Squats good/bad

I'm not Mr. Rosenboom but I recently spoke with Strength and Conditioning coach from the Baltimore Orioles. He felt that it was a great excersise- but only with the proper technique.

IMO, baseball players should avoid squats --- too hard on the back. Leg press will accomplish the same thing.

As a catcher, I feel like squats are probably the most important excercise I do. They are pretty much a total body movement which in turn produces power in all aspects of your game.

IMO- squats are only hard on your back if you have bad form or have chronic back problems. If you have good form, which is by far more important than the amount of weight you use, then you will benefit greatly from squats. One thing to realize is that being flexible enough to squat is a major factor for many kids I see in my school's weightroom. They cannot even squat down to parallel...there is no use in squatting massive amounts of weight with terrible form unless your goal is to look cool.

I agree squats are the best lower body exercise hands down. Leg press will NOT accomplish the same thing.

The future ain't what it used to be.

Steve ,
I think that some form of squats are good for
MOST athletes , but not all . First of all ,
there are different types of squats that an
athlete can look at. The Full Squats , Half
Squats , and Front Squats are the most popular.
There are positives and negatives to each one .
I belief that Full Squats are the best lowerbody
exercise . But at the same time , more injuries
come from Full Squats , then any other lower-
body exercise . There are a couple good reasons
such as tight achilles , weak lowerback , bad
form , or just not being weight roon smart . As
with any exercise , you must determine what you
are trying to achieve by doing this lift. My
preference is doing Half Squats . The reason is
very simple : It works the hips and upper quads
as good as anything that you can do , and this
is a vital area when it comes to increased
velocity and power potential . But with Half
Squats or any other squat , you must take the
time to learn the proper technique and progress
at a safe pace . You will see that your legs can
lift more weight then your back is ready to
handle , so again , TAKE YOUR TIME . If you have
any specific questions about squatting , please
feel free to call me at Wichita State . I hope
that this helps ,
Best Wishes ,
Kerry

Mr. Rosenboom would you suggest a pitcher do squats slowly to develop the most strength in their legs, or more of a faster movement? Thank You.

nycpitcher ,
I always have my athletes do each exercise
in a slow , controlled manner .
Thanks ,
Kerry

Kerry,
Can you explain the differences between half and full squats? Thanks

EK6 ,
As you know , Full squats are when you go
down to parrallel . While Half Squats are what
I personally call a (3) hole squat . This just
means that when you are in a squat rack , that
has adjustable safety racks , the (3) hole is
the distance that you go down . For example ,
where ever you take the bar off on place it on
your neck , you will skip 3 holes and put the
bar in the fourth hole . So it means that you
have three open holes in-between where you
take the bar off , and where the safety rack
is placed . It is normally between a 6-9 inch
squat , depending on your height , I hope
that this helps ,
Kerry

Thanks Kerry,
The time you are devoting to help is appreciated as you have the credibility that I believe the HS players on this thread will listen to. IMHO parents also.

Coach Rosenboom,

General question: I have a 14 year old pitcher that is growing like a weed during the last 12 months.
He long tosses, does tubing exercises, runs distance and agility and works on his mid-section in few different ways. I have kept him away from weight training up to this point.

Do you think that is a wise choice - or could he handle weights during this growth spurt? Specifically - upper body weights.

Thanks.

itsinthegame ,
I would personally feel fine starting him
on a structured weight program . Let me say
this , when my son turns 14 I will put him on
a weight-training program , and feel very
confident with this decision . Let me say that
as your son is going through a growth spurt ,
be careful on bounding activities and watch
to make sure that he is staying with his
stretching , especially his lowerbody .
Good Luck ,
Kerry

Coach,

Thanks again.

In my humble opinion, squats provide an excellent focus for leg developement. My personal experience has been that doing squats with ballistic plyometrics can increase running speed and enhance all sorts of athletic movements.
I think the key is to do some dynamic work like jumps close to the same time that you are doing the sqaut or leg press excercise.
Just my 2 cents.
Rollerman

This is a great forum and I am pleased to see mr. rosenboom sharing his knowledge with us. Squats cons outweigth the pros. With a squat alot of pressure is put on knees, and back. Alot of players blow discs and knees doing squats. There are plenty of other exercises that reduce the stress on your joints and back. It is more beneficial to jump off a roof with a bar and 45's on it than to do squats and olympic lifts. Plyometrics is also another practice that I dont really believe in. Sure is it better thatn sitting on the couch, yes, but will pulling a sled with a parachute on it make you a better baseball player or make you run a 6.4, No. Specificity of exercise is the key, Im sure Mr. Rosenboom can go alittle more indepth to specificity of exercise. Over the years all of the tests and trials doesnt prove that plyometrics help you. Will jumping from box to box while trying to catch a ball make you a better outfield? No, it will help you become a better box jumper. If you want to get faster in the 60, you practice running the 60, starts, form running. Become a better outfielder, shag 1000 fly balls, work on routes, and tracking it. Just my humble opinion.

Hoss,
I think you're absolutly right about using specificity of movement as a PRIME focus of conditioning.
That being said I think that weights and plyometrics are essential adjunts to an athletes development. The intensity and degree of these programs and their ability to help or hinder an athlete playing a specific position is something that a trainer like Kerry should be consulted on.
Plyometrics should whenever posible mimic the sports specific movements of the athlete. That would ensure that the musculature that's being trained is the one's most likely to benifit the athlete.
All types of training regimens have a component of risk envolved. Injury from doing squats may easily be offset by the potential benifits. In the end I think you have to do what is comfortable for you. If weight training isn't right for you, then by all means don't do it.
Good Luck, Rollerman

If you show me an athlete that doesn't lift weights or do plyometrics, I'll show you an athlete that is not living up to their fullest potential.

I think you interpreted my post wrong. I am for weight training and lifting 100%. Not just to get stronger, but to prevent injury. Plyometrics just havent been proven to work. Like I said there are alot more exercises that you can do that wont put as much stress and potential to hurt your body like cleans, squats, jerks, or other olympic lifts.

I have been doing plyometrics as a part of my regular lifting routine (Lift: M,W,F and Plyo: T,Th.) for 6months and I have noticed a drastic increase in my foot speed, running speed, agility, etc. I am a firm believer that plyometrics DO work.