Dynamic warm-up

I stopped to watch a little league tryout over the weekend and was both impressed and disappointed. The parent support was amazing! There must have been 10-15 parents there working the kids. Now, no matter what the level you need a proper warm up. I know "taking a lap" and doing some old school static stretching is what people have been doing for years. It gets regurgitated from generation to generation - which is the problem. It doesn't make much sense to hold a stretch in one position as a way of preparing the body to move explosively. Research shows that workout preceded by static stretching actually have a worse output, and increase the likelihood of injury more than doing NOTHING as a way of getting loose before an event. 


The goal of the warm up is to get the body, and mind, ready to work quick. A dynamic warm up will get you loose and ready to work hard without breaking down the muscles before an event. Save the static stretching for after the game. 


With over 600 muscles to prepare, your warm up will be no shorter than 10 minutes and can last as long as 30 minutes, depending on the environment, with the end result of the athletes all being sweaty and ready to go. If the body feels fatigued, this tells us that (most likely) the kids are deconditioned. 


No more showing up to the field and having the kids play catch to warm up please. If you have questions about building a proper warm up, leave a comment or contact us! 


Zane Kelly is the Owner and Creator of Athletes In Motion LLC, a company that provides training to more professional baseball players than anyone else in the Northwest.