Softball Conditioning - Strength or Power?

Power or strength?

For many, these two terms mean the same.

But, there is a difference.

Strength = how much you can lift or how much force you can generate.

Power = explosive strength or how much force you can generate very quickly. Being explosive.

If you need more power quickly - check this resource:

Power Training for Softball

A little (simplified) lesson about physiology.

As you know well, the body is basically divided  between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers.

Slow twitch fibers are dominant for slower,  endurance-type activities and fast twitch fibers  are dominant for fast, explosive activities.

Obviously, softball relies almost exclusively  on the fast twitch muscles fibers as everything  in our game is fast and explosive.

Some people are born with 50% Slow and 50% Fast  while others are dominant in a certain type.

Olympic marathon runners are genetically dominant  in slow twitch and Olympic sprinters are genetically  dominant in fast twitches.

While it is mostly a question of genetics as to  how much of each you have, you can, only to a certain  extent, influence it with training.

Overtime with sustained training, you can move the  percentage SLIGHTLY one way or the other based on  the type of training you do (fast and explosive  training will improve slightly the % of fast twitches  over time).

You can also train the existing fibers to be  more efficient (even faster and more explosive  for fast twitch fibers).

That is done through power training.

Power is explosive strength. You train explosive  strength usually by doing:

• Plyometrics (aka jump training)
• Olympic lifting (cleans, snatchs, etc.)
• Explosive Medicine ball work
• Explosive lifting using regular resistance training exercises

The key here is not the number of reps but the  "explosiveness" or how quick the action is.

Usually for Olympic Lifting, you are talking  heavy weights and low reps. For med ball work  and plyometrics, it is usually a matter of  8-15 (sometimes up to 20-25) repetitions  done explosively.

For an 11-year-old, ONCE (and only then) you  have establish a good base of muscular endurance  (stability) and strength (functional), then I would  do twice a week:

1) Low level plyometrics - 2-3 lower body exercises - 2 sets of 10-15 reps.
2) Med Ball Work for core and upper body - 2 upper body (throws, presses) and 2 core exercises (side tosses, swings, etc.) for 2 set of 8-10.
3) Introduce the power clean with only a very light bar to focus on form and do 1-2 x 10 reps to build a base.

Go get some power!