My kids play on an 8 yr and under little league travel softball team in the state of Florida. They play against other very good teams. I’ve witnessed some good coaching; and I’ve seen coaching that makes about as much sense as selling condoms to celibate monks. Now before you wonder what this has to do with fitness, keep reading; because it does. But specifically, it has to do with the ‘hand-me-down’ coaching that seems to pervade fitness, bodybuilding, and in this particular case, softball. Heck, you can really apply it to any sport. Hand-me-down coaching is when coaches, trainers, or anyone working with athletes give a particular piece of advice based on zero percent science or common sense and 100% on “that’s what my coach taught me.” Yep, that’s right. A dearth science, an utter lack of creativity, and a reliance on past information that is misguided at best and at times downright harmful to the well-being of the athlete being coached. Kids deserve better.
Let’s get back to the hand-me-down coaching I’ve witnessed in softball (and you can apply this to baseball as well). Here’s the punch line: it is a complete waste of time for softball (and baseball) athletes to do any amount of long distance running. And I mean a complete waste of time, as in a 100% waste of time. In fact, if you really want to make your players slower, have ‘em go out for a 1, 2, or 3 mile run. Juan Carlos Santana, CSCS, who is perhaps one of the world’s premier strength and conditioning experts in the world, has frequently stated on my radio show, the Performance Nutrition Show, how long-distance running is good for one thing, distance runners. He states it is the best way to get the worst performance in nearly 99% of athletes (except distance runners of course).
For those of you who think that running gets athletes in ‘shape’ to play softball. Think again. Being in shape to run isn’t what you want. You want to be in ‘shape’ to play softball. The main energy system used in running (i.e. the oxidative phosphorylation or aerobic system) is the polar opposite of the energy system used in softball (i.e. the Phosphagen system , aka ATP-PCr). To get better at softball, you need to train the energy systems and movement patterns specific to the sport! They should focus on speed and agility training, resistance training, plyometrics, and core work in addition to practicing the skills of softball.
I have witnessed too often misguided coaches imploring their girls to do distance running in the hopes of getting them in ‘shape.’ Egads. Little do they realize the utter harm they’re doing to these developing athletes. It violates the very basic principle that we teach undergraduate exercise science students. It is the SAID principle. SAID stands for specific adaptations to imposed demands. Your body will adapt very specifically to the physical stressors you impose. If you demand that your body be able to run 2 miles in 12-14 minutes, then guess what, your heart will have a greater cardiac output, your skeletal muscles will be slower but have more endurance, and your muscle fibers will have more mitochondria. Now that’s all fine and dandy. But NONE of it will help you perform softball. In fact, the loss of muscle mass and speed will HURT your performance. You’ll be like a friggin’ sloth competing against cheetahs. Guess who has more speed? If you answered correctly, go to the head of the class.
But if you train a softball player correctly (i.e. speed, power, agility and strength training), the adaptations are wholly different. Why? Because the demands required of softball are so dissimilar to the demands required of distance running. Training for speed and training for endurance at the same time, would be like going to an AA meeting with a beer in your hand.
Distance running makes you a slower softball player. Think of it. How long does a play last in softball? Five to 12 seconds, give or take. Do you EVER see anyone run a mile, 2 miles, or heck even 400 meters in a softball game? Softball is a speed-power sport. Distance running is a sport that requires a premium on cardiovascular conditioning. Doing both is like having Al Sharpton attend a Klan rally. If your IQ is above a grapefruit you’ll see that ain’t a good thing.
A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that cardiovascular endurance training harmed baseball performance.(1) Guess what. Baseball uses the same energy system as softball and requires many of the same movement patterns. Another study found that strength coaches should incorporate upper-body closed-chain resistance exercises to help throwing performance.(2)
For chrissakes, use the science that’s out there. Question your coach as to why you should be running laps around the field. Because if that’s what your coach is telling you, then unfortunately, he or she hasn’t bothered to educate him/herself on the current state of strength and conditioning science. Instead, find a trainer who can teach you how to do some speed work, agility work, plyos, resisted running, etc.
Don’t be a Hannah Montana kind of coach thinking you get the Best of Both Worlds by having kids perform distance running and softball training. On the contrary. You need to train for either speed-power-agility, or cardiovascular endurance. If you attempt to be good at both, you’ll end up being pretty mediocre at both. But if mediocrity is your goal, then by all means, take ‘em out for a jog.
Aloha,
Jose Antonio, PhD
References
1. Rhea MR, Oliverson JR, Marshall G, Peterson MD, Kenn JG, Ayllon FN. Noncompatibility of power and endurance training among college baseball players. J Strength Cond Res 2008;22:230-4.
2. Prokopy MP, Ingersoll CD, Nordenschild E, Katch FI, Gaesser GA, Weltman A. Closed-kinetic chain upper-body training improves throwing performance of NCAA Division I softball players. J Strength Cond Res 2008;22:1790-8.
