How To Train Like A Professional Baseball Player

Growing up as a pitcher, I wasn't gifted with an electric throwing arm. This caused me to spend the majority of my time learning how to throw faster and be a better pitcher.

I was an information sponge, asking coaches and players for their routines, reading books and watching any video I could find on what made high level throwers tick. I spent a ton of time analyzing the routines of professional pitchers and comparing them to my own. What were they doing that I wasn't?

Despite my best efforts, I failed in my attempt to win a Cy Young Award and washed out as a pitcher.

Like many of my peers who struggle with the sport they play, I decided to try my hand at coaching, landing a job with the Oakland Athletics in their strength and conditioning department, initially being assigned to their short-season A ball affiliate.

What ensued was four years of learning what works and doesn't work at the professional level. There are numerous training philosophies that coexist within pro sports as most athletes have their own style, technique or regimen that got them to where they are.

There are, however, a few constants that are a part of every training program that as a young pitcher myself, I struggled with.

Consistency

When I pitched, I was quick to make adjustments and try a new training method, thinking that if it was new, or different, it would drive results faster. With so much variance, I rarely was "exceptional" at a specific technique or routine, which held me back.

In many cases, young athletes struggle to see results due to too much variability. Playing multiple sports and trying new things are important when it comes to athletic development but sometimes it takes sticking to a routine for a year, two years or five years before seeing dividends.

After spending way too much time with professional ballplayers (see: long bus rides), what holds true is that most routines are "good enough" if they are done thoroughly and consistently over a longer period of time.

If you're thinking of trying a new program or exercise routine, buy into it 100%, learn everything there is to know about it and apply it to the best of your ability for an extended period of time. It seems to be one of the best ways to go about pursuing professional sports.

Prioritizing Recovery

This was one that as a young pitcher, I really struggled with. I never heard the words "Kevin, you should throw a little more" because I was always throwing and always training. If some training was good, then more would be better!

What suffered was my recovery capacity. As years wore on, I ran into overuse issues that shouldn't have been there. My tissue quality was horrible, my sleep quality nonexistent. I was consistently tired but didn't notice. It was normal for me at that point.

What successful professionals do really well is prioritize recovery. Extra training or throwing needs to have a reason, or it won't be done. Every exercise needs to have a reason and a plan. Otherwise, it is creating additional stress that will need to be recovered from.

Build your training program around recovery. When do you need to feel your best? When can you afford to be fatigued?

Thorough Preparation / Warm Up

This is a buzzword in our organization. Warming up to throw/hit as opposed to hitting and throwing to warm up can help build durable athletes.

When I looked at a training program as a young athlete, my eyes would immediately go to the big lifts of the day, or how far I was going to long toss. I rarely looked at what to focus on with foam rolling or stretching. Doing bands was just an opportunity to break a sweat before trying to throw the baseball through a wall again!

Professionals do a great job of preparing to train. If something is off, they correct it before trying to train aggressively. Band work is done with the same amount of focus as throwing a bullpen. Foam rolling is prioritized just the same as heavy weighted exercises in the gym.

Most training programs are centered around a few major exercises, which makes it easy to think that those are the only important items to focus on. Professionals place importance on all aspects of a program, starting with their preparation and warm up. Each day presents a new challenge and can be started with the same question.

"What do I need today to be prepared to train hard?"

Maybe it's some biking or jump rope to get your body temperature up, or perhaps it's some foam rolling to get your legs feeling a little less heavy. Whatever it is, placing importance on your preparation is one way to train like a professional.

Willingness to Adapt

In my pitching "career", I had 6 different pitching coaches, 4 different strength and conditioning coaches and a host of other people who looked at themselves as "gurus" that could provide me with a new idea to get better.

With so many people having a potential impact on me, I had every opportunity to learn and grow my routine.

The problem was that if I changed my routine, it would have a negative impact on how prepared I felt for that day. If something was new or different, I felt exposed.

What professionals do well is take information and apply it without emotion. If a new drill or exercise has the potential to help them, they apply it and assess the results.

By removing emotion or superstition from that process, professionals are able to build upon their routine without letting it affect their mentality on the field. Being pliable with new information is critical in today's game.

There are plenty of players out there with the physical ability to play baseball at a high level. One major factor that separates successful professionals from the rest is the mentality that they have around their preparation.

Being consistent, prioritizing recovery, warming up thoroughly and being pliable to new ideas all play into a player's success.

Try using these principles in your daily routine and see if they help.

Good luck with the rest of the season!