It's time for the off season talks to begin...what will you be doing?

[iMlearning]

Okay, every year we talk about what everyone's doing in the off season. Maybe I should have put it under the training category, but I wanted to hear more than just about workouts etc... So now that you all are a year wiser- what will you do this off season? Take time off? Bat speed training again? Long toss? Join a gym? Take more lessons? Basketball/track etc...
DD's team this year is not practicing after this weekends tournament until January, which is weird for us but I'm okay with it. In two weeks she will be joining an off season training program that is twice a week until late-February at a sports training center in our area. She did it last year and said it was the best she's ever felt in her life. They have indoor fields, and we just started doing long toss. We didn't do it last year because I felt her technique was bad and I thought she might hurt herself. I think we are going to take a few weeks off from batting, unless she wants to work on it. When we start, I'm going to use light bats to warm up, but then go to a heavy bat for the entire practice instead of focusing on overload under load training. I did buy a bat speed radar to see how she does with different size bats etc...I'm hoping to engage the lower half more and we will be focusing on her getting her sequence right. Also, we will be taking very few lessons, but she will be attending some clinics at some good schools she's interested in.
The most important thing this year, is that I want her to have fun when we practice and focus on quality over quantity.
What are you doing?

 

[maksoftball]

We are not off season until after first weekend of December (luxury of living in the south); but DD will be attending a clinic the 2nd weekend of December and maybe doubling up on pitching lessons. I will have to send training coach an email about strength conditioning sessions over the break...first practice of HS ball can start on or after 1/17/2014.

 

[knightsb]

DD is 15. She started December 1, 2012, last year with her winter workouts and trained, practiced, and/or played straight through until 10/18/2013, her last game of HS district play (basically 10.5 months straight without a break). We didn't play fall TB this year because I could tell she was getting fatigued and burnt out. This was her first year of HS ball, and they played or practiced 5-6 days a week. She wasn't used to that daily grind.

IM, here is how our off season is shaping up:
1. Take 6 weeks off until Nov 22. (Not touching a softball)
2. Strength and Conditioning training starting Nov 23. 5-6 days per week 45mins - 75mins 2 days with a trainer (along with some teammates). DD and I are going to start P90X together on the days she is not with the trainer.
3. Dec 9, Starting pitching practice, indoors pitching into a net. Hitting indoors. (focus on mechanics only - First time touching a Softball)
4. Dec 14-15 College Softball Camp.
5. Jan 3 Indoor team practice begins twice a week. Starting back with pitching coach. Strength & Conditioning as time allows.
6. Jan 11-12 College Softball Camp
7. Feb 1-2 Indoor tournament

 

[CPSBDad]

DD is 14. We have a team meeting this Friday to discuss many things related to the up-coming spring-summer season.

DD started the past season in January with indoor practice twice a week. Started tournaments end of March and kept going until end of July. Joined a new team and started immediately with practices three days a week with a 6 week run of scrimmages and tournaments. Finally ended this long season last weekend and DD showed she needed it. Burned out. Not touching a bat, glove, or a ball until coach says it time to.

New team does have access to a large indoor facility. Coach did mention to me that he will be working on speed ( running ), and hitting. Getting back to the basic fundamentals and working primarily off a tee and some front and side toss. No machines. During Fall we did manage two 2nd place wins, one in a 14U bracket and another in a 16U bracket. But, I can see where this team, and DD, need to work on hitting. A couple of slower runners, but basically a fast team.

DD does need to work on her hitting. I'd like to do some long toss with her as her primary position is LF with an occasional switch to CF. DD might be going back to boxing.

HS ball starts in March and DD will play for her school.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Off season?? What is that??

Not here in SoCal....

 

[29dad]

Going to commence an off-season training program for the 15 y.o. DD and 13 y.o. DS next week. First time we have ever attempted an at home exercise program. it's going to be very low tech - stretch, jump rope, burbees, planks, pushups and the Finch windmil. Will probably have them alternate swings with a heavy bat and then a light bat in an attempt to increase bat speed. Think we should be able to do all of the above in about 45 minutes (3 days per week). We'll see.

Also the "camp season" will officially begin in late December. So far we have three tentatively planned. Waiting to see if her #1 choice is going to do a winter camp as well.

Indoor weekend practices will probably start in January. Waiting to hear about that. Oh and Thanksgiving weekend I think we are playing in an indoor tournament.

overall the theme of the off season is "get stronger, get quicker."

 

[iMlearning]

off season

Stop bragging!

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Stop bragging!

LOL

Yea well .......

 

[starsnuffer]

What's an off-season?

Seriously though, TB finishes up in two weeks, and then spring tryouts, but for the most part actual SB practice schedules for travel teams are slim this type of year. That said, HS conditioning and open field has already begun. I have a daughter who is a sophomore, and she goes to an athlete-specific gym for speed, strength, and agility training one day a week with a trainer and we bump this up to 2 days a week between the end of TB and xmas break. We stop hitting/pitching and take a break from softball specific stuff after tryouts until Jan when the HS team starts practicing. At that point the gym training stops as her HS team practices 3 hours a day 5 days a week and 2 hours on Saturday.

-W

 

[RubberBiscuit]

VB ends soon (I hope - they are in hs playoffs yet).

Then NO torso torque for roughly 5 weeks and then back at it. At 17 it's DD's senior year and she's gonna go after that elusive state title.

But after a few days off from vb i am sure she will get back to her overall training.