Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Offseason Training-Conditioning or Hitting?

Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Offseason Training-Conditioning or Hitting?

Fall college softball is over and travel ball teams have returned home from their final tournaments for the year. It’s time to begin training for the spring and summer seasons. How should players spend their time training in the offseason? How much time should hitters allocate between getting stronger and working on their swings?

I believe improving hitting mechanics is the only way to materially increase power. The key word is “materially.” Of course, strength and conditioning help to increase power, but only marginally.

I enjoy reading online hitting articles and social media comments about increasing bat speed and power. The focus is often on physical conditioning. Some of the advice includes weight training, throwing medicine balls, using weighted bats, banging large tires, and swinging into heavy bags.

I’m an advocate of any conditioning programs that build softball strength in both the upper and lower body. Great hitters use their entire body to generate power, so it makes sense to follow a program that is holistic.

Unfortunately, some physically strong hitters have mediocre bat speeds and below average power. These hitters believe they can muscle the bat into the ball. They don’t understand where REAL bat speed and power come from.

Consistent power is realized through kinetic linkage that starts as hitters press into the ground to initiate the swing. Power then works its way up through the body in an organized and natural sequence. I always applaud players who hit balls harder and farther than hitters twice their size.

The key is to find the right mix between conditioning and improving hitting mechanics. If I had to put a percentage on what this balance should look like, it would be 70% hitting mechanics and 30% physical offseason conditioning.

This assertion is always validated for me when I begin working with hitters who are already strong and well-conditioned but have average or below average bat speeds. As soon as these hitters develop sound hitting mechanics, bat speeds jump, and their new power is obvious. When hitters learn to combine a smart conditioning program with power hitting mechanics, the fun begins.

In the offseason, I recommend hitters keep hitting. Many colleges, high schools, and travel programs place too much emphasis on offseason physical conditioning, at the expense of improving swings. I see too many online videos of teams running countless wind sprints and performing physical drills coaches devise to fill practice time.

I agree that hitters need to improve their overall strength in the offseason, but they should prioritize working on their hitting mechanics when the snow is falling outside. These hitters will be the winners during the spring and summer.

Strength Or Bat Speed

I often work with physically strong softball players. They ask me to work with them to develop hitting power to match their above average strength. It doesn’t take long for me to determine during the initial workout that the issue with these hitters is poor hitting mechanics.

The first step is always to measure bat speed (not exit velocity) as a baseline metric. Bat speeds for these hitters typically fall into the middle or low range for their age group. (For bat speed ranges, please refer to the article How Fast Is Your Softball Swing).

Why are bat speeds for hitters who are physically fit and strong low? Even though many play for D1 college programs or elite travel teams, they are never taught a powerful and repeatable swing sequence.

The first lesson consists of reviewing and practicing each of my simple hitting keys. By the end of the first workout, these hitters immediately enjoy increased bat speed. The improvement averages 5-10 mph, which is only the beginning.

I like to joke with hitters after they see the higher bat speed on my swing speed radar by asking them if they lifted weights during the lesson. They always smile and say “no.” They are now convinced that increasing power has more to do with the right hitting mechanics and less with physical strength.

After players work on the hitting keys on their own for a few weeks, we meet again for another workout. We will devote the second session to refining the simple hitting keys through observation and video analysis. I believe in hitting accountability, so I measure their bat speeds again after the workout. We are all eager to see if the new mechanics have translated into BIG power.

Bat speeds almost always continue to climb after the initial workouts. Swings now match the physical gifts of each hitter. These hitters could have lifted weights every day and would never have achieved elite bat speed levels in such a short time.

At the end of the first and second lessons, I often award my 70+ Club and 80+ Club bat speed pins to these excited hitters. A few hitters have come close to joining the 90+ Club, but no members yet. It’s only a matter of time until softball hitters find the perfect balance of strength and swing to reach this goal.

My Hitting Keys (For Members Only)

I wish I could work with every player and softball team to prove how effective my hitting keys are. This is obviously impossible. The hitting keys are included in my book Hitting With Torque: For Baseball And Softball Hitters and my fun children’s book Going Going Gone!.

These hitting keys will soon be available for members of Extra Innings Softball. Each hitting key is easy to learn and part of a swing sequence that is guaranteed to immediately increase bat speed, power, and consistency.

Hitters who adopt these hitting keys will not only be more powerful and consistent, but they will also be more confident. Confident hitters step into the batter’s box with only one thought.Swing for the fences!

*****

October 19, 2024: Introducing “Plate Performance with Coach Paul”: A New Hitting Segment with Paul Petricca

October 26, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Softball And Baseball Swings (Should they be different?)

November 2, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: How Fast Is Your Swing?

November 9, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Hitting Accountability

November 14, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Don’t Choke…Choke Up!

December 4, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Finding the Right Bat

December 14, 2024: Plate Performance with Coach Paul: Ha Ha

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