D3baseball.com Daily Dose

Winter baseball strength and conditioning: The Polar Bears objectives

by Dave Kisor, D3baseball.com

The fall baseball season ended on October 31st and players have now started their voluntary winter strength and conditioning programs in preparation for the spring competitive season. The NCAA regulations state that these programs cannot be mandatory, but this does not hinder the student-athlete as they typically have the drive and dedication needed to improve their personal attributes during the winter months. Schools support these voluntary programs in order to help the individual succeed and to prevent injuries due to incorrect strength training.

One such program exists at Ohio Northern University (ONU). “At ONU we have a voluntary program that we recommend to our guys.” states Justin Bergman, Head Baseball Coach of the ONU Polar Bears. This program is based on five goals/objectives: Improving explosive strength, overall strength, balancing body strength, learning your own body, and increasing confidence.

Bergman describes the objectives that define the voluntary program: 1) Improving explosive strength – “develop the quick twitch muscles needed to make explosive, athletic movements required to be successful at the highest level of athletics.” He states that “this is accomplished through lifts that encourage full range of motion and controlled bursts of exercise.” 2) Improving overall strength of the athlete. “The addition of bulk to the point of loss of flexibility is not the goal. But, strength is the deciding factor between many wins and losses in college athletics.” 3) Balance body strength – balance the relationship between upper and lower body, chest and back etc… Here Bergman explains “A top heavy frame is not a powerful frame, it is a body destined for injury. A body type with a powerful lower half and core is an athlete with true power and explosive potential.” “This is accomplished through lifting with balance and proportion in mind. Designing a full body workout and not just focusing on the major muscle groups.” 4) Learn your own body – every athlete is built differently, with different strengths and weaknesses. Bergman emphasizes that “No matter how individualized a workout is intended to be, it is the athlete who knows their body best. He encourages the players to “Take responsibility for knowing what [they] need to improve upon to help [their] personal gains. This he states is “Accomplished through assessing weaknesses and focusing lifts around certain body parts.” Finally 5) Increasing confidence – “This is perhaps the most important objective/goal. If the player sees an increase in their fitness level, they will obviously feel better about their ability and instincts as a baseball player. If they feel confident of their physical skills, greater success will be enjoyed between the white lines.”

Bergman adds “Our program at ONU is very position specific: Our pitchers and positional guys are not on the same program, however there is some crossover between the lifts. For example, our pitchers will complete pull ups and our positional players will complete the incline dumbbell bench. We really focus on functional training with our players. A lot of our lifts and exercises are focused on certain movements used during the game of baseball. Also a lot of our focus is on the core, back and butt. This is where the main source of power comes from with the swing, pitching mechanics and throwing a baseball from the outfield.”

Most programs recognize the importance of a proper nutrition component for winter voluntary training and realize that year-round proper nutrition can be beneficial. “At ONU we do not necessarily have our young men on diets. However there are a few guys in our program that we would like for them to transform their bodies. So we have a plan in place for them to eat/consume the proper diet. The value of a proper diet and good nutrition has become increasingly important in athletic performance. Good nutrition is essential for maximizing performance in athletics.”

“The primary goal for our baseball strength program is balance. This refers to the balanced development of the muscles that are used in baseball. The objective is not to develop weightlifters, but to understand how important a well conditioned human body is for successful performance.”

While voluntary, the ONU program, like others, is provided to support the student-athlete in their quest to maximize their efforts and translate personal improvement into team success.

By Tom Kovic

Over the past six months, I have had the privilege to work with a fine young man from Foxboro, Massachusetts as he prepares for the college quest. Greg Stamatov is a sophomore at Foxboro High School where he is a multi-sport athlete excelling at football, ice hockey and lacrosse. As a sophomore, Greg is at a crossroad in his high school athletic career and he feels the need to focus more energy into one sport in an effort to strongly develop the skill needed to play at the division 1 NCAA level.

As a highly touted goal tender (Greg was recently named to the 2009 Inside Lacrosse Rising Sophomore Watch list) with a keen eye in pursuing a true “student-athlete” experience, Greg is beginning to organize his personal college search plan. And with the help of his mom and dad, along with his lacrosse coaches, Greg is aiming high in an effort to attract attention from a number of the top college lacrosse programs.

Considering the level of competitiveness in the college recruiting arena, Greg shows great maturity and keen foresight for a young man. He realizes and accepts the fact that college coaches are looking to recruit strong student-athletes, but what Greg is beginning to equally embrace and appreciate is the fact that he offers even more to lacrosse programs and college coaches and “ups the ante” by just being the young man he is.

Greg recently launched a not for profit organization named LAX General that focuses on providing used and donated lacrosse equipment to communities and potential players who would normally not have the funds or budget to purchase equipment outright, or have the resources to begin a lacrosse program.

Greg’s mission statement is simple but compelling:
“The aim of Lax General will be to entitle anyone to obtain equipment to play lacrosse. Lacrosse is a very expensive sport and it can be difficult to purchase all the necessary equipment to play. Although not everyone can meet the expenses to participate in lacrosse, everyone should have the opportunity to play.

Lax General will collect used and unwanted/unneeded lacrosse equipment for redistribution to those who can’t afford new equipment. This will provide young athletes that want to participate, but can’t afford it, a chance to play a great sport.”

“I have played lacrosse for nine years now and I have received help, advice, and great coaching thanks to the fast growing lacrosse nation. There is an endless list to people I have to thank, but now, it’s time to give back to the lacrosse nation.” Greg continues: “Lax General is a non-profit organization that puts equipment in the hands of those in need of it. Lax General is also how I’m going to “give back” to the lacrosse nation I love the sport and I think that everyone that wants a shot at it deserves one. I can see Lax General being a productive and constructive program reaching out to multiple communities.”

With the help of John Stamatov, Greg’s dad, Greg hopes to plant the seed of his newly formed organization in the surrounding Boston area. Through these contacts, Greg hopes that LAX General will find a greater number of young boys and girls who want to explore the sport of lacrosse and at no additional cost to the families or the community.

“I’m thrilled Greg has found a way to give back to the community and link it to something he is passionate about.” John says. “I believe too many kids get involved in community service projects simply to check a box on a college application. With Lax General, Greg is doing something that he really believes in – he’s already helped several families in town – and he can see how that has made a big difference in their lives!”

The next step may be daunting, but like any other meaningful goal, building momentum is a key component. Greg and his dad will begin soliciting local and regional lacrosse programs to determine their interest in donating used and unwanted equipment to Lax General. Once the foundational inventory is developed, Greg looks forward to begin searching the Boston area for kids who might want to take a whack at lacrosse.

With the anticipated equipment inventory driving upward and the popularity of the program growing, Greg and his dad will also begin to identify inner city high school athletic directors and recreation officials who would be interested in starting community lacrosse programs that will benefit from the generosity of Lax General.

No doubt this project will be a labor of love for Greg Stamatov, but one that will potentially impact many boys and girls who would normally not have the opportunity to play. As daunting a task as it may seem, Greg knows in his heart it’s just plain “right” and he has the courage and determination to add one more building block to the great sport of lacrosse.

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college coach and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families in the area of college recruiting. Tom is the author of Reaching for Excellence: An educational guide for college athletics recruiting. In addition, Kovic was recently invited to speak at the 2010 US Lacrosse National Convention in Baltimore. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com.