Off-season baseball training lasts for a few months. Although this period allows players to improve their sport-specific workouts, many underestimate planning the proper program. As a result, their performance dips due to a lack of confidence for the upcoming season. Prevent this situation using the guide below and learn how your teen can get the most out of this downtime.

How to Maximize Your Off-Season Baseball Training

1. Plan Before Training

Setting goals for the off-season training helps identify your child's strengths and weaknesses. Encourage your teen to perform a self-assessment before sitting down with their coaches and asking for feedback on their performance. With their guidance, they can decide which exercises to incorporate into their training. 

For example, those who need to improve their throwing velocity can practice activities that increase rotational power, such as a side-to-side medicine ball slam. These exercises allow an individual to move on the frontal and transverse planes of motion for a better pitch.

2. Focus on Strength

Strength exercises reduce sports injuries to less than one-third and overuse injuries by half. Training muscles early allows youth players to minimize such risks. 

Your child can start with squats, lunges, and presses, completing up to 6 sets with 5-8 repetitions. Then, they should rest for 3 to 5 minutes between workouts. If your teen is 13 to 14 years old, add deadlifting to their routine to lower extremity deficits. However, they should only use the maximum amount of weight they can lift for one repetition. 

3. Rest and Recover

Intensive programs require proper recovery to allow the body to replenish muscle glycogen and recuperate tissues. For annual training, the healing period can last for days or weeks. Consider having your child rest between the beginning of the holiday break and the new year. For a short recovery period that allows maximum strength gains, your child should relax for a single week after a month of training.

If your teen is looking for a training center to practice during the off-season baseball period, visit Line Drive Indoor Batting in Jupiter, FL. This baseball and softball facility has provided an adequate training ground for pitching lessons and strength and agility training for young athletes. In addition, they use HitTrax® technology to help people improve their game by recording tracking aspects. For more information about their batting cages, visit their website and call (561) 283-6614.