Getting Back

Go out for fall track team. See if you can at least practice with them, and just do A LOT of running... EVERY DAY.

Every other night do 100 sit-ups, and 100 push-ups, if you can 100 pull-ups... Do them in sets of 10 each, increasing the sets to 20, 30, etc. every week.

On the days you're not doing them, take grounders, fly-balls and BP, and throw...

When spring tryouts get 3-weeks away, stop the calisthenics, just run a couple miles every other day and increase BP (200-300 swings), fielding (50 groundballs and 50 Flyballs and throwing (long-toss to 175-200 feet), if you can - daily...

You should be ready for tryouts after this...

Good luck.

I don't post a whole lot, but was inspired to reply here...

You've already made the first commitment, unplugging the video game...after a week or two, you'll not miss it. Lot's of our spring athletes do run cross county at school. They don't have cuts, so anybody that comes out, gets to participate...doesn't mean you atually run at the meets, but it is an organized way to get your running in and not have to do it alone.

I agree with Bolts-Coach, create a plan that works for you...if its just 20 push ups and situps a day, start there. I remember I kept me a sheet of paper taped to my bedroom door with a little calendar grid on it, and tracked my workout as well as the increases and improvements, whether it be upping my situps or dropping my time for my run or whatever I was doing...that way, I could actually SEE my progress.

Of course, start a throwing plan to rebuild arm strength, long toss, flat grounds, LOT's of stretching. Flexibility is critical!

"Fail to plan, plan to fail."

You've taken the first step, now create a plan to get to the next. There will be days when you don't want to do your push ups or go for your run...that's when you find out how much you REALLY want it. You can do it!

GT

Young_Baller,

Congratulation on you decision to put away the video gaming and getting into real games. And though you're feeling depressed about not making the team, you have plenty of time to prepare. It's common for many players to have not made it into Varsity as a Freshman. In fact, many High School coaches have a policy of simply not having Frosh on the varsity team. Typically, it's quite an honor IF a Frosh makes it onto a Varsity Team. But if they can't make it to Varsity, there's a J.V. team if they have one. Since you didn't mention this, I'd guess that this is a small school that doesn't have a JV team, huh?

Since you didn't make Varsity and apparently no JV team is available, you should seriously consider finding a way to play ball SOMEWHERE. Working on your strength and conditioning is a good thing, as is working on your speed, but I'd say playing more ball is just as important if not, more so. There's more to baseball that just being a good hitter and fielder and if you know anything about baseball, a great deal of it is about the mental side which is best developed by playing ball. . . or even some other HS sport.

As far as weight lifting and running programs, I'd contact coaches for various sports at your school and arrange a way to work out with them as you prepare to become physically fit for your Sophomore year of baseball. Let the coaches know that you've dedicated yourself to becoming a good "athlete" in preparing for baseball.

My son was lucky enough to make it onto the Varsity team his freshman year, but his close friend who had played baseball with him for many years in little league and travel ball, did not make it. In fact, his friend didn't even make it onto the JV team and like you, he was very depressed about it and he felt like giving up at that point. But I encouraged him to try again the following year. Well, his sophomore year, he still didn't make the JV team. The coach had told him he was on the bubble and just didn't quite make it. He loved baseball and so I again encouraged him not to give up and try again. Well, his JR year he made the JV team and his SR year he finally made the varsity team. And though he didn't play a lot, he was so pleased being on that team. . .particularly because the varsity team went on to win the league and section championship (and receiving a BIG championship ring)and that team just happened to be named the number one team in the nation that year. So there he was on an elite team after failing for several years and now being part of something special. That's what can happen when you don't give up. You just never know what the future is going to wind up like. But you have to lay the groundwork to even just have a shot at something like that.

A lot of things change from your freshman year. So if you're dedicated, you could very well make the varsity team, and you could even excel and become the star MVP. But take it one day at a time and do what it takes to get to your goal. Strive daily to be a better person, a better player and when you do, I feel you'll be rewarded.

Not sure this will be the case at your school, but at sons HS they have lifting and off season programs for all sports, not just baseball. These programs are not just for kids who made the team but also for kids interested in trying out. Try outs here are not til the spring but many Freshman lift and do the off season activities before they even know if they made the team. They also usually have at least one or two kids who do the program every year but never make the team. Check with the HS coach and see if this there is an off season program and who can participate. Lifting is available to every one athlete or not kids just tell the weight coach what program they want to do.

"Not sure this will be the case at your school, but at sons HS they have lifting and off season programs for all sports, not just baseball. "

Same at ours. Our school actually has a strength and conditioning coach who runs the after school workout program. Its avaliable to all kids including those that are not playing a school sponsored sport. He will work with each kid to develop a program specific to their sport. Almost all of his stuff involves not only weight lifting but conditioning and speed drills as well.

Also, have you considered looking into a facility around you that does speed and agility training? It may be a good way to discipline yourself to work out on a regular basis.

Yea,
we do have a small school so a JV team isn't available. I was talking to my youth minister about it, and he suggested trying the Couch to 5k. He said halfway through I should start making my own days just for Sprints. And then weightlifting 2x a week too. Which that will be no problem, I already asked one of my other friends who didn't make it if they'd want to work out with me this year to get ready for tryouts. So is the advice my youth minister gave me sound pretty solid? Would that increase my speed?

Young_Baller,

I feel that's fine advice from you youth minister. And if you can get a friend to work out with you like that, that can help in a lot of ways.

I'm not a fan of any long distance running as a way to increase "speed". It's great for endurance but does little for speed, as in sprinting speed. I feel building your strength and performing various sprinting drills are best for your goals of increasing "speed". And additionally, the speed associated with sprinting has a lot to do with technique. You're at a good age to learn effective sprinting techniques to get the most speed you can out of your body.

Also, now and as your body matures over the next few years, you're going to need to work on your flexibility as part of your physical training. You're flexibility tends to go away every year as you get older, and so it's something tht needs to be worked on regularly. That flexibility is import in baseball that you can be quick and speedy. And keep in mind that physical training for baseball is actually different than like football where one may want to bulk up like some NFL player.

YB,
Speed is developed over time, some of it will naturally come as you mature, and increasing speed is a multi-faceted process. You should find a strength and conditioning coach as well as a sprint coach to work with. I suggest you contact your HS track coach who coaches sprinters, for individual work out routines. He can also help you on technique.
Your lifting program should be phased, meaning you should plan it out for a year. The first phase will start with overall “lift conditioning” ie: getting your body used to weight lifting, it should then phase into a strength phase, where you will be lifting heavy with the objective of gaining muscle mass. It will then phase into an explosive phase where you will work on developing your fast twitch muscles and gaining speed. When you are working on your speed specific training, your lifting should be 100% maintenance as lifting breaks down muscles as does sprint training. Frankly sprint workouts are fairly close to a baseball workout, except sprinters tend to do more overhead lifts that baseball players don’t typically do. In general terms a sprinter’s lifting program should be something like this (“Q” are quarters = 3 months.):
Q1 – General conditioning and lifting
Q2 – Pure strength conditioning (mass building, heavy weights)
Q3 – Explosive conditioning. (Lighter weights more reps all at high speeds)
Q4 – Sprint specific workouts (running) with maintenance lifting
You need to find someone who understands your overall objectives and can lay out a plan for you. You will also need to be working on your baseball skills so I would time your lifting in such a way that your baseball workouts (and playing) are either in the maintenance or explosive phase. I would imagine the sprint coach at your school could lay out a detailed program for you to work on. Be patient also, you need to think of this in terms of years, not months as speed (regardless of your baseline) takes years to develop. To give you an example, when my son was in HS he was one of the slower runners on his team, now in his second year in college he is one of the fastest. This took several years of very hard work to achieve.
Good luck and have fun!