To be successful in softball, an athlete needs strength and power in their upper body for hitting and throwing while power in their lower body for accelerating, sprinting, and change of direction. In this article, we are going to share some of the most beneficial softball drills and exercises while using the VertiMax resistance technology.
VertiMax Softball Drills and Exercises
Drills to Build Explosive Power
Explosive power in the upper and lower body are vital for a softball athlete to play at their optimal potential. With VertiMax’s unique design, the number of exercise to increase force production and strength are vast. Some of the best training exercises to use VertiMax with to transfer into softball performance are:
- Squats
- Squats jumps
- Plyometric lunges
- Long jump
- Pop-Up - One motion that stands out is the “pop-up”. This can be seen when an infielder must ground a ball then jump to a ready stance as they prepare to throw the ball. This movement stands out with the catcher as they consistently must be able to pop up from a low squatting position or even their knees. A runner stealing second base, a run away pitch, a foul tip; catchers must have the ability to react to anything. Using VertiMax to train the “pop-up” will make gameplay like second nature.
Watch how VertiMax can improve the essential action of a catcher popping up to throw out a runner.
Drills To Throw Farther And Faster
Pitcher isn’t the only softball position which requires better throwing mechanics and upper body power output. In reality, every player on a softball team needs to be able to throw and VertiMax can help you do that with strength and conditioning movements and throwing drills. This is important as improved throwing depends on upper body power and strength and improved biomechanics. Here are a few softball drills to use to increase your throwing game.
- Improve Ballistic Drills: Ballistics drills are routinely made to improve the power production of softball and baseball athletes. With VertiMax, your athlete can take normal ballistic drills and enhance it with the added resistance from the cords. Medicine ball throw are popular movements which can be enhanced by attaching VertiMax to the arms.
- Resisted Throwing: Attach VertiMax to the players throwing arm to place added resistance during a throw. This will improve the neuromuscular efficiency for this precise movement. Attach VertiMax to the throwing hand and
- Tricep Extensions : Correct throwing biomechanics consist of a chain of muscle movements all connected to produce maximum velocity. The last component of this reaction is the extension of the triceps. Strengthening the triceps can not increase throwing speed but also help mitigate injuries. To be specific, have the athlete face away from VertiMax. Attach VertiMax to the throwing arm and then bring the arm up so that the tricep is parallel to the floor. And elbow is pointing forward. Now, keeping the elbow stationary, extend the arm out fully. The athlete will likely need to be on their knees to be at an appropriate height.
As a pitcher, there are many other drills you can do to help your pitching velocity. Checkout Roe Pro Athletics athlete demonstrating a movement that is going to get her those strike outs!
Drills To Help You Hit Farther And Harder
Similar to throwing, a more powerful and efficient swing depends on increasing power output and improving biomechanics. An efficient swing depends on several factors, mainly forward drive and the ability to rotate at the core with increased force. It’s all in the hips!
With VertiMax’s unique design, players can perform batting drills in ways that were never possible before. Similar to traditional drills which attempted to improve throwing velocity, heavier bats have been used. However, this can change the biomechanics as well as only addressing one area. With the multiple attachments, VertiMax can be attach to the legs to improve the power output of the forwards drive, the hips to increase hip rotation, and the arms to increase the velocity of the bat swing.
Drills To Improve Softball Swinging Velocity
- Hip Rotation: A fairly simple exercise. This foley focuses on creating powerful hip rotation during a swing. Attach VertiMax to an athlete while they are in a batting position. Be sure to attach the cord in front of them to their forward side and the cord behind them to the rear side. Now, have the athlete simulate the swing's rotation while focusing on producing as much power as possible.
- Resisted Swinging: Resisted swinging simply implies to perform a baseball swing in the exact same manner while having multiple limbs under a load.
- Wood Choppers: Woodchoppers are a strength and conditioning exercise which improves rotational strength. Have an athlete in a batter’s stance. Rotate at the waist (hips maintaining position) and bring your arms back. Now, rotate with your arms out straight trying to generate as much power as possible
- Leg Drive: This can improve the effectiveness of your leg drive. Attach VertiMax to the front leg. While in a batting stance, mimic the step of the forward leg. This will help improve the biomechanics of the the leg drive as well as increase the stability of the core.
Here is an example of a batter focusing on hip stability and power while driving through the VertiMax resistance from the V8 Platform.
VertiMax Exercises To Mitigate Softball Injuries
While not dangerous, soft ball players can experience some injuries and are prone to some more than others. When analyzing injuries of softball players, the most common are due to ligament sprains in the ankle and knee. In addition, tendonitis of the shoulder can develop as well as other issues in the shoulder complex. This is due to the bigger and wider ball, which places more stress on the shoulder complex.
Since you know this, you can use VertiMax to help strengthen these muscles to mitigate the risk of developing these injuries during your career. In addition to your power development and skills training, use VertiMax to strengthen these muscles to keep you on the field. Here are just a few exercises that you can use to decrease the chance of injury.
- Single Leg Lower Body Exercise: This can include exercises such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts and single-leg squats. Due to the instability of these exercises from being on one leg, there is much more activation in the stability muscles as well as improved knee stability. Further, balance can be greatly improved. All of this will mitigate the risk of injury.
- Unilateral Exercise: This can include exercises such as lunges and box steps. Similar to above, the stabilizing muscles and balance are greatly improved.
- Face Pulls: Face pulls are among the most effective exercises for developing the scapular muscles and strengthening the shoulder complex. This is important as increased strength of the scapular muscles have been shown to mitigate the risk of overuse injuries in the shoulder and elbow. It is vital for softball players to have strong muscles that can produce a solid foundation with the scapula as this is the base that allows proper mechanics of the shoulder and elbow.
VertiMax softball training delivers maximum power for superior throwing, batting and speed performance. Do you want to dominate the diamond and be the best softball player you can be? Learn more about VertiMax Softball training and click below.