PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS

A half dozen factors
Fastpitch softball's key
performance enhancers

Greatly summarized and condensed from a much longer, 

comprehensive article titled  "What is specific to softball" by 

Softball Performance at www.bodybuilding.com/fun/softball.htm.

► ENERGY SYSTEMS:

The action in a single play averages less than 7 seconds in length and most plays last 5 seconds or less. 

From top, Wesley Wolverines junior 

#4 MI/OF Samantha Burns (Magnolia, 

DE), sophomore #13 Utility

Ashley Royer (Lititz, PA), senior 

#9 P/OF Lily Engel (Dover, DE) 

and senior #42 INF Devin Mackay

(Bangor, PA).

Softball players should spend some time developing a base of aerobic endurance in the off-season but the most important thing to training should focus on many brief all-out actions, full-out short-duration speed activities and other drills exercising the ATP-CP ("anaerobic alactic system") system.

► STRENGTH:

Every single action in softball -- hitting, throwing, quick lateral movements, jumps off the bases, etc. -- is an explosive action. The need is for muscular power. Power is a function of speed and strength, i.e. acceleration and throwing power.

Because of the variety of skills and movements in the sport of softball, most body parts need to be trained. Shoulder and back strength as well as the rotator cuff muscle group are important to throwing but the legs and the core (hips and abdominals) also contribute to the throwing motion. The legs and the core are even more important for hitting since the power comes from the middle and lower body.

Softball players also require strong stabilizers to stay injury free -- the need to work on shoulder, core and knee stability.

Lots of time should be spent on core training, which will enable the athlete to achieve better performance, increase torso power and joint stability, improve posture and neuromuscular coordination, reduce injuries and enhance movement efficiency.

► FLEXIBILITY: 

Flexibility is defined as the range of motion around a joint. Softball players require dynamic flexibility, which is the ability to move through a full range of motion.

It is especially important to increase flexibility in the tight areas. Some of the common tight muscles are hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and chest area (pectoralis minor more specifically).

Flexibility needs to be developed prior to the beginning of the season with a good stretching program that focuses on the major muscle groups and thigh muscles. Stretching should be done after every workout as part of the cool-down when your muscles are warm and most receptive to stretching.

► SPEED, QUICKNESS, AND AGILITY: 

Softball is a quick game. Everything needs to be done as fast as possible. To be successful, softball players need multi-directional quickness, first step quickness, lateral movement, acceleration and linear speed through footwork training, running form drills, agility drills, lateral movements, sprints and lots of quick explosive actions.

► COORDINATION:

Specific movements that require coordination are hitting and fielding a moving ball, throwing to a specific target and executing plays while in motion. Hand-eye coordination is especially important.

Wesley Wolverine senior #18 C Nina Marcano (Middletown, DE).

To successfully develop coordination, it is important to develop and acquire a high variety of skills. The practice of a variety of sports helps. Coordination can be achieved in sport-specific training by employing exercises with progressively increased complexity.

► BALANCE: 

Many softball plays are executed off-balance.

Balance should be trained using stability balls and balance boards. To improve balance, the body needs to be put in unstable environments so the muscles will react and produce the appropriate action to maintain stability. Not only is balance training important, but it is also fun and challenging.