparation of the muscles being exerted is crucial.
"[Andrews] has got a really good feel for what our guys' bodies need to do as opposed to what a football player's needs to do," Cleary said.