Are We
Playing Too Much?
The following is an article by Steve Zawrotny, a teaching professional and strength coach in Oklahoma.
Perhaps
you have heard of a concept leadership and management guru Stephen Covey calls 'Sharpening
the Saw.' While he was aiming this idea to the business world, it has
applicability to those who coach and play sports as well.
Basically,
the concept goes like this:
Don't
get so busy sawing that you forget to sharpen the saw. What happens to the saw
while you are sawing?
It
gets dull.
What
happens when your saw becomes dull?
You
can still saw, but the process becomes much less effective. The work is harder and
takes longer - you just don't saw as well.
To
bring this back to baseball and softball, I've noticed a trend that is not new,
but may well be developing into a problem. The situation is the growing
proliferation of travel teams at all age levels at nearly all times of the
year. While things do slow down a bit in areas of the country with cold
winters, in many places, baseball and softball are becoming nearly a year round
activity.
First,
there is the normal spring ball season. Practice for this may begin in January
or February (in some places, even earlier), with games beginning in late March.
The season continues until June, then summer league begins. This typically will
run into August, and then school starts again.
In
many areas of the country, this means Fall league ball. Practice for this often
begins in August, and the Fall season can run into late October. So, you have
10 or so months of 'sawing' with young ball players, leaving perhaps two months
to 'sharpen the saw. I wonder if this is enough time for players to work on new
skills development, along with appropriate strength and conditioning.
No
doubt that the best way to improve in baseball and softball is to play a lot.
This is why many of the best (but not all!) players come from warm weather
states - CA, TX, FL and others. They simply have better weather allowing them
to play and practice more.
But
is there a point where the returns for all these games and travel diminish?
Where it's time to stop and take some time to 'sharpen the saw?' I think there
is. Consider the major league season: April - September, then the playoffs. Two
teams go all the way to the World Series in October.
Therefore,
the vast majority of big leaguers are playing about 5 months (admittedly, a LOT
of games), not counting Spring training (pre season). And there are various
winter leagues that certain players participate in for additional skill
development.
But,
while playing a lot of games in a relatively short period of time is physically
demanding, the big boys have a LOT of down time with which to recover or
Sharpen the Saw.
I
submit that coaches and parents need to consider this idea carefully. It is
well known that acquiring a new skill takes time, and that there is usually a
decrement in performance as one learns and implements a new skill. That's why
it's usually best to not make any major mechanical adjustments during the
regular season. And, with all the games and practices during the regular
season, coaches know it's tougher to provide a lot of individual attention to
their players.
This
is becoming more apparent by the increasing number of questions I get about how
to implement a good all around Strength & Conditioning program during the
season.: or how to fit in arm strength or bat speed workouts between games and
practices. It can be done, but it's not easy.
Here
are some key points to consider:
1)
In what areas does your player(s) need to improve? Prioritize them.
2) Take the first
priority (let's say it's running speed
improvement) and
make it the first thing to work on after any skill work for that day. Skill
work requires more precision as it is performed. For this to be most effective,
one should not be tired or the skill work can suffer.
3) If your
player has multiple areas where they need to improve, consider taking some time
off from all the playing and games. Will missing Summer or Fall ball really
hurt you, considering you'll be working on new skill development, along with S
& C?
4) This brings
us to the idea of 'active rest.' The athlete remains physically active, but in
some other sport or activity than baseball or softball. This is sort of the
'cross training' concept, which allows the ballplayer to recover physically and
mentally from their regular routine. As long as the ball player is staying
active, most any activity will suffice.
Here's a basic
format for a well rounded off-season S & C workout:
M - Strength,
flexibility work
T - Power work,
flexibility, energy system conditioning
W - S, F
TH - P, F
F - S, F
Sat - ES, F
Do any hitting
or pitching mechanical work before these workouts, e.g., skill work in the AM,
S & C work in the PM.
5) Let the
energy level of your player(s) be your guide. If s/he is having fun, is full of
energy and enthusiasm about their workouts, is not feeling unduly sore, etc.,
then let them go. On days they may be feeling tired and worn down, it's time for
a day off. Just pick up at the next day's workout - don't worry about making up
for the missed work.
Remember,
everyone needs to stop and 'Sharpen the Saw' at some point. If it means not
playing as many games in order to do so, so be it. The idea of taking one step
back in order to more quickly take two steps forward is very legitimate and
worth making a part of your player development program.
Until next time,
Train Hard, Train Smart!
Steve Zawrotny,
MS, CSCS