When children begin playing baseball, it is important that they receive proper conditioning.  Baseball is a sport that has little padding and is extremely strenuous.  It is very easy to wind up sitting out the season with an injury.  So how do you keep those little darlings happy and healthy throughout the season? 

Mobility is key to a healthy baseball experience.  Managers need to find a way to get good training in while keeping things fun.  Remember, at the end of the day, it is important that the players are enjoying their voyage into the world of baseball.  Here are some mobility exercises that can help get a young baseball player’s body ready for the upcoming season, and keep a smile on their faces.

Conditioning needs to be approached with a holistic mindset.  That means remember that no matter which position a player is in, they need their whole body conditioned.  Sprints, crutches and bench presses are healthy for all players.  Just because a kid is going to be on the pitching mound does not mean that all they have to do is throw practice pitches.  If the kid’s lower body is not strong enough, they can be hurt.  Pitching, just like every other position in baseball, requires cooperation from the entire body.

Batting also demands a sturdy lower body and good core strength.  These days, building core strength is very popular.  Everyone is working to get that all-important center of his or her body fine-tuned.  Managers will have no problem finding a ton of exercises that address core strengthening.  Versions of Pilates, a workout regiment based on the idea that injuries result from weak body parts, is one of the big crazes of the exercise world. 

Pilates are wonderful for any athlete because all sports require usage of the middle of the body.  Baseball players are no exception.  In addition to the typical weight training and standard little league exercises, mangers may want to consider doing some light research on Pilates.  There may be some valuable moves that can be incorporated into the training.

There are, of course, the old stand bys that still work, no matter how long they have been around.  Most managers will already have them lined up, but here a quick review.  The first one is Around-The-World.  This is a great conditioning drill to help develop baseball players.  Players run from the foul pole in left or right field in timed intervals.  This exercise helps prepare players for competition.

Dive Backs help players increase their speed and agility.  They also help players become more acquainted with the field.  When doing Dive Backs, players begin at Home Plate and run around first base.  With an aggressive turn, players dive back into the bag and rise as quickly as possible.  Then they head for second base and repeat the motion.  Players continue with these actions until they have made it around all bases.

Another enjoyable and beneficial conditioning exercise is The Glove.  The team is divided into groups of four or five.  Players form a line and lay their gloves in about twenty-five foot intervals in the outfield.  Each player runs with a ball in their hand to each glove of those in their group.  They put the ball down when the touch the glove and run back to the line where they started from.  Players repeat this until all players in each smaller group has run to all of the gloves.

Other easy, but valuable exercises include sprints opposed to long distance running.  Proper stretching is essential to help prevent injuries and help the players become more flexible.  Before weights are added to the agenda, go with bodyweight exercises.  This will keep the players from overusing their growing muscles. 

The entire baseball team needs to be fast and agile and healthy.  But let’s remember that these are children.  Realistically, some children are not going to want to, or have the ability to do these three things.  Things like individual diets and presence at practice are things that can prevent kids from reaching these goals. Try to encourage a diet conducive with athletics.  This, combined with the training and effort, should create an exciting, fun season for the team.