Self Health Loops

Football is a physical sport, so it makes sense for players to want to bulk up with plenty of muscle and weight to hustle down the field making tackles. Baseball, on the other hand, is not a physical sport. While physical skills are certainly beneficial in the game, brute strength isn’t one of them – most especially if you’re a pitcher (who isn’t expected to be the world’s best hitter or runner). Why, then, do too many pitchers train for strength when they should be working on their pitching techniques?

Which physical skill do you think helps more: strength or speed? When it comes to pitching a baseball, speed wins. No, strength training is not required to gain speed, either. First, the mind has to understand pitching mechanics, then the body has to practice them – so that executing proper position and form is as natural as slipping a hand into a batting glove. Since the body and not the arm controls speed, once one learns the proper body mechanics, everything else falls right into place.

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Football is a physical sport, so it makes sense for players to want to bulk up with plenty of muscle and weight to fly across the field and make tackles. Baseball, on the other hand, is not a physical sport. While physical skills are certainly required by the game, brute strength isn’t one of them – most especially if you’re a pitcher (who people don’t expect to be the world’s best hitter or runner). Why, then, do too many pitchers train for strength when they should be working on their pitching mechanics?

Which physical skill is more important: strength or speed? When it comes to pitching a baseball, speed wins. No, strength training is not required to gain speed, either. First, the mind has to understand pitching mechanics, then the body has to practice them – so that executing proper position and form is as natural as slipping a hand into a batting glove. Since the body and not the arm controls speed, once one learns the proper body mechanics, everything else falls right into place.

Read more…